ST. ANTHONY, N.L. — An ambitious solo sailor on a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean has landed in St. Anthony.
On August 19, Sergio Davì arrived at the Grenfell floating dock aboard his Nuova Jolly Marine Prince 38cc inflatable boat.
It is one of his last stops as he sails 13,000 kilometres from Palermo, Italy to New York – the longest of five trips he has undertaken alone since 2010.
Davì, 52, is an experienced sailor of 25 years and is the skipper of a yacht in his home country of Italy.
The president, professional skipper and shipping commander of the Palermo-based Ciuri Ciuri Mare (CCM) sports association, he has undertaken several journeys alone aboard his inflatable boat, powered by two Suzuki DF350A dual prop outboards.
From Palermo, he has sailed to Amsterdam; Nordkapp, Norway; as well as Rio de Janeiro and Recife, Brazil.
This time, as part of the Ice RIB Challenge 2019, his final destination is New York City.
St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador, was one of his landing spots along the way.
When he set foot in the Great Northern Peninsula town, it was also his first visit to Canada.
Davì speaks little English and frequently utilized a smartphone translation app during the interview.
He told The Northern Pen Canada has a great reputation in Italy.
“Italy is a country very attached to Canada, you have a very great reputation in Italy,” he said.
Davì’s journey started on July 21 when he departed from Palermo and made his way northward, with stops in several
European countries including Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In late June, he started his journey across the Atlantic, with stops in Reykjavik, Iceland and Greenland.
The journey experienced frequent delays due to harsh weather conditions. Before arriving in St. Anthony, Davì had a 10-day stopover in Qaqortoq, Greenland while awaiting more favourable sailing conditions.
He finally departed on August 17.
But sailing down the Labrador Sea posed unique challenges with heavy seas and the presence of icebergs.
According to his online diary, he had to travel an average cruising speed of about seven knots as a precaution.
Two days later, after travelling 1,200 consecutive kilometres, he finally landed in St. Anthony.
In total, he has sailed 10,000 kilometres since leaving Palermo.
Upon arrival, he was welcomed by the St. Anthony Port Authority and received assistance from Harbour Master Malcolm Campbell.
He stayed at the Snuggle Inn.
He’s had little opportunity to visit various locales or sightsee, focusing more on getting rest and other preparations, his first impressions of the country and of Newfoundland and Labrador were positive – despite the colder climate.
“It’s a very cold place in terms of temperature and the people are absolutely fantastic,” he said, through smartphone translation.
Davì didn’t know how long he would stay in St. Anthony. It all depended on the weather.
Once the wind dies down, he’ll start his journey again, with stops in North Sydney and Halifax planned before he arrives in New York City.
Readers can visit Davi's website for updates on his exciting journey. The text is in Italian but can be translated using a web browser.
