In 2016, Roberto decided to trade his corporate career for a life at sea. He trained to become a sailing instructor at Sail in Asia’s main base in Phuket, Thailand, and taught there for over two years. Since shedding his suit and tie, Roberto has sailed across the Indian Ocean, the Bering Sea and all along the Mexican Pacific up to the Sea of Cortez. He helped deliver a Wharram Tiki 38 catamaran from Raja Ampat in Indonesia, accross the Malacca Strait to Phuket, a challenging three-month journey of over 2,500 nautical miles.
He is a certified ISSA Instructor with ample experience teaching both the theory and practice of navigation and sailing. Whether you are a complete beginner or a candidate for a Yachtmaster license, Roberto will gently guide you towards the degree of competence you wish to achieve.
Roberto grew up in Mexico City, where he also went to University and spent 10 years working as a legal counsel in the Oil & Shipping industries, an area he fell into haphazardly, for he had focused his studies on the environmental dangers posed by the maritime transportation of radioactive cargo and the legal implications of sea level rise on maritime boundaries. He is fluent in English, French and Spanish, and can get away with simple conversations in Danish, Portuguese and Russian, so probably not able to speak about the science of climate change in these languages, but happy to try with anyone interested in such topics.
He possesses in depth knowledge of the islands, bays and coves of the Sea of Cortez and will be happy to combine your sailing experience with some land expeditions.
Though he has been trying to adapt to a cruising lifestyle, Roberto is an avid racer and you will often see him tweaking the sails or raising the spinnaker to make the most of the conditions. In Phuket, he had the opportunity to participate in five regattas, three of which he skippered, so he likes to see the S/V “Rossa” perform.
In 2017, I left my clockwork tube-office-pub life for an adventure in Brazil.
In 2019, I was invited to sail with my brother from Acapulco to the Sea of Cortes. The experience opened my mind to a world of new possibilities.
I had never felt so happy as when I was in nature. The experience of swimming in the middle of the ocean and being surprised by dolphins really did it for me. I was convinced that I needed to leave the city life and get closer to nature. In the experience, I also became more concerned about our natural environment, and really wanted to dedicate my life to conservation.
My funds finally went dry, so I needed to get back to Copenhagen. I told my mother about my plans about coming to see her, and soon a plan fell into place where I would sail across the Atlantic together with an older couple she knew from when she was a teenager. I really wanted to seize this opportunity because I would then know whether I was cut out to be a sailor. Luckily I had a great captain and crew to learn from.
Europe took good care of me, but with the pandemic limiting my opportunities I needed to get back to Mexico.
I looked for a passage back over the Atlantic. Unfortunately, this time I didn’t feel comfortable to make the trip. I didn’t make it further than Gran Canaria, from which I flew to Mexico City to start my new life by the Sea of Cortes.
In August 2021, I joined Sea Shepherd, an organisation that works in protecting the oceans through direct action. I joined their team of volunteers in Mazatlan for three months as we prepped the ships for their campaigns in protecting the Vaquita porpoise. I learned more about the cause, and learned a lot more about shipyard work. Finishing those three months, I was given the opportunity to get more involved. I joined their campaign in the Sea of Cortes – Milagro 8. All in all, one of the best experiences, and definitely something I see myself going back to.
Since February 2022, I’ve been sailing with Vaquita and Rossa, as well as crewing other sailboats. That’s the plan for now. Return to volunteer with Sea Shepherd whenever possible, and keep pushing our fleet to work closely with nature conservation activists.