Single-handed record

20 days across the Atlantic aboard a kite-powered trimaran

Portuguese sailor Francisco Lufinha made landfall on the beach at Anse Meunier, in the French island of Martinique, on December 20th. Already holder of numerous kiteboarding records, the sailor had set out from the island of La Palma in the Canaries (Spain) some 20 days previous, setting a new record for a single-handed Atlantic crossing using a kite wing – he had nine of them on board.

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Published 24/12/2021

By Dick Sawyer

Issue: 181

Published: jan. / feb. 2022

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For his crossing that had begun in Cascais (north of Lisbon), Francisco used a Diam 24 as his platform that he modified extensively: more rigging, of course, but he also constructed a small central cabin and fitted a renewable energy system. The trimaran had 700 watts of solar panels and a hydro-generator.

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