Messing About In Sailboats

Robin Knox-Johnston Day - Facebook Wall

Here's what's on the wall on the FB group so far. The group has 143 members. Pretty cool!

Robin Knox-Johnston Day - More Posts

And the blog posts keep on coming!

The Peconic Puffin gives a nod to Sir Robin on behalf of the windsurfing community.

Yachtpals has an outstanding collection of photos of RKJ, Suhaili and the Golden Globe as well as a great account of the race

Yacht Online a German site has posted an article about the 40th anniversary. I am afraid I don't speak German but I think it says Legend in the subject.

Russ from sjogin.com gives a shout-put to RKJ. He should know as he is a wooden boat sailor.

Lonnie Bruner tells RKJ's tale well and he met him a couple of years ago. Great photo of Lonnie and Sir Robin.

Boatbits Blog has a great post about the perils of going to sea in a small boat. People are still in awe as I am that Suhaili was only 32ft

Michael from BuyThisBoat Blog waxes lyrical about all the great books on circumnavigation.

Mike of the awesome Timmynocky covers a lot about RKJ's more recent accomplishments that are significant in themselves.

Ed writes about RKJ's contribution to sailing on the SF Examiner network that reaches a big audience in SF AND on his awesome EVK4 blog

Hammen.se has a video interview with Sir Robin where he talk about his life, how he began sailing and his favorite places to sail. You must not miss this.

Another fine Swedish sailing site, blur.se has two great photos of RKJ on Suhaili and his Open 60 (I think)

Bonnie from Frogma muses that one of the greatest things about RKJ is that he has created a venture for ordinary folks like us to sail round the world

And we even have an entry from Belgium on zeilmakker's blog, written in Dutch promoting RKJ Day. It's so great to see that respect for RKJ is a global thing!

Last but not least Joe at the Horse's Mouth brought the funny!

Please let me know if I haven't included you

Robin Knox-Johnston Day - First Tweats

It's all going off in the twittersphere. To see more go to Twitter and search #RKJ. Here is my latest search of tweats.

Robin Knox-Johnston Day - Morning Post

This morning my in-box was chock full of alerts to posts in celebration of RKJ Day

Mark Hendy kicks things off with a run-down of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's accomplishments. Completing the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was just the beginning. Mark lists the rest. RKJ seems like a modest bloke and he will probably blush when he sees the list.

Allaboutboats suggests you read A World of My Own, RKJ's book of his voyage an includes this great quote: "It was much easier 38 years ago, no messing around with technology. They said I was missing for four and a half months and prepared my obituary, but I always knew where I was."

Ben from the Invisible Workshop emotes on the power of fruitcake and tells what RKJ's book meant to him.

Gavin Atkin of Intheboatshed, boat builder, blogger and journalist, recalls an interview he had with Sir Robin. His welcome by the Sunday Times was astonishing. Well worth reading.

Carole Anne of itsfiveoclockssomewhere fills non-sailors in on the race and RKJ's feat and reflects on the character of the man

Brian of Movable Bridge tells of meeting RKJ and how, thanks to him, he sailied round the world himself with Clipper Ventures

The Good Old Boat Redwing makes a strong case for why Robin Knox-Johnston is legendary and in a league of his own.

Bill of Bill's Boat Blog reflects on what it took for RKJ to do this and the unique character that comes with it.

Tillerman gives us some of the greatest quotes by many of the most famous circumnavigators including RKJ's first words on his return.

Bowsprite takes a different angle in talking about RKJ's book of the clipper ships, as ever accompanied by her beautiful water colors.

Peter Mello of Seafever.org tells of his affinity for RKJ and suggests you see Deep Water a recent documentary on the Golden Globe Race to understand the challenge RKJ endured. He also strongly suggests you see what's happening on Twitter with the tag #RKJ

Last but absolutely not least, Captain JP gives us three great reasons to give RKJ three cheers. I kinda like the last one best

I am sure there will be more so come back later and often and I promise to share all that I hear about. If I miss you, please email me.

Happy 40th Anniversary Sir Robin

It was 40 years ago today....

Ever since I worked out last year that this would be the 40th anniversary of what, in my humble opinion the greatest feat in sailing, I felt this was a day worth celebrating. Clearly many many others do.

For all you have done and are still doing for this great sport, we thank you!

Looking forward to celebrating the 50th!

Robin Knox-Johnston Day - First Posts

'Tis only the eve of April 22nd and there are already a bunch of posts in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's  solo non-stop circumnavigation:

Tillerman weighed up the pros and cons of why April 22nd should be RKJ Day AND Earth Day.

Timmynocky posted two weeks ago a great account of RKJ's life and accomplishments

The Tugster gives RKJ a shout-out in another of his wonderful posts of life in NY Harbor.

70.8% blogged a selection of some of the best photos of Suhaili and an excerpt from a book by Don Holm The Circumnavigators, an interview between David Frost and Robin Knox-Johnston that reinforces what a down-to-earth regular bloke he is.

The mighty Horse's Mouth shared a couple of great photos including a cheeky one with Sam "Roxy" Davies.

There is already a lot of discussion going on about Suhaili on the Wooden Boat Forum. This was initiated by the Burlsledon Blogger who has done a number of great pots about his encounters with Suhaili on water and on the hard.

Activity started early on Facebook. Here is what's on the wall of Make April 22nd Robin Knox-Johnston Day group, now at 120 members

Scuttlebutt has some good advice for you

As seen on Twitter from the mighty Scuttlebutt. Listen to them. They know what they are talking about.

Only 2 Days To Go To Make April 22nd Robin Knox-Johnston Day

OK, so many of you will be reading this and thinking, "Hey Dummy, April 22nd is Earth Day". Well of course it is, but it is also the 40th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's completion of the first-ever single-handed solo non-stop circumnavigation - 30,000 miles, 313 days at sea, most out of touch of humanity, in a 32 ft teak ketch. Nine people entered the Sunday Times, Golden Globe Race in 1968 to be the first to accomplish this. Only one, Robin Knox-Johnston made it finishing on April 22nd 1969. Six abandoned, one sank (Nigel Tetley), one decided to keep sailing (Moitessier) and one was driven mad (Crowhurst).

Sailing round the world single-handed non-stop is called the Everest of Sailing. One difference: over 1,500 people have climbed Everest. Less than 100 in 40 years have achieved a non-stop solo circumnavigation.

Robin Knox-Johnston's feat is worth celebrating on April 22nd even though it conflicts with Earth Day. (BTW: I thought that maybe we could make RKJs' birthday RKJ Day but that's March 17th and St patrick's day and that's way too much of a conflict!)

Join me in celebrating the 40th anniversary by making April 22nd Robin Knox-Johnston Day on the Web. Here are four ways you can show your support:

1. Blog about it: On April 22nd do a post congratulating RKJ - whatever you think is an appropriate message - then link to another blog who should in turn do a congratulatory post, again linking to another blog, etc, creating a chain of bloggers and a virtual Robin Knox-Johnston Day. The wonderful 70.8% blog has a great excerpt from a book about RKJ's accomplishment that summarizes well what it took to make it.

2. Leave a Comment: Leave a comment on this post or any other you find on April 22nd

3. Post to The Wall on Facebook: I created a group in Facebook to make April 22nd RKJ Day on the Web. You can join it here. Best way to show your support is to post to the wall. Do it anytime and I will copy the posts over to this blog. There are now over 100 members from all over the wolrd.

4. Twitter: Do a tweat on April 22nd, including #RKJ in the text. I will find it and post in on this blog.

If you have other ideas about how to show your support, please let me know and I will help spread the word.

Please email me and let me know if you will be taking part.

Thanks

Sailing Photo Of The Day - Phoebus II in front of Saint-Tropez

Phoebus II in front of Saint-Tropez, originally uploaded by mhobl.

Only 5 Days to Go Till April 22nd - Robin Knox-Johnston Day. How are you going to show your support?

Depending on where you are in the world, it's either 4 or 5 days till RKJ Day. Joe Rouse has shown his support with a great couple of photos.

There are many ways to show your support:

1. You can blog about it on April 22nd. Blog now if you want to like Tillerman, Frogma. Email me and let me know if you are going or have done it.
2. Join the Facebook Group dedicated to RKJ Day. As of writing, there are 96 members so you have the historic opportunity to be the 100th member. Ooh Ah!
3. Tweat about by adding #RKJ to a Twitter post.
4. Just email me and I will post about it on the day
5. Add a comment to the original post like this one by John T:

He is an amazing man. Demonstrated by the fact that he gave the £5,000 prize money (huge in '69) to the family of Donald Crowhurst who famously committed suicide during the race, leaving his boat Teignmouth Electron drifting in the Atlantic..