Didac Costa to take part in Vendee Globe despite lightning damage

by Vendée Globe on 30 Sep 2016 The Spanish sailor Didac Costa has reaffirmed that he will be taking part in the Vendee Globe despite lightning damaging part of his boat’s electronics. His team has called for new sponsors to overcome this latest difficulty.

Dídac Costa has shown today he is absolutely determined to overcome one more obstacle on his way to the start line of the Vendée Globe, which starts on November 6th from Les Sables d'Olonne. Costa will be the fourth Spanish sailor who has attempted to complete this gruelling race, after José de Ugarte (the only one to complete the course), Javier Sanso (twice) and Unaï Basurko.

70,000 euros required to complete the budget
During the press conference, the team manager Jordi Griso announced that the mast of One Planet One Ocean was struck by lightning last Thursday causing important damage to the electronics. He added that they 'need a little push now' to complete the required budget, before revealing that 70,000 euros are in fact needed to replace the damaged equipment and to finish the installation of the communication system. 'The return for sponsors will be much higher than the investment,' said Griso.

A total of 29 solo sailors from 10 countries will take part in the eighth edition of the Vendée Globe. Costa’s campaign is probably one of the smaller budgets, estimated to have cost just over 300,000 euros. In this presentation, held at the headquarters of the FNOB (the Barcelona Foundation for Ocean Sailing), it was highlighted that despite the campaign starting with Costa’s personal savings, it has become a group effort, with the participation of friends, sailors, firms and yacht clubs, as well the FNOB. Dídac Costa, ambassador for the Barcelona World Race, will also continue the scientific work done alongside the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), that was launched in the last double-handed round the world race. This work done together led the boat to be christened One Planet One Ocean.

Xosé Carlos Fernández, CEO of FNOB, has pointed out that the work in collaboration with the foundation and Dídac Costa’s campaign for the Vendée Globe 'fits in with the four founding pillars of the FNOB: sport, science, business and education.' He has also stated 'Dídac reflects all the values ??of ocean sailing.' Ferrán Latorre, a mountain climber who has climbed to the summits of 13 of the world's 8,000 m high peaks, was also present today. Asked about the difficulty of ocean sailing, he had no hesitation in declaring, 'Ocean sailing is harder than climbing a 8,000 m peak.' The President of the FNOB and Barcelona City Council's Commissioner for Sports, David Escuder, concluded the presentation wishing luck to Costa. 'We are proud that you are bringing the name of Barcelona to the Vendée Globe.'

Quotes

Didac Costa: “The fight to have a project at the start line has been epic. In order to start I spent all my savings and to be able to keep going I mortgaged my house and some members of my team asked for a loan to the bank to help me. In addition, many other people have helped me and this support has been crucial. I'm very stubborn, but from now I only have to think about the boat, about sailing, about getting ready, about keep going; and forget all those things we've been through in these months of preparation. The most dangerous thing for me is not to be patient. Trying to sort things out as quickly as possible to gain time if you are sailing alone is dangerous sometimes.”

Jordi Griso, Team Manager: “To do a Vendée Globe requires a special sailor and Dídac is prepared to do it. We needed a reliable boat, and we have it; and we needed a technical team, which is important, and he has one. So, here we go! We set a deadline in terms of budget and the hunt for sponsors, but we didn’t make it, so Dídac asked me to extend that period. Close friends helped us, but money goes really fast. Some sailors, small businesses and suppliers appeared when we almost threw in the towel. We overcame obstacle after obstacle. We will head to Les Sables later than expected. It’s a race against the clock to be in Les Sables before 15th October”