A story bordering on the verisimilar, perhaps almost unbelievable, but so unique that it is still immaculate today, the story of the Autonauts. It was 1999 and brothers Marco, Mauro and Fabio Amoretti, in the company of Marcolino De Candia, braved the Atlantic Ocean in an ‘ 87 Volkswagen Passat and an ‘ 81 Ford Taunus. From the Canary Islands to the Caribbean by car, an affair without equal, and one that deserves, undoubtedly, a dusting off now and then.
“At sea we were afraid of the depths, but the world we had created for ourselves was our world, and we only had to face our own judgments. Now we have to confront ourselves, every day, with the expectations of others. And at first glance, apart from the happiness of seeing our families again, the land world is not that great.”
(Marco De Candia, The 19th Century, Oct. 13, 1999)
The Atlantic with an ’87 Passat and an ’81 Ford Taunus.
Imagine taking two old cars, cramming them with polyurethane foam and driving from the Canary Islands to Martinique, across the Atlantic Ocean. It sounds like science fiction today, but it wasn’t so 26 years ago. On board are three brothers-Marco, Mauro and Fabio Amoretti-and with them Marcolino De Candia. It is May 1999 when the boys set off from La Palma (the Isla Bonita of the Canary Islands) in a 1987 Volkwagen Passat and a 1981 Ford Taunus.
Autonauts. Why did they leave?
Amoretti’s father is Giorgio, a photojournalist, who had attempted the same ocean crossing in 1978 aboard what he called the “Automare,” a Volkswagen Beetle full of Styrofoam. Spanish authorities, however, blocked his departure. When, 21 years later, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor, his sons, together with Marcolino De Candia, decided to try the feat again with their father whose days might be numbered. Giorgio, however, proves too weak to participate in the venture.
They leave the shores of La Palma at dawn on May 4, 1999, to avoid the authorities. On board the two cars they have provisions, instrumentation, and a life raft on the roof. The departure is uphill. After motoring away for a stretch, once they run out of gasoline they are completely in the hands of Aeolus and the unstable winds blowing on the improvised sails of the “car-boats” spin them around.
Fabio and Mauro decide to throw in the towel on May 14. Seasickness, morale under their shoes, and perhaps the knowledge that they are in an environment alien to them: they are brought ashore by the Tenerife helicopter.
Marco and Marcolino, on the other hand, aboard a car on the ocean, have a great time.
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