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HISTORY MAKER RECORD BREAKER:Robin Knox-Johnston defied the odds
THE MAN
An underdog without sponsorship, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston defied the odds to become the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world.
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It’s been 50 years since a 30-year-old British Merchant Navy officer made history, becoming the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s achievement in 1968-69 changed the world and the sport of sailing forever, and he continues to inspire new generations of sailors.
Among those whose lives were changed by Sir Robin’s monumental sailing feat include some of the sport’s greats. Here, they reveal how the great man left a mark on their lives:
Sir Ben Ainslie
For Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, Sir Robin is an iconic figure and one of the greatest sailors to have ever set foot in a boat.
He continues: “I think for me and my generation of sailors, Sir Robin really highlighted what’s possible.
Sir Ben Ainslie
“The first time I saw Suhaili, she was displayed at the National Maritime Museum in London and I just couldn’t believe how small that boat is. I think it was one of the smallest boats in the fleet – if not the smallest boat. It’s an unbelievable achievement and I think it’s very hard for modern sailors or mariners to be able to fathom just how difficult it must have been. I am in absolute awe of what he achieved.”
Alex Thomson
Sir Robin has played a crucial role in the career of record-breaking solo sailor Alex Thomson.
“The first time I met Sir Robin was in Plymouth in 1997,” remembers Alex. “I had just joined Clipper Ventures and my job was to fix the boats. Sir Robin came down to the boatyard one day and suggested I come with him on an expedition to Greenland as his first mate.
“That was my first experience of meeting the great man, so I was very nervous and I told him, ‘I’d be honoured, but I want to be a skipper in your race and so I think I should stay here and train the crew’. I also asked: ‘Sir Robin, you know, I’m 24 years old, am I too young to do your race?’, and he said, ‘I don’t know Thomson. Come to Greenland and we’ll find out.’
Alex Thomson
“So it was a giant test for me and he gave me very little indication along the way. He marked my celestial navigation.
“We had the most amazing adventure holiday you’d ever have and, at the end of it, he gave me a job. I was only 24, so it was only afterwards I realised what a huge decision that was for Sir Robin.
“Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is probably the most determined, most stubborn, most interesting person I’ve ever met in my entire life. He gave me an opportunity that I don’t think most people would have done. My life would be completely different now if it wasn’t for Sir Robin.”
Dee Caffari
Dee Caffari, the first woman to have sailed singlehanded and non-stop around the world in both directions, says: “We often talk about the lunar landing, the first man on the Moon, and I think you can make comparisons with Sir Robin for sailing around the world.
You know, there might not have ever been the Vendée Globe if he hadn’t done the Golden Globe Race, and the Vendée Globe, for me, is one of the highlights in my sailing career.
Dee Caffari
“To sail single-handed and non-stop around the world is a huge achievement. There aren’t that many of us that do it and I’m very grateful that he set that pathway up for me to follow.”
THE BOAT
He wanted to build a bigger boat and sell Suhaili, but with no backing or buyer, Sir Robin had to stick with his small ketch
Unbreakable Bond: Sir Robin with Suhaili soon after their return.
Like Sir Francis Chichester and the Gipsy Moth IV or Captain Cook and HMS Endeavour , Sir Robin will be forever linked to his 32ft ketch, Suhaili. And the bond they forged during his 312 days at sea half a century ago continues to this day.
“The bond is very difficult to explain,” says Sir Robin.
Endurance test. Sir Robin spent more than ten months at sea in the 32ft yacht built by hand in Mumbai
“She’s an inanimate object, but has her own quirks. Fortunately, I’m usually aware of them, but she can still catch me out.” London-born Sir Robin first tried his hand at boatbuilding aged four, though the budding sailor had limited success on his maiden voyage.
He recalls: “I built a raft out of an orange box, took it down to the River Dee and launched it. I stood on it and it sank, which was an early introduction to Archimedes’ principle.”
Years later, in India, Sir Robin and two friends began another project – the building of Suhaili. The keel was laid down in the Colaba Workshops, Mumbai, in 1963 and while the Merchant Navy officer had learnt a lot since the orange-box boat of his youth, the building process was anything but plain sailing.
He recalls: “Well, financially it was a bit tricky because the other two decided the boat was late, and they said that was enough. They wanted to go to Australia and marry their girlfriends. I didn’t want to give up, so I basically bought them out.
It was after building Suhaili that the adventure bug bit Sir Robin. He explains: “I saw [Francis] Chichester come home and thought, he’s gone around the world single-handed with one stop. There’s one thing to be done – a non-stop circumnavigation. The idea just grew on me, to the point where I realised I was going to have to do it.”
It might surprise many to learn that Suhaili wasn’t the boat Sir Robin wanted for the inaugural Golden Globe Race. He says: “I wanted sponsorship so I could build a much bigger, faster boat. I wanted to build a 56-footer which [yacht designer] Colin Mudie designed for me and I needed about £2,500-£3,000 to build her out of steel. The rest of the money would have gone on things like radios and food.
“I wrote to 52 companies saying, ‘you know, I’ve got this great idea, I need £5,000 to do it, will you sponsor me?’ And they all wrote back saying no. But I did get a £5 voucher from Cadbury, so it wasn’t totally wasted!”
Sir Robin continues: “Anyway, I couldn’t raise the money, so I went with Suhaili. I was trying to sell her, but no one was interested, so that was that. Suhaili wasn’t designed to race around the world, but it was the boat I had. As it happens, she was almost ideal for the job of just getting round – not ideal for racing – but she’s still surviving, so it was probably the best boat out there.”
Making history A jubilant Sir Robin waves to crowds aboard Suhaili following his 30,000-mile, epic journey
Suhaili took to the water once again on 22 April 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of Sir Robin’s historic race. More than 100 vessels of all shapes and sizes, including the Royal Navy warship HMS Mersey, joined Sir Robin at Falmouth Harbour, to recreate the moment that changed sailing forever.
Historic day A flotilla of vessels gathers in Falmouth Harbour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin’s homecoming.
It was a very different Suhaili to the one that arrived in Falmouth battered and bruised half a century ago. Sir Robin revealed that many months of hard work went into restoring her. He says: “I thought it was going to be her big moment, I wanted her to look smart for it.”
As all boat owners know, the work will never end, but for Sir Robin, it will always be a labour of love.
“Yes, there is still work to be done, but I am very fond of her. She has been part of my life since I was 23. I couldn’t imagine life without her, and getting her back sailing is when she is looked after best. She doesn’t like going to windward, but then neither do I.”
THE LEGACY
In the summer of 1995, Sir Robin had a meeting with Clipper Race co-founder William Ward. This not only led to a deep friendship, but also an idea that would change the lives of thousands of people all around the world.
SAILING LEGEND: SIR ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON
William remembers: “At the time it was a two- to three-year project; we finished the first race in 1997 and Robin said, ‘Should we do another one?’ I’d probably had more than one beer and said yes, so off we went again! We are incredibly proud of what we have created and it’s grown to be much bigger than a business partnership.
“We both coach each other, I get loads of energy from him – he’s 80 years young and springing around. He’s made my past 20-odd years in business the most interesting I’ve ever had and I’ve gained a great friend.”
Now 23 years on from that inaugural race, it’s time for a new group of adventurers to set sail in what is the twelfth consecutive edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. And despite the many accomplishments of his life, seeing the crew grow and learn remains one of Sir Robin’s proudest accomplishments.
He says: “I think the Clipper Race has been one of those things that has brought so much benefit to so many people and changed their lives dramatically. So I think getting the Clipper Race up and going, and keeping it running, has been perhaps one of the most satisfying things I’ve done.”
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