Sergio Davì is in Cape Verde (after 840 non-stop miles). The interview

Navigator Sergio Davì’s journey continues aboard his dinghy Aretusa Explorer, a 10-meter Nuova Jolly with which he set off from Palermo bound for Los Angeles(read more here). Right now Daví has arrived in Cape Verde, specifically in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente. Shortly before he left for this long leg, we caught up with him by phone to let him tell us how his sailing is progressing and take stock of his venture.

Sergio Davì ready to cross the ocean: interview

Setting off from the Canary Islands, Sergio Davì completed in 44 hours of non-stop sailing the 840 nautical miles that separated him from Cape Verde. On board with him on this leg is Antonio Aiello, of Nuova Jolly Marine. At this point Sergio is getting closer to what is one of the most challenging stretches of his sailing, in which he will have to cross the Atlantic Ocean in one go. While he was still in the Canary Islands we called him to take stock with him of his sailing so far.

Sergio, first of all, how are you?

So far so good. Unfortunately, there were many stops caused by the bad weather that we had to deal with from the start. I don’t have a real timetable, because having to wait for weather windows would be difficult to meet. Let’s say at this time I imagined I was here, and that’s fine.

Was it therefore a challenging navigation?

Let’s say it was not smooth sailing. In fact, of the navigations I have done so far perhaps this is the most challenging. Even to get to Lanzarote was not the best. Same thing from Gibraltar. Definitely challenging, but morale is high and I’m glad to be here.

How important is the stage from the Canary Islands to Cape Verde?

The leg from the Canary Islands to Cape Verde is critical; it is the dress rehearsal for the engines and instrumentation before making the Atlantic crossing. I took advantage of this stop to super-clean the Simrad electronics on board, as well as the two Suzuki engines.

What has been checked that will be useful to you on the trip?

In Gran Canaria, I did a lot of checking with the support of partners to leave nothing to chance. First, for the electronics that everything was connected well. From the electronic compass to a control then more generally. To navigate safely even at night, it is essential to be sure that everything is working well. On board for example, I have a radar, a Halo24, which gives me a near real-time view with short-range operation at 60 rpm. It allows you to identify hazards instantly with simultaneous short- and long-range coverage (up to 48 nautical miles). Sailing for so many hours, and particularly at night, it is an essential tool especially considering that, likely, all commercial vessels use this technology. AIS technology will also be very important in this regard.*

For the engines, Movil Motors technicians made a kind of pit stop for the engines. This was so that both from Gran Canaria to Mindelo and then for the next leg, the two DF300B dual props were ready to sail in displacement. A propeller replacement was also done for this.

How long will you stay in Mindelo?

To restart, I would like to take a window with as little rain and bad weather as possible. You have to be careful because being a long stage I have to consider not only the bad weather at the start, but also what I might find in the middle or at the finish. That said, I honestly look forward to carrying on. Of course, doing long sailings in sequence does tire you out a little bit, however, it also allows you to keep yourself in rhythm, and on a long trip like this it is very important.

*AIS is a system that identifies vessels in the vicinity and, at the same time, allows them to be identified by other units, taking advantage of the VHF signal.

To follow Sergio Davì’s journey you can use the following GPS tracker link developed by SGS Tracking: http://www.sgstracking.com/live/index.html?id=263.