Think of great explorers, and names such as Ferdinand Magellan or someone familiar to San Diegans, like Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, probably come to mind.
But, in this modern day, you can now add the name of Sergio Davi.
Captain Davi doesn’t speak much English, but it was apparent on Friday morning to see how happy he was to finally be in San Diego. And what a journey it was to get here.
Davi left his hometown of Palermo, Sicily, in early January. His route took him through the Mediterranean, then an unexpected, but unavoidable stop in the Canary Islands, across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and up the west coast of Mexico, finally arriving on Thursday in San Diego.
So why would anyone want to make such a journey?
Davi responded to that question through interpreter Pietro Bellinghieri, the associate consul general for Italy, based in Los Angeles.
“Passion for sailing, a sense of adventure," was the answer.
Davi said it was wonderful getting to know the people and the places where he stopped along the way.
But there was also a big setback, and this is where the Canary Islands come into play. Not long into his journey, he contracted COVID-19. He stopped and recovered there — and that took 20 days.
“It was very complicated because having COVID in a foreign country was challenging," Davi said.
But getting COVID-19 wasn’t the only unexpected experience along the way.
While he was off the coast of Venezuela, Davi encountered some pirates. As soon as he realized who they were, he made good use of his two 300-horsepower engines to make a quick getaway!
“Ciao, ciao," Davi said with a laugh as he recalled what he said to the pirates as he sped away.
Davi’s trip was about more than just making the journey. He also did it to call attention to the plight of the world’s oceans. He photographed various marine life and took water samples along the way, which will help scientists deepen their knowledge of how oceans are changing.
Davi will stay in San Diego over the weekend. Then, he’ll motor up to San Pedro on Tuesday, and that will be the end of the boating part. He'll put the boat on a cargo ship — and then he will fly back home.
