Please select your home edition
Edition
Stoneways Marine 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Raymarine supplies marine electronics for Bulgarian solo sailor

by Raymarine 28 Oct 2023 12:00 BST
Global Solo Challenge - Pavlin Nadvorni © Raymarine

Raymarine is supporting a Bulgarian sailor intent on conquering his own personal Everest by completing the Global Solo Challenge.

The brand has supplied Pavlin Nadvorni and his Farr 45 yacht with a range of cutting-edge marine electronics that bring him one step closer to achieving his lifetime ambition of sailing alone around the world.

On one level, the Raymarine-sponsored race represents just another 26,000 sea miles for a man who has already notched up more than 200,000 miles in a varied career afloat. On the other, it is the ultimate test of mettle as one person in a small boat takes on some of the toughest seas in the world. Sailing from A Coruña in Spain, down the Atlantic Ocean and round the three Great Capes, the voyage will take at least 150 days, according to Pavlin's estimates.

"It will change my life," he said enthusiastically. "First of all, on a personal level, it will be the pinnacle of my career as a sailor. It should also make me relax a bit - this thing is very hard on the family. Even though no one can stop me - my wife of 24 years hasn't even tried - the family will be finally able to relax. I'm not planning to come up with another crazy idea! Well, perhaps..."

Pavlin's boat Espresso Martini was in fact salvaged in 2018 after being wrecked by a winter storm in Holyhead, north Wales, and required a thorough refit to race again. As a former Raymarine installer, Pavlin put the new equipment in himself. The list runs to a new Axiom chartplotter, Quantum 2 radar, AIS system, twin wind instruments (one at the mast head, one at the pushpit) and a camera to keep watch from below.

"I've used many systems, but in my experience, Raymarine is the most user-friendly in terms of software and interface. There's an ingenious simplicity of wiring," Pavlin explained. "I used to have an E-series display and now have an Axiom. It's robust and very user friendly - it's so easy to go through the menu.

"The electrical drives of the autopilot are absolutely outstanding. Bringing the damaged boat back to Bulgaria in 2018, we were going downwind in 60 knots of wind and I was absolutely amazed to see the difference between the old fluxgate compass and the new Evolution system. When we came out of the lee of Africa and started getting waves from the southwest, it took one slap from that direction, and the autopilot sensed the motion - it was like intuition."

Pavlin is a resourceful sailor. From sailing dinghies on the River Danube he graduated to an engineless 9m boat, then began working on private yachts in the Med. He worked his way up to captain, deck officer and engineer in the superyacht industry sailing the USA East Coast, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, before returning to Bulgaria to found a marine services business at Varna on the shores of the Black Sea.

"Sailing to me has been a passion for the last 47 years - everything in my life has been leading to this challenge," said Pavlin. "This trip is an event, not so much of a race - it's the Everest of ocean sailing, that every single serious sailor dreams about. The latest count was less than 200 people who have completed this kind of voyage - compared to 1,500-plus who have flown into space. You can imagine the appeal!"

After a 2,000-mile qualifying voyage, he believes he is ready for the solitude. He has satellite comms on board, but regards it as a mixed blessing. "I'm a very sociable person and this presents a challenge. It's about finding a balance between calling your family and friends, or shore team to get some reassurance, and at the same time realising that this throws your concentration off totally."

The first boats departed in August. These are the slowest boats, and were waved off by the faster participants. With his Farr 45 among the strongest potential performers in the event, Pavlin set off on October 21, part of the Super Zero group pursuing the rest of the fleet.

To find out more about The Global Solo Challenge, and to see the current rankings, visit: globalsolochallenge.com

To find out more about Raymarine, visit: www.raymarine.com/en-gb

Related Articles

Raymarine wins DAME Design award
High-visibility touchscreen Alpha Performance display for fully customisable sailing data Raymarine is delighted to announce its new Alpha Series has won the 'Navigation and Communication' category of the 2023 DAME Awards at the METSTRADE industry show in Amsterdam. Posted on 15 Nov 2023
Raymarine 'For Sailors by Sailors' Campaign
Showcasing the passion, knowledge and sailing pedigree behind the technology 'For Sailors by Sailors', is a new campaign from Raymarine exploring the stories and sailing expertise which have contributed to the success of the brands market-leading electronics. Posted on 17 Oct 2023
Interview with Raymarine's Grégoire Outters
We speak to the Managing Director about the huge changes in marine electronics We spoke to Grégoire Outters, Managing Director of Raymarine to find out more about the marine electronics company, his role, the challenges faced, and where he sees development being concentrated in the decade to come. Posted on 10 Oct 2023
Raymarine launches performance sailing solution
New Alpha Series Performance Displays and Smart Wind Technology bring expert level decision support Today, Raymarine is making a bold addition to the performance sailing market with the launch of the Alpha™ Series display, new Smart Wind™ Technology, and performance sailing upgrades to the LightHouse operating system for Axiom chartplotters. Posted on 13 Sep 2023
Monty Hall speaking on Raymarine stand
TV star, explorer, marine biologist and Raymarine ambassador, Monty Halls giving talk at SIBS TV star, explorer, marine biologist and Raymarine ambassador, Monty Halls set to give talk during Southampton International Boat Show 2023 Posted on 18 Aug 2023
Great Escapes star Monty Halls chooses Raymarine
Great Escapes star Monty Halls chooses Raymarine for his latest adventure Fareham, UK, Explorer, marine biologist and former Royal Marine Officer, Monty Halls has become Raymarine's latest ambassador as he prepares for his first ever sailing adventure with a full range of Raymarine electronics to his yacht, Sobek. Posted on 27 Jun 2023
New 3-year partnership for Raymarine and Solemar
Raymarine chosen for its reliability, and shared brand values Raymarine chosen for its reliability, and shared brand values Posted on 5 May 2023
Extreme product testing for extreme conditions
Raymarine consider that technology needs to be more durable than ever With new climate extremes, environmental testing in the harshest of conditions is critical to a products success, says Raymarine. Posted on 4 Apr 2023
Raymarine announce integration with Cyclops Marine
New Cyclops Marine technology will introduce wireless load-sensing functionality Named after the Croatian island of HVAR, in the eastern Adriatic Sea, LightHouse Hvar 3.16 will incorporate several feature additions and include smart, wireless, load-sensing technology from Cyclops Marine. Posted on 15 Nov 2021
Cyclone™ Solid-State CHIRP Pulse Compression Radar
Striking form, extreme capability, ruggedness are hallmarks of this next-gen open-array radar Raymarine announces Cyclone™, the newest range of open-array radars, conceived and crafted to give mariners the confidence to tackle the harshest conditions, gain distinct advantages in the hunt for fish, and safely navigate busy waterways. Posted on 27 Oct 2021