The Vuelta Vertical sails through the Atlantic towards the Antarctic

Nov 22, 2025 | Sailing news, Vuelta Vertical | 0 comments

Adverse meteorology has been the main protagonist of the initial days of this adventure, which started on Saturday, November 15th, from the port of Castellón
Paula Gonzalvo: “Despite the difficulties, these first days have served to recharge strength after the intensity of preparations”

PUERTO SHERRY | 21 NOVEMBER | COORDINATES 36° 35 N 6º 15’ O

The sailing vessel Alegría Marineros, who left on Saturday 15 November from the port of Castellón with the aim of covering the first Vuelta Vertical a la terra, entered the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and sailed towards the south, towards the Antarctic. Captained by Paula Gonzalvo and Pedro Jiménez, the vessel has spent its first journeys across the Mediterranean sea marked by adverse weather. Although it was not possible to highlight any type of relevant setback, it was taken advantage of to carry out a set of tasks that remained pending before sailing.

As Paula Gonzalvo explains, last month, on the 17th, meteorological circumstances were taken advantage of to make some adjustments to the vessel. “Very close to Cabo de Gata, we spend a few hours, to prevent the wind from coming too far towards us, bending the cable; and we use this time to repair some things”.

As you can see, it is a matter of doing the necessary virtue in the face of inclement weather, in a first week which, according to Paula, “has served to recharge forces after the tremendous intensity of ground preparations”. Preparations whose shadow was extended, as, on the first days, the captains were accompanied by up to 9 crew members, among the people who left the boat ready to set sail in Varadero. Four of these crew members disembarked in Denia, and the rest left behind in Cádiz.

This is the time, with navigation in the open ocean, much further from the coast and completely alone, when the mental strength of the captains is most necessary.

It is worth remembering that the first stage is made up of more than 5,000 miles that will sail in 45 days, until the 26th of December it stops in Mar del Plata (Argentina). A route that can be followed live, 24/7, through the official website vueltavertical.com and the YouTube channel enabled for it (Allende los Mares / Vuelta Vertical).

The beginning of the route, in detail

After his departure last Saturday from Castellón, the sea and the wind were against the protagonists of the start of the navigation. A wind against which, as it had been signaled, they began to spread in Genoveses, near Cabo de Gata, for several hours. After resuming navigation, it was the first hour of the morning when the Alegría Marineros reached Gibraltar. After carrying out a repost, the sailing journey allowed us to reach Puerto Sherry in the first hour of the night of this miércoles.

This July, November 20th, it can be considered a “sanitary technical scale”, says Paula Gonzalvo. “Pedro needed a small doctor’s check, nothing important… but it’s something that can’t be done when we find ourselves in the open ocean; so if he leaves the sailboat, he goes to Madrid and returns on the same day”, he explains. Let nothing worry: it wasn’t more than a visit, brief but essential, to the dentist.

With the new captains on board, this coming November 21st, the Alegría Mariners set sail again, heading towards the South and heading towards the Atlantic. It is the first of the five oceans (all of them on the planet Tierra) for which the expedition will pass. And it will also be the first in which Paula and Pedro carry out the scientific labors that form part of this Vuelta Vertical and make it tremendously special, with more than its adventurous and pioneering character.

After a few intense weeks of preparations, navigation little by little reaches its particular “crucial speed”; and then, at sea, when the captains felt especially good. “I rest at sea, really when I rest”, said Pedro Jiménez, a few days ago, during the celebration of the presentation of the initiative. But don’t be mistaken: in the sea, in reality, there is no rest, and each mile is unique and special. Something that can be confirmed by following the online retransmission of the crossing live via the YouTube channel of Allende Los Mares – Vuelta Vertical.