Youth finishes solo transatlantic crossing

While age records are not maintained in sailing, 16-year old Cal Currier believes he’s the youngest person to ever sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean from west to east. After setting sail on June 27 in a 30-foot-long sailboat, he completed his 3900 mile voyage from Marion, Massachusetts to Lagos, Portugal on July 25.

Currier said the physical element of the 28 day journey wasn’t too difficult. It was the mental side that truly tested him. “Loneliness and boredom and sleep deprivation are the greatest challenges that I had to deal with,” he told the Today show.

Currier (Palo Alto, CA) only just started taking sailing lessons seriously in January, but the sport runs in his blood. His father and grandfather are transatlantic sailors.

“My dad is very adventurous and my mom is also quite adventurous,” Currier told the Today show. “The whole brainstorming process for what I was going to do this summer happened with my dad. He was kind of there for me deciding I was going to do it. My mom took a little bit more convincing, but after a couple long conversations and a couple long nights, we convinced her that it was safe to do.”

When asked what he learned most about himself during his four weeks out on the ocean, Currier said he realized just how important other people are to him.

“I’ve always considered myself to be somewhat of an introverted extrovert,” he told the Today show. “I like to be with myself, but at the end of the day, I love people. That was reaffirmed with this. I just really missed people the whole time. So, I don’t think I’ll do any large solo expeditions anymore. It’s just more fun to be with people.”

Source: NBC Bay Area