Born in 1953 in Székesfehérvár, Nándor Fa first wrestled, then turned to kayaking and took up sailing at 27. He raced Finn and Laser dinghies, joined the Hungarian national team and began designing boats.
He sailed around the world in 717 days with József Gál between 1985 and 1987 aboard Szent Jupát, which they had built themselves. He then built Alba Regia, sailing her in the 1990-1991 BOC Challenge (10th) and the 1992-1993 Vendée Globe (5th).
In 1996-1997 he started the Vendée Globe on Budapest, a boat he built, but retired after keel damage and a collision with a cargo ship. He finished 4th in the 1997 Transat Jacques-Vabre.
In 2014-2015 he was 7th in the Barcelona World Race with Conrad Colman on Spirit of Hungary, then retired from the 2015 Transat Jacques-Vabre. He finished 8th in the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe aboard the same boat, which he co-designed.
