With only himself for company and a sexton as his guide, he will compete to be the first of two dozen sailors to sail around the world without making landfall. There will be four checkpoints with media rendezvous along the nine-month voyage.
A total of 23 participants were listed in December. Those who are interested in contributing can visit francescocappelletti. Cappelletti has 20 years of experience as an amateur sailor and four years as a professional. He sailed the west coast of Italy on his own for about five months, going three to four days at a time without touching land, he says. He crossed the Atlantic twice, once in from the Dominican Republic to England and France, and the second time in from Trinidad and Tobago to Italy.
Both times he sailed with crews, delivering sailing boats to clients who bought them abroad. Sailing on your own is all about balance with nature and the elements, feeling both lord of your own environment and a tiny part of a vast world, he says. The best experience you have is to rely on your own.
Rely on your own experience. You estimate all the situations, your own technical skills, your own self-control. During the Golden Globe Race, a satellite tracker will be mounted on the boats and skippers will be able to send and receive messages at set intervals, Cappelletti says. He also will be able to communicate with his parents and girlfriend via an old-fashioned high-frequency radio his father is building in his home in Tuscany.
He will sail by following the sun and the stars, and expects to get off track with overcast skies and back on course with clear skies. Despite his enthusiasm, Cappelletti says he abandoned his plans for a time in late , when he was faced with having to pay 2, euro on deadline. He gave up his spot for about five months, but he became reenergized when he started making connections and finding sponsors, he says.
