Series 2 - Ep5 - Sir Robin Knox-Johnston Part 1

Double Olympic gold medalist Shirley Robertson sits down for a two part podcast chat with the first man ever to sail solo non-stop around the planet, Britain's Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Sir Robin completed his ground breaking 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.  The 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 boat that finished, the physical and mental travails of the effort 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 onboard 'Suhaili'

Once passed 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 ground breaking voyage.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley’s own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast. The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact [email protected] Support the show