 | This article possibly contains original research .(May 2010) |
Unassisted sailing is a form of sailing, usually single-handed, where sailors are not given any physical assistance during the entire course of the voyage. Sailors may not call at a port, dock with other ships at sea, or be passed any physical objects from a passing ship or aircraft prior to reaching the end destination of their voyage.
Unassisted sailing definition and rules are widely recognised as those set by the World Sailing Speed Record Council rule 21e. [1] Essentially this and the related 21h and 21i rules require that during the voyage:
The exceptions allowed by 21h and 21i are:
In practice such sailors can receive financial [2] and electronic [3] assistance, especially when sponsored to attempt records, which reduces the burden of lack of physical assistance significantly. The Sydney Morning Herald said in this context:
"...(and without wanting to detract from her incredible achievement), it is fair to say Watson was by no means solo or unassisted in her voyage around the world; a team of advisors and experts meticulously guided her through that process."
The Vendée Globe is a race, solo around the world non-stop from France. It has its own more strict rules. [5] The participants can be given generally available weather forecasts, but not individual advice about weather or routing. All kinds of repair advice over radio is allowed, for the reason it is a sail competition, not a repair competition. Medical advice is also allowed, with some limitation. [6]
The dangers of unassisted sailing have been reduced in recent years by the widespread use of EPIRBs that allow the sailor to summon help even when far from land. One such case occurred in January 1997 when Tony Bullimore was rescued by the Australian Navy after 5 days under a capsized yacht far from the Australian mainland. [7] [8] A few decades earlier this situation would have had a high probability of resulting in his death. EPIRBs greatly increase the chance that the sailor will be found. They have been credited by sailors as being "vital for sailing boats" and "without question" have saved lives. [9]
People such as Kay Cottee [10] who complete long unassisted voyages are commonly accorded a considerable amount of respect, because the sailor still faces for a long period the prospect of death at sea. This respect usually extends to single-handed sailors such as Francis Chichester and Joshua Slocum who completed round-the-world voyages with far less assistance and considerably more risk than today's record holders, but which are regarded under current rules as "assisted" because of port stops during the voyage. Jessica Watson became the youngest person, at age 16, to sail unassisted around the world on 22 May 2010. [11]
Cruising by boat is an activity that involves living for extended time on a vessel while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.
The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France, where the race starts and ends. The Vendée Globe is considered an extreme quest of individual endurance and the ultimate test in ocean racing.
Kay Cottee is an Australian sailor, who was the first woman to perform a single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world. She performed this feat in 1988 in her 37 feet (11 m) yacht Blackmores First Lady, taking 189 days.
Dame Naomi Christine James, DBE is the first woman to have sailed single-handed around the world via Cape Horn, the second woman to have ever sailed solo around the world. She departed Dartmouth, Devon on 9 September 1977 and finished her voyage around the globe on 8 June 1978 after 272 days, thus improving Sir Francis Chichester's solo round-the-world sailing record by two days.
David Griffiths Dicks, OAM, CitWA, is an Australian sailor. He became the youngest person to sail non-stop and solo around the world. In February 1996, at the age of 17, he set out from Fremantle, Western Australia in his family's 10m S&S 34 sloop named 'Seaflight'. During his 9-month circumnavigation, he faced many challenges such as numerous knockdowns, bad weather, equipment failure, and food poisoning. Because of accepting a bolt to fix his rig near the Falkland Islands, his circumnavigation was not considered unassisted. He returned safely to Fremantle in November 1996 amid great fanfare, including a ticker-tape parade and being given the 'keys' to Perth City.
The sport and practice of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember. The term usually refers to ocean and long-distance sailing and is used in competitive sailing and among Cruisers.
The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, held in 1968–1969, and was the first round-the-world yacht race. The race was controversial due to the failure of most competitors to finish the race and because of the apparent suicide of one entrant; however, it ultimately led to the founding of the BOC Challenge and Vendée Globe round-the-world races, both of which continue to be successful and popular.
Denise "Dee" Caffari MBE is a British sailor, and in 2006 became the first woman to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world "the wrong way"; westward against the prevailing winds and currents. In February 2009, Caffari completed the Vendée Globe race and set a new record to become the first woman to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in both directions.
Tony Bullimore was a British businessman and international yachtsman. He is known especially for being rescued on 10 January 1997 during a sailing race after he had been presumed dead.
Jesse Martin, OAM is a German-Australian sailor who in 1999 became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted, Martin's journey in the 34-foot (10 m) S&S 34 sloop Lionheart-Mistral took approximately 11 months. He chronicled his adventures in the book Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit, and his story was made into a documentary, Lionheart: The Jesse Martin Story.
Michael Perham is an English sailor and adventurer from Potters Bar. In 2007 at the age of 14 he became the youngest person in the world to successfully sail across the Atlantic Ocean single-handedly, beating the record set in 2003 by British sailor Seb Clover. In 2009 at the age of 17 he became the youngest person to sail around the world solo. Perham's second record surpassed that of Zac Sunderland, an older 17-year-old American, set only six weeks earlier. Following this, Perham's adventures included driving around the world and racing in many offshore races, most notably the Sydney to Hobart yacht race in 2011 where his team placed second in class.
Zachary Tristan Sunderland is an American former sailor who was the first person under the age of 18 to sail solo around the world. Sunderland completed his trip after 13 months and 2 days at sea on July 16, 2009 at age 17. The record was previously held by Australian David Dicks, and was surpassed on August 27, 2009 by Michael Perham of England. Sunderland is the youngest American to complete a circumnavigation, surpassing Brian Caldwell, who finished in 1996 at age 20. However, Sunderland's record was not recognized by Guinness World Records, or by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
Jessica Watson is an Australian sailor who was awarded the Order of Australia Medal after attempting a solo global circumnavigation at the age of 16. Departing Sydney on 18 October 2009, Watson headed north-east, crossing the equator in the Pacific Ocean before crossing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. She returned to Sydney on 15 May 2010, three days before her 17th birthday, though the voyage was ultimately shorter than the required 21,600 nautical miles to be considered a global circumnavigation. In recognition of her attempt Watson was named the 2011 Young Australian of the Year, and the following year was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia. She currently resides in Buderim, Queensland.
Abigail Jillian Sunderland is an American former sailor who, in 2010, attempted to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
The first around the world sailing record for circumnavigation of the world was Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray (1898).
Virtual Regatta is an online web browser sailing race simulator, though the development of a mobile app version of the game has seen a significant number of users shift to this platform in recent years.
Keith White was a British yachtsman. In October 2015 he set out on a non-stop solo circumnavigation of the world in his yacht, the Marathon, in part to raise funds for charity. White, who was disabled, lost the use of his left arm in 1991 due to a road traffic accident. A sailor since he was 16 years old, he achieved some significant firsts with his circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, and his circuit of the Atlantic.
The 2018 Golden Globe Race was an around-the-world sailing race founded by Australian adventurer and circumnavigator, Don McIntyre. The race started on 1 July 2018 from Les Sables-d'Olonne, France as the second edition and 50th anniversary celebration of the original Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. It featured yachts similar to those used at that time. Except for safety equipment, no modern technology was allowed.
The 1996–1997 Vendée Globe is a non-stop solo Round the World Yacht Race for IMOCA 50 and IMOCA 60 class yachts this is the third edition of the race starting on the th November 1996 from Les Sables-d'Olonne.