Together with K-Way, we’re portraying the story and essence of ocean sailor Ambrogio Beccaria. ‘Solo’ is the second chapter of our journey into his aquatic universe and the second stage of the documentary ‘How Far You Can Go’: a narrative regatta that we will accompany with special editorial focuses.

“Solo ocean sailing, for me, is not an escape from society. It’s a way to discover the impossible, and do it without the help of others.” There is only consistency in the life of an ocean sailor. Consistency in following a given current that might provide both aid and unpredictable calamity. Consistency in following a flow, a nautical score born from one’s own mind and perceptions, moving away from the known to challenge the unknown and, at the same time, discover it.

While the chaotic Milanese bustle becomes an invisible line on the horizon, Ambrogio Beccaria indulges in his consistency and senses. Charting routes that have been sailed for centuries yet remain wild and untamed. The vision of this talented sailor is not about leaving behind society, urban relationships, or shared living. Instead, it’s about adding additional pieces to an evolving human mosaic. Not selfishness, then, but a taste for revelation. Not individualism but an inner and outer quest. Artistic, but also athletic.

“Solo sailing is a special art. I like being around people but prefer finding a personal balance with the boat. I love to get my hands dirty and keep discovering things. Solo racing is an extreme adventure. We’re talking about weeks, not hours of travel. The technical background and scientific study are mixed with the complexities of entire days spent alone on the open sea. All it takes is a day for the problems of sleep to take over, and that’s the most difficult variable to manage. The ocean has its own rhythm, and you can’t afford to sleep whenever you want. I usually break my daily routine offshore with 20-minute micro-sleeps. In races, you have to be strategically and mentally present, despite being tired. The days get really long, and clarity is quite different from when you’re ashore. It’s crucial to be able to understand yourself, and to listen deep down. And to know how far you can go. It’s hard, but the sea has helped me understand so much…. I have developed a sensitivity that I sometimes compare to that of marine animals. Waves and currents have become tools to interpret.”

Visual and sound instruments that, for the sailor-director of the ALLAGRANDE project, act as a code, a universal language. Nature communicates with those who can, want and know how to listen; constant dialogue, even miles from the last inhabited coastline. That is why the 31-year-old Beccaria’s path has nothing to do with voluntary confinement. That is why aquatic solitude, in his words, becomes a respectful synergy with another universe, with a dystopian system of signs, hierarchies and truths.

“When you return from an ocean voyage you realize you’re hypersensitive to all sounds and noises. At sea there are no other people, no city, no traffic, but the boat and its surroundings are constantly speaking. Complete silence is a utopia; I have no memory of it. In fact, the idea terrifies me because it’s something that can’t exist in the ocean. Total concentration is necessary during a race, and it’s essential to tune into the outside world. There is always a precarious balance; you need the right intuition to process the symbiosis between sea and boat. This kind of attunement has its positives, but also its negatives: it sucks up so much energy and can end up making you a bit monomaniacal. But my passion is so strong. And that rawness of the ocean never stops teaching. We sometimes tell lies on land… to others and ourselves. On the sea you can’t do that, otherwise you won’t last very long. When you spend so much time alone, you can’t lie to yourself: I associate solo sailing with one thing: sincerity.”

In sincerity, the most faithful bonds are built. They are pure and visceral connections, like the one between the sailor nicknamed ‘Extraterrestrial,’ a nickname inspired by his meteoric rise in the global sailing elite and the hyper-technological soul of his boat ALLAGRANDE. What for some is loneliness, for others can be a profound, unfiltered relationship based on the spirit of survival and an illogical but inevitably romantic type of affection.

“I have a very intimate relationship with the boat. When I talk about my regattas, I always see it in plural terms, because I’m not alone out there. We’re together. Everyone plays their part. Before a trip, I spend a lot of time thinking about my boat: all those little details, how sound it is, and, of course, its potential performance. The biggest anxiety lies in those hypothetical technical issues. During a race that lasts for weeks, it’s impossible for everything to go smoothly. On board ALLAGRANDE there are always injuries to patch up; normally, one headache a day is the norm and two get my worrying. By mentally recording sounds and noises, I can constantly monitor the conditions of the wind, sea, sail and the whole boat. When these change, I know the boat is telling me something, and I act accordingly, trying to accommodate its demands. If the boat slams down hard on a wave, it’s like a punch in the gut. I feel like I’m using it badly, and I feel guilty…”

Follow us to discover the third chapter of ‘How Far You Can Go.’