It took Vittorio Malingri just 13 days, 17 hours and 48 minutes to sail 2,545 miles from Dakar, Senegal to Guadeloupe, Antilles. This Italian sailor didn't make the crossing in your average boat however, he made the crossing single handed aboard Royal Oak, a 20 foot beach cat!
Vittorio left from Dakar on Tuesday, April 15. Upon his arrival to Guadeloupe, the Milanese single-handed sailor was received by his staff, family, and friends.
Vittorio Malingri had this to say about his trip across the pond: “It was a wonderful experience regardless of the difficulties and problems that I encountered. The boat worked marvelously, apart from the problems I had with the solar panels which affected my energy supply and therefore the functioning of the automatic pilot and phones. The biggest problem was having to do everything with only one hand, with the automatic pilot out my other hand was needed on the rudder. At night, for short intervals I tied the rudder in order to rest. I did not suffer hunger or thirst. From a physical point of view, it was much less difficult than a leg on the around the world race in a larger boat. Now I am going to sleep in a bed."
ABOUT THE CATAMARAN
The Royal Oak is a catamaran conceived just for this record. According to regulations: a beach catamaran with a maximum length of 20 feet without a fixed shelter. The project is by Sito Aviles Ramos, a friend of Vittorio and the only designer with proven experience in these catamarans, and which hold some of the recent records. With Vittorio’s specifications a totally new catamaran was created. More than just an evolution of the previous one: more powerful and rich with state of the art solutions in hulls, platform, and terraces. The construction of the boat is entirely in carbon fiber with the identical technology that is applied to the best composites plowing through the oceans today. The shrouds are entirely in textile fibers.
The catamaran was conceived to minimize the risks of capsizing and damage, while maintaining constant speed. In case of capsizing the boat is equipped to be easily redressed by a single person. The boat is equipped with watertight compartments for food, safety equipment, clothes, drinking water and spare parts; on the platform two watertight bags keep the necessary at hand. A small solar powered battery is dedicated to power the satellite phone, portable gps, portable vhf radio, a small automatic pilot, lights, compass and a digital video/photo camera. Vittorio also carried the safety equipment typical of a much larger ocean yacht: manual drinking water distiller, EPIRB, lifejackets, survival wetsuit, radar transponder, tools and of course first-aid equipment.
ABOUT VITTORIO MALINGRI
Vittorio Malingri has over thirty years of ocean sailing experience as skipper and designer, and was the first Italian at the Vendée Globe.
In 1997, on the 60ft trimaran Spirit, Vittorio Malingri established the record (still unbeaten) at the Roma x 2 in 54 hours and 16 minutes. Then, with Franco Manzoli they achieved an overall win at the Corsica x 2 on the 30 ft catamaran ‘Golfo Tigullio’. A victory that Manzoli and Malingri reconfirm in 1998 by establishing a new 52 hour record.
FOR THE RECORD
For the record: Route from Dakar, Senegal to Guadeloupe, Antilles for a total of 2,545 miles aboard Royal Oak, a 6.09 meter non habitable catamaran. The only reference point to compare with on this route was made by the two Frenchmen Pierre-Yves Moreau and Benoit Lequin, which last December took 11 days 11 hours and 25 minutes to complete in doubles. Vittorio was in perfect average with these numbers, and actually had an advantage on April 18, when unfortunetely the Anticyclone of the Azores began to slacken, and the wind went down to 15 knots stable, making it impossible to repeat or improve the hourly averages of the Frenchmen.
Vittorio Malingri is the first navigator to challenge this route single-handed on a beach cat, so his is the new solo record to beat at 13 days, 17 hours and 48 minutes.
All i can say is "Good job Vittorio!"
May 3, 2008
Across the Atlantic Alone on a Beach Cat!
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