Didac Costa pointing to Cape Espartel during the past Barcelona World Race.

The Barcelona navigator Didac Costa has today been absolutely determined to overcome a last obstacle on his way to the exit line of the Vendée Globe, the return to the world alone, without any scales or assistance that will begin on November 6 in the French port of Les Sables d'Olonne. Costa will be the fourth Spanish to try to complete this very hard competition, which in its seven previous editions have completed only 71 sailors, including the Basque José Luis de Ugarte in 1992.

Last Thursday a ray fell on the Mast of One Planet One Ocean causing significant damage to electronics, as Jordi Griso, the team leader, explained. "We now need a small push" to complete the necessary budget, he added, before realizing that in total it takes 70,000 euros to replace damaged equipment and complete the communication equipment. "The return for the sponsors will be much greater than the investment," said Griso.

In the presentation of the project, carried out at the headquarters of the FNOB (Fundació Navocació Oceanica Barcelona), it has been noted that while the project started with the savings of the Costa itself, it has become a coral phenomenon, with the participation of friends, sailors, companies and clubs, in addition to the support of the FNOB itself. Costa, as an ambassador of the Barcelona World Race, will also continue scientific collaboration with the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, which began in the past round of the world two with departure and arrival in Barcelona. This collaboration will give name to the ship, One Planet One Ocean.

Xosé Carlos Fernández, Director General of the FNOB, has highlighted that the collaboration of this foundation with this project of Didac Costa for the Vendée Globe "brings together the four foundation axes of the FNOB: sport, science, business and education." He also indicated that "Didac reflects all the values of the ocean candle."

The event was attended by Ferran Latorre, a climber who only needs to go up to Everest to do the 14 eight thousand of the entire planet, something he hopes to achieve next spring. Asked about the difficulty of the ocean candle, he has not doubted a moment: "The ocean candle is harder than making an 8,000."

The president of the FNOB and Commissioner of Sports of the City Council of Barcelona, David Escuder, has closed the event wishing luck Costa. "We are proud that you bring the name of Barcelona to the Vendée Globe."

A total of 29 single sailors from 10 countries will participate in the eighth edition of the Vendée Globe, which will start on November 6. Among them, there are very powerful teams, with state-of-the-art ships and large budgets of several million euros, and more modest ones, with sailboats built before the year 2,000, such as the One Planet One Ocean. The Costa project is probably the one with the lowest budget, estimated at just over 300,000 euros.