Loss of the Quicksilver and its driver in 1951 at Seafair In the years after World War II, as the US economy prospered, veterans settled down and soon began to look around for new forms of leisure. Many took to boating, but some wanted more than a pleasant day on the water, they wanted speed… Continue reading WWII Merlin Engine Set US Speedboat Records
Category: Ocean Racing & Records
2013: Meeting My Vendee Globe Heroes
In March 2012, after riding along the Canal du Midi from the Med to Bordeaux, I rewarded myself with a train ride north to Brittany. But i was soon back on the bike and searching for the sailing center of Port La Foret in Brittany, the training center for the top Open 60 sailors. It… Continue reading 2013: Meeting My Vendee Globe Heroes
2014 – Mini Yachts Promise Maxi Speed…..and Risk!
Huge Beam, Giant Rigs, Maxi Sprits Early in October, 2013 I took the train from London to Portsmouth, ferry to St Malo, and cycled across Brittany via back roads and canal towpaths to see the solo Mini Transat race start in Douarnenez, near the north-western tip of France. Another big fleet of 84 MINI 6.5 meter (21′… Continue reading 2014 – Mini Yachts Promise Maxi Speed…..and Risk!
2007 – Film “Deep Water” Reveals Tragedy of Donald Crowhurst
Documentary of Crowhurst’s “Voyage to Oblivion” – copyright Peter J. Marsh Boating has certainly changed since the 1960s; this was brought home to me when I watched “Deep Water,” an award-winning documentary that arrived in the northwest at the end of summer. Its subject was the 1968-69 Golden Globe race in which a motley crew… Continue reading 2007 – Film “Deep Water” Reveals Tragedy of Donald Crowhurst
2000 – Paraplegic’s Non-Stop Circumnavigation
Australian Paraplegic Finishes Incredible Voyage – copyright Peter Marsh On August 12, a month before the Olympic Games opens, 32-year-old Vincent Lauwers became Australia’s latest sailing hero, by becoming the first paraplegic to sail around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted. He returned to a huge welcome in his home port of Melbourne after an… Continue reading 2000 – Paraplegic’s Non-Stop Circumnavigation
2004 – Ellen Macarthur, Young English Star of Solo Racing
How English Sailor Gained International Fame – copyright Peter Marsh The scene in the small French harbor of Les Sables d’Olonne the evening of February 11 was unlike anything ever seen in the world of sailing. An estimated 200,000 people packed the tiny seaport to get a glimpse of France’s unlikeliest new sports star: 24-year… Continue reading 2004 – Ellen Macarthur, Young English Star of Solo Racing
Steve Fossett’s Life on the Edge
Steve Fossett (1944 – 2007) American Sailor, Aviator and Adventurer For over a decade, Steve Fossett galvanized the sailing world with his record-setting exploits at sea, while also surviving many near-death situations while attempting to set records in the air. Now he has apparently died at the age of 63 during a short flight over… Continue reading Steve Fossett’s Life on the Edge
1960-2000 – The Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race
“The Ship Would Not Travel Due West” copyright Peter Marsh From the late 1800s until the 1960s, the development of the modern sailing yacht was an evolutionary process, occasionally interrupted by a flash of insight. Racing and cruising yachts were little more than refinements of the last sail-driven fishing schooners. In the first half of… Continue reading 1960-2000 – The Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race
1966-2006 – The Long Strange Trip of the Gipsy Moth IV
Chichester’s Legendary GM IV, Myth and Reality – copyright Peter Marsh In the 1960’s, It was English pioneer aviator and sailor Francis Chichester who became famous for winning the first Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race in 1960 in 40 days at the age of 59. He then invented the concept of racing the clock in 1962 with… Continue reading 1966-2006 – The Long Strange Trip of the Gipsy Moth IV
The 1964 OSTAR and Me
How I Caught Sailing Fever in Plymoth- Copyright Peter Marsh I was 16 when I read about the second Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR) starting in Plymouth, England on 23 May. I knew I had to go, which caused my mother distress because I was doing something completely out of character: skipping my grammar-school education for… Continue reading The 1964 OSTAR and Me