A Son de Marvideo
131. Licor 43. The first round-the-world voyage in the Whitbread.
July 23, 2026 · 1h 19m · 22 views
What this video covers
A 14-man Spanish crew sailed the Licor 43 in the 1981 Whitbread Round the World Race, becoming the first Spanish team to complete a crewed circumnavigation.3:22 Naval engineer and skipper Joaquín Coelho designed and built the boat himself, funded by the Zamora company (makers of Licor 43 liquor) for roughly 25 million pesetas.3:51 Navigator Tomás Gallard planned each leg's routing using only two published books from prior editions, with no weather modeling available.25:22 The crew departed Portsmouth and raced through Cape Town, Sydney, and back, carrying 700 eggs at the start of the first leg and cooking under pressure in a pressure cooker while strapped in during heavy weather.32:15 The boat lost its mast in the Southern Ocean Indian leg during a sudden 60-knot squall after a flat calm; the crew jury-rigged and continued.37:12 Licor 43 finished last overall but beat one Italian boat, and received the sportsmanship trophy from Prince Philip at the Portsmouth prize-giving.20:48 Coelho later designed a second, improved boat he believed could have won, but sponsorship never materialized.15:35 The episode also covers the Armada Cup finish in San Sebastián after 460 miles from Plymouth, and a brief segment on port maneuvering rules with instructor Roberto Bucetas.2:17
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