Born in Capodistria, in what was then the Austrian Littoral (today Koper, Slovenia), he took to sailing from a very young age, and became the captain of a cargo ship when he was only 20.
Nado en Capodistra, que estaba no Litoral Austríaco (actual Koper, Eslovenia), comezou a navegar moi novo, chegando a ser capitán dun barco de carga aos 20 anos.