500 Miles Solo: Dan Lenard’s Unassisted Challenge on the ILCA 7

On Saturday, 14 June 2025, Dan Lenard launched his second attempt to break a Guinness World Record off the coast of Dubrovnik. His goal: to sail 500 nautical miles solo — nearly double the current record. The voyage is expected to take around seven days.

For this challenge, Lenard is using an Olympic-class ILCA 7 dinghy (formerly Laser Standard), built by PSA. The single-handed dinghy is 4.21 meters long with a beam of 1.37 meters — a sporty, agile boat designed for inshore racing, not for offshore long-distance sailing.

Final preparations took place at the marinas of the JK Orsan Yacht Club, located on the opposite side of Dubrovnik, where the club and its members played a crucial role through their support.

Immediately after giving a talk on sustainability and the principles of the Vela Code movement — as part of the "Blue Impact Dialogues" held concurrently with the E-1 Series in Dubrovnik — Lenard made his way to the starting buoy: he walked down the steps to the water, jumped off the dock, and swam 50 meters to his dinghy, anchored there. From that point, he began his new mission: “500 miles non assisted.”

The term “non assisted”, within the context of the Vela Code, refers to a style of sailing where no two-way communication with the outside world is permitted — not via radio, phone, or any other means. It is a completely autonomous operation with no external support or real-time contact. Even physical proximity is prohibited: no vessel is allowed within 50 meters. Those who do approach may film, but they must not speak or transmit any information. Messaging is one-way only, without responses.

The Vela Code is an initiative founded by Dan Lenard to promote sustainability and cleaner oceans. It includes, among other things, solo crossings such as Lenard’s 2019 transatlantic voyage aboard the yacht Scia. The goal is to demonstrate, under extreme conditions, that self-sufficient and environmentally conscious sailing is possible.

For this latest challenge, Lenard will sleep on board and carry all necessary supplies, packed and secured in advance. He will not anchor at any point during the voyage. The crossing will be entirely emission-free and without single-use plastics — even plastic bottles have been excluded to ensure a zero-waste passage.

The route can be tracked in real time online. A GPS beacon on board transmits continuous updates, available through Lenard’s official media channels: https://yb.tl/vela500miles

This venture is part of a broader strategy to promote the Vela Code Foundation, a global initiative that seeks to turn the nautical community into firsthand witnesses of the condition of our seas — and to actively advocate for their preservation.

Looking ahead, the Vela Code movement will continue to spread its principles internationally, with a special ambassador vessel: the former Volvo Ocean Race yacht Telefonica Black, now renamed “Vela”.

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