At 02:03:25 in the morning, the ocean navigator Alex Pella’s Maxicat Victoria reached the finish line located at the Hotel W Vela of Barcelona, thus breaking the record for the Iberian Peninsula in 4 days, 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 46 seconds.
“It is a pride for the club that you are here and have decided to finish here. I encourage you to continue doing what you are doing in regards to your promotion of the trip, breaking the record, and being an inspiration to many. We have a world-class navigator that does not have the recognition he should. This has been part of the challenge and here you have your home – we will support you in everything you do.”
“It has been very exciting to get here, I am very happy with what we have achieved. This test is a little bigger. In the winter, we did a refurbishment of the boat with all of the team and it has sailed well. The ‘Vuelta a España’ was our first big test to see if we were good or not. What we have experienced is that we have been successful in everything that we have done.
My idea was to perform an idea on a sporting level. This is a project to spread a message greater than sailing. Now we have some shares on the islands and in November we will do the Ruta del Descubrimiento that will help us to continue preparing. Here the record bar is very high. It is a very strong monohull ship. It will be more demanding. With the aim of completing the ‘Vuelta al Mundo’ for November 1 2025, we have a very good development.
The last record for ‘La Vuelta a España’ was established by the López-Doriga brothers in 2006, on board the ‘Arte y Naturaleza’ sailboat, with a time of 12 days and 13 hours. “this trip of 1500 nautical miles is spectacular, but you don’t really know how you’re going to manage each stage. The route brings together the harshness of the Cantabrian sea, the mythical passage of Finisterre, the coast of Portugal, the complicated passage of the Gibraltar strait, and the always unpredictable Mediterranean Sea. The success of this great time has been the links between all of the systems. Furthermore, both the ship and the crew have worked marvelously. It is a fantastic time and I hope that others want to try to challenge us. Our energy is the wind, the waves, the currents, and the sun, all with a boat that is more than 25 years old and despite that, we are obtaining the best performance possible.
The captain, Alex Pella, has been accompanied in this new challenge by technical, Lalou Roucayrol, director Alejandro Cantero, rigging technician Alberto Muñoz, systems technician David Pella (in replacement of Pablo Santurde), as well as Pilar Casares and Manuel Maqueda.
The last record for ‘La Vuelta a España’ was established by the López-Doriga brothers in 2006, on board the ‘Arte y Naturaleza’ sailboat, with a time of 12 days and 13 hours. “this trip of 1500 nautical miles is spectacular, but you don’t really know how you’re going to manage each stage. The route brings together the harshness of the Cantabrian sea, the mythical passage of Finisterre, the coast of Portugal, the complicated passage of the Gibraltar strait, and the always unpredictable Mediterranean Sea. The success of this great time has been the links between all of the systems. Furthermore, both the ship and the crew have worked marvelously. It is a fantastic time and I hope that others want to try to challenge us. Our energy is the wind, the waves, the currents, and the sun, all with a boat that is more than 25 years old and despite that, we are obtaining the best performance possible.
Desafío Victoria – Maxicat Victoria
After getting the record for ‘La Vuelta a Menorca’ breaking it in April with a record of 5 hours, 4 minutes, and 57 seconds, this is the new challenge that Alex Pella and his crew are going to try to break, before starting The Around-the-World Trip sailing towards the west.
Historically, Spain has been the biggest maritime power and the great explorer of the blue planet. 500 years ago, the Spanish expedition, started by the Magallanes and finished by Elcano, changed the world. Inspired by this historical adventure, the Desafío Victoria was born – a massive project in which a legendary boat has been recovered to relive and enjoy the greatest oceanic challenge of all time: to do The Around-the-World Trip towards the west. The Maxicat Victoria is a legendary multihull vessel constructed in France with a length of 33.5 metres, a beam of 17.5 metres, and a mast height of 42.6 metres.
It will be a sporty, circular, and global challenge. To circumnavigate the planet towards the west is not only a human and sporting challenge, but also a race against the clock to change our mentality and the future of the planet. Therefore, this boat is being reused, and the energies that drive it are renewable; the food aboard is sustainable; the water purified; and he has his non-negotiable promise of minimizing the carbon footprint and waste generated throughout the project as much as possible. This adventure is set to face the most ambitious challenge: to lead a historical, unique, and pioneering regatta that advocates for the principles of decarbonisation, circular and regenerative economy, and educating and inspiring millions of people of any age and from any part of the world.
Festina, Qualitas Energy, and IDOM join the global Desafío Victoria
The watch brand Festina has been the main sponsor and official timekeeper of the Desafío Victoria since its beginning. Additionally, Qualitas Energy and IDOM are also collaborating in this challenge.