Sogno Atlantico
In December 2015, Matteo Perucchini, an athlete with 20 years of rowing experience, took part in the Talisker Atlantic Challenge, considered by many as one of the toughest endurance events on the planet. A rowing race of 3,000 nautical miles, from La Gomera (Canary Isles) to Antigua (The Caribbean). Alone, completely unassisted, 100% self-sufficient and in a boat powered by nothing more than his desire to succeed, Matteo completed the crossing in 52 days, winning the solo category and setting a new race record.
Think about being alone at night, in complete darkness, fighting hurricane force winds over 1000 miles from the closest land mass. The physical and mental challenges were extreme. Matteo had to overcome physical injury, seasickness, 40ft waves, extreme sleep deprivation, and complete isolation while often having to row for more than 20 hours a day to secure victory.
“Crossing the Atlantic solo had been one of my dreams for over ten years and the two years of planning were one of the most challenging periods in my life. But I never gave up, even in the darkest moments I knew that if I wanted to fulfill my dream and reach land I had to keep on fighting.”
“Winning the solo race was a true and very unexpected honour as I was competing with some amazing athletes – it really shows that with planning, passion and hard work we can achieve almost anything. I hope that my adventure will motivate others to step out of their comfort zone and follow their dreams”.
