Well, that’s my world. I have always lived near the coast, between Manacor and Porto Cristo. My father, ever since I was a kid, had a small boat and I loved to go out with the boat and dive. Every time I have the chance, I come back to Mallorca and get on the water. I have always loved the feeling of adventure a boat offers you. You feel free.

One of Branson's first splashy attempts to break a world record occurred in 1985, when he was part of a crew trying to break the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing in a speedboat. The $2.1 million boat, dubbed the Virgin Atlantic Challenger, sunk 138 miles away from its end destination, and Branson and his crew had to be rescued by the Royal Air Force. "'We won't be beaten,'' Branson told the New York Times after the crash. ''Although none of us wants to go again, none of us will give up that easily. We will build another boat and try again.'' In 1986, Branson and his crew did just that, successfully breaking the world record with the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II.