Solo Kayaker Cyril Derreumaux Crosses Atlantic Ocean
Solo kayaker Cyril Derreumaux has successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the island of El Hierro, Canary Islands, to arrive in Martinique at 8:02 p.m. (local time) on March 4. Derreumaux completed the 2500-mile voyage in 71 days 14 hours and 57 minutes, making it his second successful solo ocean crossing. His previous voyage saw him crossing the Pacific Ocean from Monterey, California, to Hilo, Hawaii, in 2022.
Derreumaux made the voyage aboard Valentine, the same 23-ft-long cabin-style Ocean Kayak that took him safely across the Pacific in 2022. He is now the first person to have crossed two oceans in a kayak, solo, unsupported, and 100% human-powered.
“What a joy to finally arrive in Martinique!” Derreumaux exclaimed upon his arrival. “I’m overjoyed to be finishing this crossing on French soil, and on a Carnival night to top it off! This last day was exhausting; it begins at 3 a.m. this morning and ends here in Le Marin, where I made landfall in the early evening. It was full of extreme emotions, with my support team meeting me at sea to help me cross Martinique’s southern pass, which is blocked by an exceptional current vein, the Martiniquais welcoming me on the pontoon with sweet treats to share, and the spontaneous discussions with many walkers who witnessed my landing. During my crossing, I received a huge number of messages of support from friends and family, partners, the Clubhouse association I support, supporters and anonymous people from all over the world, and I’m sure I’ll receive many more in the coming days. Thank you all for giving me so much energy to go forward day after day!”
The ocean crossing is yet another notch in this adventurer’s belt. In 2016, Derreumaux was one of the rowers who set a Guinness Book record for the fastest Pacific Ocean crossing from California to Hawaii by a four-person crew. He then set a record for his solo, unassisted, human-powered (no wind propulsion) kayak voyage from California to Hawaii in 2022.
As one can imagine, the voyage wasn’t all sunsets and cocktails (we doubt there were any cocktails at all). The early days required the kayaker to draw on his experience and determination to endure seasickness, lack of sleep, change of rhythm, the intense physical effort, changed diet, constant humidity, salty atmosphere … and that’s not all. The weather and currents would often conspire to see Valentine moving “two steps forward during days of paddling, and one step back, to the north or south with the kayak’s natural drift during the night.”
Derreumaux’s only companions at sea were the seabirds and fish, including tuna and sharks. He did, however, receive frequent messages of support from family, friends, his shore team and followers afar. He also kept in contact with a fellow solo ocean voyager named Gabor who left the Canaries on the same day to cross the Atlantic in a canoe. “I’ve never met him,” Derreumaux wrote on his blog, “and I don’t know his surname. I do know that he’s Hungarian and that he’s a badass!”
Derreumaux kept a log of his voyage, which has been shared on his website and social media pages. You can read about his journey here.
Caption Contest(!)
It’s time! Time to throw yourself into the swell and share your comments on this photo. We don’t know whom to credit, and we don’t know for sure that it hasn’t been photoshopped, but, it is a good, fun photo. Add your comments below.
See February’s Caption Contest(!) winners here.
Grab Your Tickets for SailGP in LA and San Francisco
SailGP, the world’s most exciting racing on water, returns to California this spring with back-to-back events:
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Rolex Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix –– March 15-16
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Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix –– March 22-23
Experience two action-packed weekends as 12 national teams battle it out in high-speed, 50-foot foiling catamarans flying at over 60 mph.
With national pride, personal glory, and $12.8 million in prize money on the line, the stakes have never been higher for sailing’s top athletes. Don’t miss your chance to witness this epic, close-to-shore racing set against the iconic backdrops of the Port of LA in SoCal and the Golden Gate Bridge on the Bay.
Enjoy the ultimate day out by the water and get your tickets now!
Taking Flight at Foiling Week in Pensacola, Florida
We reached out to Philip Styne of the Corinthian Yacht Club to hear about the recent Foiling Week held in Pensacola, Florida. Philip sailed in the new, two-person BirdyFish foiling class and was joined by California sailors Riley Gibbs from Long Beach, who topped the Moth class, and Ravi Parent, who works with Newport Beach-based Morelli & Melvin, topping the A-Class Cat fleet. Philip sent the following report:
Foiling Week Pensacola 2025 was a unique experience for me. It was all foiling with a much more youthful buzz to it. There were 40 Waszps competing in their North American Championship and 16 Moths with some “well-balanced” talent riding high. Boats came from all over the US, including Hawaii, with a significant international presence from Canada and Europe.
This was my first time competing in a foiling event and I stuck to the more stable, two-person, twin-foil monohull BirdyFish designed and built in France. I had never competed on a foiling boat before, so jumping into the BirdyFish was a sharp contrast to my Corsair trimaran on the Bay. Compared to the Moth and Waszp, this boat was far more forgiving. At around $25,000, it lacked the fragility of the Moth or even the Waszp, which I had previously test-sailed at a Helly Hansen event. There I spent about three hours on the water and foiled for a grand total of 200 yards!
The event was held across three venues. The boardsailors launched from the beach at Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, the Moths, Waszps, cats and BirdyFish out of Pensacola Yacht Club in the bay, and a spectator-friendly race village gave Moths and Waszps a chance to impress with fly-bys in front of the shoreside crowd.
The racing format was different from anything I’d done before. Each class remained on the beach until its designated races began. The course setup, reminiscent of M32 catamaran racing, featured a reaching start, a bearaway mark, and windward and leeward gates — two laps with races lasting 20-30 minutes. The 7-minute start sequence — a flag and horn at each minute — kept me on my toes. As an old-school sailor, I’ll admit, it made my head spin! Adding to the mix, the fleet used Vakaros 2 technology for race management, though not yet for OCS calls.
During the event, I had the opportunity to talk with Riley Gibbs and Ravi Parent, two of the top performers of the week. Ravi’s A-Class catamaran sail was designed by Southern Californian Jay Glaser and built by Dominic Marchal, who had recently taken over Glaser’s loft. Jay let me know Dominic Marchal, who moved south from Alameda a few years ago, is now moving back north from Southern California with the Glaser loft.
Both Riley and Ravi were dominant in their respective classes. Riley, an Olympian and America’s Cup athlete, won the Moth fleet, while Ravi clinched victory in the A-Class Catamaran division. They clearly have the skills I never found on my foiling attempts on the Moth and Waszp. The BirdyFish was much more manageable.
Foiling Week Pensacola attracted some solid first-time participation and also the promise of attracting new particpants to sailing. Events like SailGP and this kind of foiling are getting some new attention from the US mainstream. The race village attracted a diverse crowd from outside the normal sailing enthusiasts. Even a local Pensacola family more accustomed to hunting, fishing, and powerboats with three engines was drawn in by the spectacle. Watching the Moths fly just offshore had them hooked.
It was also great to see the teenagers racing in the Waszp fleet. Seeing them compete reinforced my sense that foiling is not just the future of high-performance sailing, it’s happening right now.
In the end, finishing third in the BirdyFish fleet on my first-ever foiling boat felt like a good start.
You can see the very confusing full results page here.
Vince Casalaina Video of Beau Vrolyk and David Crosby’s Former Schooner ‘Mayan’
The tale of wooden ships resonates through the music of David Crosby and all sailors attached to the romance of the age of sail. In the video below, Beau Vrolyk talks with Bay Area filmmaker Vince Casalaina about Beau’s purchase of David Crosby’s classic Alden schooner Mayan. Crosby’s “wooden ship” was berthed in Sausalito for many years, and then in Santa Barbara. Today she continues to sail the West Coast under the stewardship of owner Beau Vrolyk.
We covered David Crosby’s passing in ‘Lectronic Latitude here and in the magazine here. The age of sail continues in much more varied forms, but the beauty, elegance, allure and romance of the sea continues to be represented powerfully by the world’s wooden ships.
Here’s a gallery of beautiful West Coast wooden ships that connect us to the age of sail:
Learn to Race With Modern Sailing
