On January 1, 2021, 42-year-old Ryan Finn departed New York City to set sail for San Francisco as he attempts to establish the first world record for a non-stop singlehanded sail. Finn’s 60-day journey will cover 14,000 nautical miles heading south through Bermuda, onto Brazil, and around Cape Horn, some of the most treacherous waters in the world, before passing the Galapagos Islands on his way up to San Francisco. Montreal-based Sailor Productions is capturing footage of Ryan’s incredible journey to produce a 60-minute documentary film, 2Oceans1Rock.
Finn is sailing a Russell Brown-designed and built 36-foot proa, Jzerro. The design of the boat is modeled on the ancient technology used by Pacific Islanders and it is known for its efficiency, speed and reliability. He is well aware of the perils that await him as he navigates remote parts of the globe, battles physical exhaustion and mental fatigue, as well as extreme weather conditions. Throughout the duration of his expedition, he will be in constant contact with his crew stationed in New Orleans.
For his record attempt, Ryan Finn selected a 36-foot proa designed and built by Russell Brown. @2Oceans1Rock
“I came up with the idea of a non-stop solo passage from New York to San Francisco on a small proa to prove the concept of such a boat for a long, solo record breaking, the bigger project being a solo non-stop circumnavigation from East to West,” said Finn. “I don’t think there’s an existing multihull that could survive the non-stop westbound record, but I think a proa could. While researching the route for this trip, I became obsessed and really haven’t thought about anything else since.”
Finn has logged more than 100,000 nautical miles including three transatlantic and five transpacific crossings. He completed several other expeditions using 21- to 60-foot ocean racing vessels as well as other cruising and racing boats. In 2016, he sailed from Los Angeles to the Panama Canal, completing what is considered the longest solo sailing expedition in only eighteen days on a Pacific Proa. To learn more, visit @2Oceans1Rock on Instagram and Facebook and sailorproductions.com. ■
