Round the World in Smallest Sailboat

[DeepFrz]

Alessandro Di Benedetto has rounded Cape Horn (on the 16th) in his 6.5 meter (21.4 ft) boat. The boat was dismasted in late March and he has jury rigged the mast and continued on his non stop, non assisted round the world trip.

Alessandro Di Benedetto - Round the World

[boatman61]

Way to go Alessandro...... RESPECT

[starfish62]

Best of luck to the young man and here's hoping that Cape Horn was the worst of it and fair winds on out.

[maxingout]

The photos of the boat are great. I've never seen an aft cabin arrangement like the one on this 21 footer. Innovative. I would love to see what the inside accomodations look like.

[DeepFrz]

Yes, it is an intriguing boat. A little capsule.

He certainly has my respect.

[Ocean Girl]

THANKS DeepFrz! Great link, I will love following his adventure. Does anyone know why he has hatches on the stern?
Erika

[sildene]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

THANKS DeepFrz! Great link, I will love following his adventure. Does anyone know why he has hatches on the stern?
Erika

No space for the head ...

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Does anyone know why he has hatches on the stern?

Just a guess… but it looks like the same arrangement one sees in the Open 60s and Volvo boats where there is an escape arrangement… from the pictures, it looks like he has the telltale dagger-boards, and I’d presume (???) a canting keel to go with a seemingly large beam… if it behaves like its larger sisters, they can get stuck upside down, and the sanctioning bodies have required escape hatches at the stern in case the crew is below during a capsize that doesn’t right itself…

Would be nice to know more about the vessel from someone who knows however… pretty fascinating effort…

[paradix]

Originally Posted by dcstrng

Would be nice to know more about the vessel from someone who knows however… pretty fascinating effort…

Alessandro's boat is a modified Mini 650, and you can find out more about the Classe Mini and Alessandro's modifications here:

The Unofficial Mini Transat Open 650 Site

and here:

70.8%: Alessandro Di Benedetto: Around nonstop in a Mini 6.50

The title of this thread is a little misleading - Alessandro will not be sailing around the world in the smallest sailboat - Australian Serge Testa holds that honour I believe in the 3.6m Acrohc Australia. But unlike Serge, Alessandro is attempting a non-stop circumnavigation. An amazing and very well planned project, and all the more amazing now he is running jury-rigged.

[DeepFrz]

The title of this thread is a little misleading - Alessandro will not be sailing around the world in the smallest sailboat

That is true. I should have mentioned that it is the "smallest non stop and unassisted" boat, should he make it.

I am well aware of Web Chiles circumnavigation (pl?) in an open boat that was smaller than Alessandro's, but it was not non stop.

I was not aware of Serge Testa's circumnavigation in a 3.6 m boat. That is an amazing 12 ft...thanks for mentioning that and for the links on Mini 650.

[Factor]

Yeah - way to go

But not even close to the smallest boat. Get William Longyard's book - a speck on the sea for some real research on the subject.

None of which takes away from this chaps individual personal achievement.

[DeepFrz]

Alessandro Di Benedetto is getting close to crossing his outbound track off the coast of Brasil.

[DeepFrz]

Alessandro Di Benedetto is finally nearing the Azores in his jury rigged pocket racer. He was dismasted around Christmas in the Pacific while nearing Cape Horn and has been sailing with a makeshift mast ever since.

[Borealis]

From the photos it looks like the aft cabin is designed as a water tight compartment in case of a main cabin flooding or a hull breach. The boat would bob like a cork with the transom above water. WOuld explain the round access hatch facing forward. Most excellent!

[Blue Stocking]

Not to detract from Allesandro's feat, (he has big brass ones), but does anyone remember John Riding. This 6' 3" Englishman was lost in the Pacific about 35 yrs ago after crossing the Atlantic, stopping here in Bermuda for a while, where many of us got to know him. and then proceeding thru the Canal. The boat was named Syo Ag (Sea Egg?), and was 12ft OD, if I remember correctly.