Circumnavigation of The Earth
On 14 June 1968 Robin Knox-Johnston left Falmouth in his 32-foot (9.8-meter) boat Suhaili, one of the smallest boats to enter the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Despite losing his self-steering gear off Australia, he rounded Cape Horn on 17 January 1969, 20 days before his closest competitor Bernard Moitessier, who subsequently abandoned the race and sailed on to Tahiti. The other seven competitors dropped out at various stages, leaving Knox-Johnston to win the race and become officially the first man to circumnavigate the globe non-stop and single-handed on 22 April 1969, the day he returned to Falmouth. Knox-Johnston donated his prize money for fastest competitor to the family of Donald Crowhurst, who committed suicide after attempting to fake a round the world voyage.
In recognition of his achievement, he was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Read more about this topic: Robin Knox-Johnston
Famous quotes containing the word earth:
“The moon, the anchorless
Moon go swerving
Down at the earth for a catastrophic kiss.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)