Man completes solo 10,000-mile journey to San Diego on a 32-foot boat

Consider nice explorers, and names corresponding to Ferdinand Magellan or somebody acquainted to San Diegans, like Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, most likely come to thoughts.

However, on this modern-day, now you can add the identify of Sergio Davi.

Captain Davi doesn’t communicate a lot English, however it was obvious on Friday morning to see how completely happy he was to lastly be in San Diego. And what a journey it was to get right here.

Davi left his hometown of Palermo, Sicily, in early January. His route took him by way of the Mediterranean, then an sudden, however unavoidable cease within the Canary Islands, throughout the Atlantic, by way of the Panama Canal and up the west coast of Mexico, lastly arriving on Thursday in San Diego.

So why would anybody need to make such a journey?

Davi responded to that query by way of interpreter Pietro Bellinghieri, the affiliate consul basic for Italy, based mostly in Los Angeles.

“Ardour for crusing, a way of journey,” was the reply.

Davi stated it was great attending to know the folks and the locations the place he stopped alongside the best way.

However there was additionally an enormous setback, and that is the place the Canary Islands come into play. Not lengthy into his journey, he contracted COVID-19. He stopped and recovered there — and that took 20 days.

“It was very difficult as a result of having COVID in another country was difficult,” Davi stated.

However getting COVID-19 wasn’t the one sudden expertise alongside the best way.

Whereas he was off the coast of Venezuela, Davi encountered some pirates. As quickly as he realized who they had been, he made good use of his two 300-horsepower engines to make a fast getaway!

“Ciao, ciao,” Davi stated with amusing as he recalled what he stated to the pirates as he sped away.

Davi’s journey was about extra than simply making the journey. He additionally did it to name consideration to the plight of the world’s oceans. He photographed varied marine life and took water samples alongside the best way, which can assist scientists deepen their data of how oceans are altering.

Davi will keep in San Diego over the weekend. Then, he’ll motor as much as San Pedro on Tuesday, and that would be the finish of the boating half. He’ll put the boat on a cargo ship — after which he’ll fly again dwelling.