Crazy! Magic! Incredible! The Pole Szymon Kuczy?ski has just completed his non-stop, engine-free round-the-world trip by the 3 capes aboard his Maxus 22, "Atlantic Puffin". Setting out on August 19, 2017 from Plymouth, he completed his 29,044 mile course in 270 days, 10 hours, 29 minutes, reaching the International Mayflower Marina on May 17, 2018.
He who had set himself an arrival date of 14 May 2018 in Plymouth is slightly delayed by 3 days. This delay does not allow him to beat the record held by Alessandro Di Benedetto, who had completed the same course in 268 days on a modified Mini 6.50 between 2009 and 2010.
Indeed, the weather at the end of his course didn't help him to reach Plymouth quickly. On the morning of 15th May, he had only 200 nautical miles to cover, but he first had to fight against a strong 45-knot wind and a heavy swell, before encountering heavy squalls, rain and even hail, leading to frequent sail changes and manoeuvres. To top it all off, Szymon was left with nothing but food to cook... In other words, he didn't really have time to indulge in any cooking at the end of the course.
In the end it was with light and shifting winds that the Polish sailor ended his voyage, conditions which he does not particularly like, due to the small sail area of his small boat..
These conditions will have slowed his progress, but that doesn't prevent him from setting another record: that of the smallest boat to sail around the world! Hats off to Szymon Kuczy?ski !
