Alex Pella

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Alex Pella
Alex Pella.jpg
Alex Pella
Personal information
Nickname(s)The Spanish Devil
NationalitySpanish
Born (1972-11-02) 2 November 1972 (age 49)
Barcelona
Website alexpella.es
Sport
CountryFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
Sport Sailing
Club Burgee of RCN Barcelona.svg Royal Barcelona Yacht Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)

Alex Pella (born 2 November 1972) is a Spanish yachtsman. In 2014 he became the first and only Spanish to win a transoceanic single-handed race, the Route du Rhum. Alex Pella made history once again, on the 26th of January 2017, when he broke, with the rest of the team, the absolute round-the-world speed sailing record, known as the Jules Verne Trophy., [2] aboard the sophisticated maxi-multihull IDEC 3. They circumnavigated the planet in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. [3]

Contents

Early life

Alex was born in Barcelona on 2 November 1972, within a nautical environment and a sailing family. Second of four brothers, who have all made boats and sailing their profession, he began to sail as a very young boy aboard his family’s yacht. To date, Alex has sailed on all kinds of racing boats, from the light Mini Transat 6.50 to the most sophisticated Maxi-Trimarans.

Alex has been a professional sailor for over 15 years, in which he has completed more than 150.000 nautical miles. He discovered his passion for offshore single-handed sailing at the end of the 1990s while preparing two Spanish boats for the Solitaire du Figaro.

In his first internationally renowned race -the Mini Transat 6.50 - Alex Pella obtained the best classifications in history for a non-French skipper. He was third in 2003 and second in 2005, winning the long leg from the Canary Islands to Brazil.

He thus became the first and only Spanish to win a leg in a transoceanic solo race. [4]

Other accomplishments

On 19 November 2014, Alex Pella wins the Route du Rhum aboard the "Tales II" and becomes the first and only Spanish to win a transoceanic single-handed regatta.

Alex Pella wrote himself into the history books of the Route du Rhum solo Transatlantic race and Spanish ocean racing when he crossed the finish line of the 3542 miles La Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe race first in Class40 at 06:47:08 hrs TU/07:47:08hrs CET/02:47:08 Local Gaudeloupe.

He sets a new course record of 16d17h47m8s, beating the 2010 mark for the 40 foot Class 17d 23h 10m by 1d 5h 23m 09s.

After starting off Saint Malo on his 42nd birthday, Sunday 2 November, the Spanish sailor took 16d17h47m8s to complete the 3542 miles course, at a theoretical average speed of 8.82kts. In reality he sailed 4336 miles at an average speed of 10.79kts. [5]

Sporting career

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Awards

Filmography

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References

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