Gipsy Moth Circles the World (The Sailor's Classics #1) by Francis Chichester

Gipsy Moth Circles the World (The Sailor's Classics #1) by Francis Chichester

This work tells the story of Frances Chichester, who aged 65, set out alone from Plymouth in his 53-foot ketch "Gypsy Moth VI" in August 1966 and sailed eastward around the world through the wild Southern Ocean, stopping only once - the first to accomplish this - in Sydney. Only nine yachts had previously circumnavigated by way of Cape Horn, and of them six had been capsized or somersaulted at least once. This 28,000-mile voyage, completed in May 1967, established new records for speed and endurance, captured the imagination of the world, and earned a knighthood for Chichester upon his return.

Sir Francis Chichester was a lifetime adventurer. In 1929 he flew his plane solo from London to Sydney. In 1931, while trying to complete the circle from Sydney back to London, he was nearly killed when he flew into a half-mile span of steel telephone wires in Katsuura, Japan. As the years passed and flying was transformed from a pioneering activity to a technologically sophisticated one, Chichester turned to sailing as an outlet for his restless spirit. He made a record-breaking solo crossing of the North Atlantic in 1962, and then conceived his around-the-world voyage as his next challenge, saying, I hate being frightened but, even more, I detest being prevented by fright. At the same time the Horn had a fearsome fascination, and it offered one of the greatest challenges left in the world. Chichester died in the 1970s.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780071364492
ISBN 10	0071364498
Title	Gipsy Moth Circles the World (The Sailor's Classics #1)
Author	Francis Chichester
Series	The Sailor's Classics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	McGraw-Hill Education - Europe
Year published	2000-10-16
Number of pages	288
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable