Vital Alsar Ramírez (August 7, 1933 – September 15, 2020) was a sailor and scientist who made several extremely long sailing expeditions.
His entire life was linked to nature and the sea. He became professor of economics, although he never acted as such.
During his
Military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...
in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, Alsar read a book about the
Kon-Tiki
The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, fo ...
, the expedition that
Thor Heyerdahl conducted in a
balsa
''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...
raft on the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
. Reading this account led to his interest in duplicating the feat, to
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...
.
After his military service, he lived in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
,
Stuttgart,
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It was in Canada where he met
Marc Modena, who became his traveling companion.
Expeditions
Ecuador to Australia by raft
Between 1966 and 1973, Alsar led three expeditions by
raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barrels ...
across the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, from
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
and
Australia. The first expedition failed, but the second and third succeeded, both setting the record for the longest known raft voyages in history— and . The first took place in 1966, using a simple raft, ''La Pacífica''. The voyage was cut short by damage caused by
teredo worms in the wood of his raft, which sank after 143 days—Alsar being rescued by a
German ship. A second attempt in 1970 on a new raft, ''La Balsa'', was successful, and reached
Mooloolaba
Mooloolaba is a coastal suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is located north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is part of the Maroochydore urban centre. In the , Mooloolaba had a population of 7,73 ...
after 161 days and . A third voyage in 1972 featured three rafts. They reached the coast of
Ballina,
Australia after 179 days at sea (one of the three foundering in Australian waters).
Mexico-Spain-Mexico, ''Mar, hombre y paz''
Vital later replaced the rafts with galleons to carry out the project "''Mar, hombre y paz''", which was begun in 1980. This expedition took the ''trapo blanco'' (white rag), around the world on board the ''La Marigalante''.
Last expedition: Mexico-Greece-Mexico, ''El Niño, La Mar y La Paz''
Alsar resided in Veracruz, Mexico, and spent his time with his grandchildren and profiling a new project aiming to unite all of the marine world. The project was called ("The Boy, the Sea and the Peace"), and consisted of carrying a child and thirteen crew aboard a trimaran named ''
Itzamna
Itzamna () is, in Maya mythology, an upper god and creator deity thought to reside in the sky. Itzamna is one of the most important gods in the Classic and Postclassic Maya pantheon. Although little is known about him, scattered references are ...
'' (the Mayan god of knowledge), later named ''Zamná''. It set sail in 2009 from the Mexican island
Cozumel
Cozumel (; yua, Kùutsmil) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucat� ...
, making port in a number of countries
Awards
He has received numerous awards for his career, most notably from the
Spanish Geographical Society, or the
Adena International, of the Society for the Protection of Nature. The latter is represented by a "Golden Dolphin" by
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...
, which he shared with
Philippe Cousteau.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alsar, Vital
1933 births
2020 deaths
People from Santander, Spain
Scientists from Cantabria
Sailors from Cantabria
20th-century Spanish scientists
21st-century Spanish scientists
Replications of ancient voyages
Spanish expatriates in Mexico