Sea, Sail & Surf news
VELUX 5 OCEANS
Robin Knox-Johnston to compete again around the world
British sailing legend to compete in the 60’ division at the helm of ex-Fila
dimanche 7 mai 2006 –
Sir Robin, 67, is two years older than Sir Francis Chichester when he completed his solo one stop circumnavigation in 1967. He last raced around the world in 1994 when with Sir Peter Blake he broke the round the world sailing record Record #sailingrecord and won the Jules Verne Trophy. The man recently voted Britain’s most successful solo yachtsman by The Sunday Times will be up against a field of over 10 of the globe’s top sailors competing in the Open 60 class. Sir Robin has looked at the high quality field and decided this is a race he does not want to miss.
Sir Robin wrote his name in the sailing hall of fame in 1969 when he was the only person to finish the legendary Sunday Times Golden Globe on board his yacht Suhaili. Back then, his record Record #sailingrecord -breaking circumnavigation took a monumental 313 days. During this epic voyage, Sir Robin lived off rain water caught in a bucket and The Sunday Times even prepared his obituary, believing he had been lost at sea.
For the silver jubilee year of the VELUX 5 OCEANS Velux 5 Oceans #Velux5Oceans , the oldest solo round the world yacht race, Sir Robin will be competing in a state-of-the-art yacht, hoping to complete the 30,000 mile course in around 112 days taking 200 days off his 1969 record. He recently acquired the former Fila Open 60, previously campaigned by Giovanni Soldini. The Finot-design yacht, which was built for the Soldini in 1997, has a proud heritage and successful track record, having propelling the Italian sailor to first place in the 1998-9 Around Alone race (now the VELUX 5 OCEANS Velux 5 Oceans #Velux5Oceans ).
Sir Robin commented, “With such a high quality fleet of entrants, this is the race for anyone with a competitive spirit. My target is to take at least 200 days off Suhaili’s time and aim for a podium position, but let’s see how the competition develops out on the oceans, that’s where we do the talking. I have never seen 65 years as the line for compulsory retirement, life needs to be painted in bright colours, the brighter the better, and this race has become irresistible. It will certainly be a very different experience from the Golden Globe almost 40 years ago with these super fast, high-tech boats and that is what makes it so attractive.”
For the Golden Globe, Sir Robin competed without sponsorship and still managed to finish and win that inaugural race. These days sponsorship is the norm and discussions have commenced with a number of interested parties.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is Chairman of Clipper Ventures, the company that manages the VELUX 5 OCEANS, the most established single-handed round the world yacht race. The race has been contested every four years since 1982 and is the longest solo race in the world. In 2006, the race celebrates its 25th Jubilee year and, with a new title sponsor in VELUX is set to be greater than ever before. The 30,000 mile three-leg race is scheduled to begin in Bilbao on 22nd October and will stop in Australia and the USA before returning to the Basque region approximately 6 months later.
David Adams, Race Director, concluded, “In the 25 year history of this race, to have a man of Sir Robin’s record is a great boost to the stature of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Sir Robin is a man of the sea. He qualified as a Master Mariner before going on to be the first to race around the world single handed non stop. More recently he has been among the fastest to circumnavigate the globe on Enza in 1994. His constant involvement with this race and others is a record that many people in the business envy. He will be a great competitor and I wish him all the best.”
Over the years, the race has consistently attracted a wide spread of entries from around the globe, making heroes of many celebrated yachtsmen and women, including Philippe Jeantot, Giovanni Soldini, Jean-Luc van den Heede, Isabelle Autissier, David Adams, Bernard Stamm and Emma Richards, who received an MBE after becoming the first woman and youngest ever competitor to complete the race in 2002.
Voir en ligne : For more information on Sir Robin Knox-Johnston : www.robinknox-johnston.co.uk
SIR ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON BIOGRAPHY
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is a man of the sea who has been involved in sailing all his life.
This year marks the 37th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s historic solo and non-stop circumnavigation in the 1969 Golden Globe. He holds the record as the first person to sail single-handed round the world non-stop and has also set the record for the fastest circumnavigation in his time. Added to this he has considerable experience in the administration of running round the world races having served on the Whitbread Race Committee from 1990 to 1994 and having organised the BOC Challenge Round the World Race in 1982 and 1986. Now, as Chairman of Clipper Ventures PLC, he is at the forefront of promoting round the world yacht racing.
Born 17th March 1939, in Putney, London, and the eldest of four brothers, Sir Robin spent his childhood ‘messing about in boats’ before embarking on a career in the Merchant Navy. Going to sea in 1957 as a Deck Officer, his work took him to Africa, the Persian Gulf and India, where he then settled, in Bombay, with his childhood sweetheart Suzanne, whom he married in 1962. A year after their daughter Sara was born, Sir Robin launched his small cruising yacht Suhaili from the ‘Colaba Workshop’, Bombay, on 19th December 1967, and tested her seaworthiness on the journey back to the UK for The Sunday Times Golden Globe. Following the legendary race, Sir Robin launched himself into a successful racing career, in various crewed events. Away from competitive sailing, Sir Robin has also sailed to Greenland to climb the 2,660m Cathedral with mountaineer Chris Bonington, and sailed Suhaili across the Atlantic without any modern navigation instruments.
Today Sir Robin lives in Newton Abbot in Devon and has five grandchildren. His wife Suzanne sadly passed away in November 2003 as a result of ovarian cancer
Career Milestones
1968-69 : Only finisher in The Sunday Times Golden Globe on Suhaili ; first man to circumnavigate the world solo non-stop after 313 days at sea
1969 : Awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)
1970 : Winner, Round Britain Race on Ocean Spirit
1970 : UK Yachtsman of the Year
1973 : Admiral’s Cup
1974 : Winner, Round Britain Race on British Oxygen
1975 : Admiral’s Cup
1976 : Winner RORC Class I championship
1977 : Whitbread Round the World Race on Heath’s Condor
1985 : World Champion Class II Catamarans
1986 : Round Britain Race on British Airways
1990 : Silk Cut Nautical award Seamanship Trophy
1994 : Jules Verne Trophy (for the fastest ever circumnavigation) on ENZA
1994 : IYRU World Sailor of the year
1994 : UK Yachtsman of the Year (2nd time)
1995 : Knighted by the Queen
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