Matteo Miceli: Chasing Records Italian Style

Matteo Miceli is a likeable, dark-haired man with a reassuring smile who has worked and lived near the sea since he was 20. But, like Peter Pan, he dreams of adventure—it is in his soul. Adventure is his constant companion and he can’t live without it. Setting records is his life.

Matteo is lucky because his family has always supported his passion—especially his mother. She is fully convinced that her son knows what he’s doing at sea, but like all mothers, she hasn’t stopped reminding him he should get married and start a family.

The Adventure Begins
In 2006 Matteo accepted the challenge the ocean holds for any sailor who dares put his bow outside the Pillars of Hercules—a solo 2,700-mile passage across the Atlantic between Gran Canaria to Guadaloupe in his 180 kg (397 lb), 6 m (20 ft) beach cat Biondina Nera “Black Blondie.” His aim wasn’t just to “get there” but to do it faster than anyone else.

After months of preparation and a perfect weather forecast, Matteo left the port of Gran Canaria on December 29, 2006. Sailing at 25 knots through 40-knot squalls, it took all his skill to keep from capsizing. Conditions improved while crossing the equator and he was able to toast the New Year in calm conditions.

Fourteen days after the start, Matteo landed in Guadaloupe, beating the previous record by an impressive 10 days.

Preparing Boat, Body and Mind
Matteo reduced his risk of failure with meticulous planning and is convinced that proper preparation makes sailing the oceans less risky than crossing Rome on a moped. In fact his only major problem wasn’t due to boat or hardware failure, but from a wetsuit that wasn’t as watertight as it should have been and leaked saltwater into his boot, causing painful sores. He also said the constant spray on his face made him appear older than he really is, but he said, “Women like it.”

Matteo’s physical training began six months before the attempt, with daily pushups, bicep work, and standing jumps to increase strength in his arms and legs. He also worked with the well-known Italian sleep specialist, Professor Claudio Stampi, founder of the Massachusetts, U.S.-based Chronobiology Research Institute (for the study of biological rhythms). Stampi is affectionately known by endurance sailors as “Dr. Sleep,” and his strict schedule called for 20-minute powernaps every two hours, a pattern from which Matteo could not deviate, as it was the only way he could maintain concentration and an effective balance between minimum sleep and optimal performance.

Matteo Miceli To improve stability, Biondina Nera was optimized to sail flat in 25 knots. Matteo also rigged the autopilot so course adjustments could be made instantly from anywhere on the boat—including the small tent that protected his head while he slept. He managed to avoid synthetic food by eating nuts and dehydrated rice, which became rich and appetizing on contact with water. Provisions were divided equally between lockers so there would always be food and drink, even if one storage area flooded. He also carried 30 extra litres of drinking water and a small manual desalinator for emergencies.

Old Friendships, New Challenges
For Matteo, personal relationships are the greatest of riches. Before his record attempt his friends signed Biondina Nera’s hulls, then followed his passage via the Internet, with more than a thousand people tracking his progress each day. Many traveled to Guadaloupe and were on hand to greet him when he landed.

Today, Matteo is looking to the future with important projects and new records to set. Awaiting him and Biondina Nera is the other great ocean, the Pacific, with its vast stretches of water and no shelter to run for. Also in the planning stages is a single-hull Open 40 he will build with the D’Este yard for a Rome-to-Rome circumnavigation—new routes for records that are all Italian.