Double Olympic gold medalist Shirley Robertson sits down for a two-part podcast chat with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man ever to sail solo non-stop around the planet. Sir Robin completed his groundbreaking voyage in April 1969, after an astonishing 312 days alone at sea having sailed his thirty two foot ketch ‘Suhaili‘ thirty thousand miles around the planet. He has gone on to achieve many accolades during his sailing career, and is still very involved in offshore racing having started the Clipper Round the World Race.
His round the world voyage is one of the most documented in sailing and was part of the famous Golden Globe Race, initiated by the British newspaper, The Sunday Times.
Nine entrants eventually left to compete in the Golden Globe, but Sir Robin was the only person to finish, the physical and mental strains famously proving too much for many of the other entrants. Sir Robin spent much of his voyage nursing ‘Suhaili‘ around the planet, constantly running repairs as the savage effects of months in the ferocious Southern Ocean took a heavy toll.
But his trusty craft was more than a match for the brutal southern storms, and it is with deep affection that Sir Robin talks of her now.”She was a cracking little sea boat, a wave could wash right over and did on a few occasions, she’d just shake herself and bob back up, like a terrier really.
“I built up a huge affection for Suhaili, a tremendous trust in her, she is simple, she’s not complicated. Everything’s stronger than it needs to be, everything’s thought through. She’s very important to me, she’s been part of my life since I was 23, and I’ve done so much with her, she’s done so much for me too.
I always say any fool could get her around the world, I proved it!”
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on board ‘Suhaili’.
Once past New Zealand, and into the second half of his voyage, a troublesome radio meant Sir Robin struggled to make contact with anyone to inform of his progress, and he was assumed missing until he finally signalled a ship while passing the Azores, just fifteen hundred miles from home.
News of his survival hit the front pages, and by the time he steered ‘Suhaili‘ back into the English Channel, he was a household name in the UK.
Met by a flotilla of well-wishers, the shoreline around Falmouth lined with cheering crowds, Robin Knox-Johnston had become the first man ever to complete the groundbreaking voyage.
This podcast is available at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including iTunes and Spotify.
The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt.
[Podcast with the Pro: Sir Robin Knox Johnson]
