Dan Lenard starts second Guiness World Record attempt to sail 500 nautical miles in an ILCA 7
by Eugenio 16 Jun 00:52 BST
14 June 2025
Dan Lenard's second Guinness World Record attempt to sail 500 nautical miles in an ILCA 7 begins © Vela Code
Dan Lenard began his second attempt to break a Guinness World Record on Saturday 14 June 2025. The event took place in front of the city of Dubrovnik; His goal is to nearly double the current record, aiming for a staggering 500 nautical miles, a journey expected to take approximately seven days.
His boat for the attempt is a PSA-built Olympic-class ILCA 7 (formerly known as the Laser Standard), a 4.21-meter (13-foot-9-inch) dinghy with a 1.37-meter (4-foot-7-inch) beam,
The last details of the preparation of the boat had been carried out in the marinas of the
J K Orsan yacht club located on the opposite side of the city, where it is worth mentioning the excellent predisposition and support of the club and its people to get the boat ready.
After giving a conference about sustainability and the principles of the Vela Code movement during the Blue Impact Dialogues in coincidence with the date of the E-1 series held in the city of Dubrovnik, Lenard started his second attempt to break the Guinness World Record with only 57 years of age, after the conference he went down the stairs, jumped off the dock and swam 50 metres to the buoy where the boat was moored and from there he started the journey "500 miles non assisted".
The term 'Vela Code non assisted' refers to a type of sailing in which there is no two-way interaction with other people, neither by telephone nor during the sailing itself. In other words, it is a completely autonomous operation, with no external support or real-time communication.
This concept was adopted in the context of the Vela Code project, founded by designer Dan Lenard, with the aim of promoting sustainability and clean oceans. The project consists among other things, of solo ocean crossings, such as Lenard's 2019 Atlantic crossing aboard the sailing yacht Scia. During these crossings, the crew is limited to one person, with no external assistance, to test and demonstrate the ability to operate in total self-sufficiency.
No one is to come within 50 metres of the boat; those who come closer can film if they wish, but not attempt to talk to Lenard. Messages are one-way, without their replies, Lenard faces this new challenge, with the support of the Vela Code Team and the powerful adventure-generating inertia of the Vela Code Movement, Lenard will find himself sailing unassisted and without even anchoring until the end. He will sleep aboard his small boat as he sails, carrying all the necessary supplies packed and secured in advance.
The voyage will be able to be followed online in real time via an onboard beacon, with live updates, direct postings on Lenard media, please check yb.tl/vela500miles
In line with the principles of the Vela Code, Lenard's voyage will be entirely free of emissions and single-use plastic packaging. No plastic bottled water will be transported, ensuring zero plastic waste throughout the voyage.
These event is part of a broader initiative to promote the Vela Code foundation and movement, which seeks to educate and engage the nautical community as firsthand witnesses to the state of our seas, ultimately advocating for ocean preservation on a global scale.
Vela Code movement will promote its principles all over the world in the next future with her ambassador vehicle, the boat named "Vela" ex Volvo Ocean Race, Telefonica black.