Romanian attempts solo sail crossing of the Atlantic

Romania-born French citizen Dorel Nacou has started on Wednesday, November 1, the Mini-Transat La Boulangere sailing race. He thus becomes the first Romania to attempt a solo crossing of the Atlantic, Agerpres reported. The Mini-Transat is the flagship race of the annual Mini circuit, with 84 men and women sailors participating. The 4,050 nautical miles solo crossing, on the smallest offshore racing boats, of only 6.50 m long, is sailed in two legs. The first leg stretches from La Rochelle to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and is 1,350 miles long. It lasts between seven and ten days. The 2,700 miles long second leg starts from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It takes between 15 and 20 sailing days to reach Le Marin in Martinique, in the French West Indies. The 45 year old Nacou has been living in France since 1992. He studied in France and works at a naval shipyard close to Marseille. He is undertaking the race on board of the ship called iXblue Vamonos. It is 6.50 meters long, and 3 meters wide, with a height of the mast of 12 meters and a weight of 900 kg. The sail he is undertaking can be tracked in real time here. editor@romania-insider.com (Photo: print screen from dorel-nacou.com)