Croat Chucks Job in to Sail Solo Across the Atlantic in 6.5 Metre Boat

A keen Croatian sailor has chucked his job in to embark on an adventure that will see him journey across the Atlantic in a mini 6.5 boat…

Slobodan (Dado) Velikić handed in his notice at a leading Croatian firm to follow his dream of pushing himself to the limit by sailing across the Atlantic ocean alone. Velikić, who is from the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka, will sail 4,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic ocean in his mini 6.5 metre boat, alone and without the help of GPS.

“I have been sailing all my life, from dinghies to keel boats. As I grew older, boats became bigger, and seas became larger. And there is the Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean. And my dream is to cross it in a Mini 6,50 boat,” said Velikić, before adding.

“I will be living inside a 6.5m boat that has no comfort at all, no kitchen, heater or toilet. It means sleeping 30-minute shifts 8 times a day for 30 days while being wet most of the time. It means that the only land I will see in those 30 days while racing across the Atlantic will be Lanzarote, Spain,” he said.

Dado will travel solo in his 6.5 metre boat (PR)

Velikić will race in the Mini Transat regatta, which is held every 2 years and starts in September 2017 in Douarnenez, France and finishes in Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.

“This regatta is unique because sailors race alone on board, with no communication other than VHF radio. No cell phones, no computers with satellite communication. It is like in the old times, only you and the boat,” he said.

So why has he chucked in the comfort of a steady job for the uncertainty and solitude of a challenging trip across the Atlantic in a tiny boat?

Dado following a lifelong dream

“The answer is simple – a passion and love towards sailing and pushing yourself beyond limits while trying to inspire others to follow their dreams, whatever they might be,” Dado, who will document his journey in the form of a blog, said.

Velikić has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to help him pay for such things as a boat, marina births, transport and food. You can help him realise his dream here.