Alex Pella’s Maxicat Victoria breaks the record of “La vuelta a España” in 4 days, 17 hours, 14 minutes, 46 seconds
– At 02:03:25 this morning, the Maxicat Victoria crossed the finish line in the port of Barcelona.
– The Real Club Marítimo del Abra-Real Sporting Club and the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona join thisnew sporting challenge of the Maxicat Victoria to promote the Iberian route.
Monday, July 22, 2024.
At 02:03:25 this morning, ocean sailor Alex Pella‘s Maxicat Victoria reached the finish line at the W Vela hotel in Barcelona, breaking the Iberian Peninsula record in 4 days, 17 hours, 14 minutes and 46 seconds.
The last record for “La vuelta a España” was set by the López-Doriga brothers in 2006, aboard the sailing yacht ‘Arte y Naturaleza’, with a time of 12 days and 13 hours. “This is a 1,500 nautical mile sailing route, spectacular, but you don’t know very well how you’re going to be able to manage many passages. The route brings together the harshness of the Bay of Biscay, the mythical Finisterre Pass, the coast of Portugal, the complicated passage of the Strait of Gibraltar and the always unpredictable Mediterranean Sea. The success of this time has been the chaining of all the systems. In addition to the fact that both the boat and the crew have worked wonderfully. It’s a fantastic time and what I hope is that others will want to try to challenge us. Our energy is the wind, the waves, the currents and the sun, with a boat that is more than 25 years old and that, despite this, we are getting the best possible performance.”.
Skipper Alex Pella has been accompanied in this new challenge by Lalou Roucayrol, technical director, Alejandro Cantero, rigging technician, Alberto Muñoz, systems technician, David Pella (replacing Pablo Santurde), Pilar Casares and Manuel Maqueda.
Victoria Challenge – Maxicat Victoria
After achieving the record of ‘La Vuelta a Menorca’, beaten in April with a record of 5 hours, 4 minutes and 57 seconds, this is the new challenge that Alex Pella and his crew will attempt, before starting the round the world sailing to the west.
Historically, Spain has been the greatest maritime power and the great explorer of the blue planet. 500 years ago, the Spanish expedition initiated by Magellan and completed by Elcano changed the world. Inspired by this adventure in history, ‘Desafío Victoria’ was born, a major project in which a legendary ship has been recovered to revive and compete in the greatest oceanic challenge of all time: circumnavigating the world to the west. The Maxicat Victoria is a legendary ocean-going multihull, built in France, with a length of 33.5 meters, a beam of 17.5 meters and a mast height of 42.6 meters.
It will be a sporting, circular and global challenge.
Circumnavigating the planet westward is not only a human and sporting challenge, but also a race against time to change our mentality and the future of the planet. Hence, this ship is reused; the energies that drive it are renewable; the food on board is sustainable; the water is purified; and its commitment to minimize our carbon footprint and the waste generated throughout the project is non-negotiable. This adventure is undertaken to meet the most ambitious challenge: to lead a historic, unique and pioneering ocean race, advocating the principles of decarbonization, circular economy and regenerative economy, educating and inspiring millions of people of any age and in any part of the world.
Festina, Qualitas Energy and IDOM join the global challenge of the Victory Challenge
The watch brand Festina is the main sponsor and official timekeeper of the Desafío Victoria from the beginning. In addition, Qualitas Energy and IDOM also collaborate in this challenge .
Photographs Delphine Trentacosta
Responsible for communications for Desafío Victoria:
Desirée Tornero
desiree@aguaysalcomunicacion.com
More information at:
From “Navegantes Oceánicos” we congratulate Alex Pella and the whole Desafío Victoria team, for achieving this new record of the Sailing Tour of Spain, and we wish them good winds and good luck in the project “Trofeo Oceánico ELCANO”. We wish them good winds and good luck in the round the world sailing project “Trofeo Oceánico ELCANO”.
