Sailor Amyr Klink has returned to public attention with “100 Dias,” a film recreating his 1984 solo crossing of the Atlantic. Klink rowed from Namibia to Salvador in a catamaran less than six metres long, using the navigation tools available at the time.
A column revisiting an earlier interview with Klink, conducted around the release of his book “Não Há Tempo a Perder,” highlights lessons from the voyage for people taking on demanding challenges and for everyday life. The crossing was inspired in part by Frenchman Gérard d’Aboville’s 1980 rowing journey across the North Atlantic. Klink admired the lack of drama in d’Aboville’s account and urged humility when discussing major achievements.
Klink has said the preparations were more complicated than the voyage itself, describing rowing as the easiest part. In his book, he also called the idea of the 1984 crossing “bizarre” and neither sensible nor intelligent.
His approach to teamwork rejects rigid divisions of status aboard a boat. Klink’s view is that every crew member should be ready to operate equipment, while the captain should also take on practical tasks such as cleaning the bathroom. A leader, he argues, should identify each person’s strengths and encourage collaboration.
The column also stresses Klink’s advice not to rely on brute force. When a problem demands substantial physical effort, he recommends pausing to assess it and conserve energy, rather than risking injury or exhaustion. He has also described a boat’s capacity to sink as a reminder that actions carry real consequences and that delaying necessary work can be dangerous.
Klink’s reflections extend to Brazil, where he has criticised disorganisation, forgetfulness, lateness and reluctance to think about the future, while identifying hospitality as a national strength. In another account from the book, he rejected a friend’s religious offering during rough conditions at sea, explaining that he was more concerned about the friend walking unprotected across the deck and potentially falling.
Sources: Folha Esporte.