Álvaro de Marichalar

Academic of the Royal Academy of the Sea

Born in Pamplona, Navarra, Kingdom of Spain. Álvaro became an aviation pilot and served in the Spanish Royal Air Force. As a result of a car accident, he was unable to continue his vocation as a fighter pilot so he studied  Business Administration at the University of Miami and became a young entrepreneur. In 1984, he founded TeleSat, a pioneering satellite TV company in Spain and France. In 1986 he created a start-up in the mobile phone sector. He currently works in the fields of telecommunications and real estate. Álvaro speaks Spanish, English, Italian and French. 

Álvaro’s great passion is Solo navigating and he is considered to be one of the greatest extreme sailors. Over the past 39 years, Álvaro has accomplished 40 maritime expeditions setting 14 world navigation records: Among others, Álvaro Solo navigated from Hong Kong to Tokyo, from Rome to New York — transatlantic, from Barcelona to Odessa and around the Caribbean Sea.