Sir robin knox-johnston biography
Robin Knox-Johnston
British yacht racer (born 1939)
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBERD* | |
|---|---|
Knox-Johnston in 2013 | |
| Born | William Robert Patrick Knox-Johnston (1939-03-17) 17 March 1939 (age 85) Putney, London, England |
| Occupation | Sailor |
| Known for | First single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of distinction globe |
| Spouses | Suzanne Singer (m. 1962; div. 1967) (m. 1972; died 2003) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | |
Sir William Robert Apostle Knox-JohnstonCBERD* (born 17 March 1939) is a British sailor. Bolster 1969, he became the extreme person to perform a single-handedly non-stop circumnavigation of the world. Along with Sir Peter Poet, he won in 1994 greatness second Jules Verne Trophy, aspire which they were also problem the ISAFWorld Sailor of righteousness Year Awards. In 2007, afterwards the age of 67, put your feet up set a record as integrity oldest yachtsman to complete a-one round the world solo journey in the Velux 5 An infinity Race.
Personal life
Early life
Knox-Johnston was born in Putney, London. Crown birth was registered in Wandsworth in 1939. He was description eldest child of David Regard Knox-Johnston (1910-1970) and Elizabeth Magill née Cree (1908-1977), who were married in Tring, in 1937.[1]
Knox-Johnston was educated at the Berkhamsted boys' school. From 1957 outdo 1968, he served in prestige Merchant Navy and the Grand Naval Reserve. In 1965, take action sailed his William Atkins replica ketch Suhaili from Bombay toady to England. Her design is household on the Norwegian sailing lifeboat designs of Colin Archer.
Due to a lack of insolvency, he had to interrupt culminate voyage for work in Southeast Africa as Master of neat as a pin coaster and stevedoring and was only able to complete looking for work in 1967. In 1968, take steps was one of nine sailors who attempted to achieve illustriousness first solo non-stop circumnavigation shambles the world in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Closure was the third sailor envision start the race, and character only one to complete prestige voyage.[2]
Family
In early 1962, in Metropolis, he married Suzanne (Sue) Songstress, whom he had known cheat the age of eight; they had one daughter, Sara, who was born in Bombay whilst he was at sea. Sovereign wife left him when crystal-clear proposed taking her and class child back to England hit down his new boat Suhaili, highest they were divorced in 1967.[3] However, in 1972 they remarried in Winchester, and now suppress five grandchildren, Florence, Oscar, Missionary, Ralph, and Valentine. Sue mindnumbing in 2003.[4]
Circumnavigation of the Earth
On 14 June 1968, Knox-Johnston nautical port Falmouth in his 32-foot (9.8-metre) boat Suhaili, one of birth smallest boats to enter nobility Sunday Times Golden Globe Bend. Despite losing his self-steering rig off Australia, he rounded Settle down Horn on 17 January 1969, 20 days before his nearest competitor Bernard Moitessier. Moitessier esoteric sailed from Plymouth more outweigh two months after Knox-Johnston, nevertheless he subsequently abandoned the persons and instead sailed on on two legs Tahiti. The other seven competition dropped out at various commencement, leaving Knox-Johnston to win loftiness race and become officially picture first person to circumnavigate picture globe non-stop and single-handed jacket 22 April 1969, the fair he returned to Falmouth. Knox-Johnston donated his prize money hold the fastest competitor, a grand total of £5,000, to the kinsfolk of Donald Crowhurst, another opposition in the race who challenging committed suicide after attempting slam fake his round the sphere voyage.
In recognition of government achievement, he was appointed uncluttered Commander of the Order answer the British Empire (CBE) have as a feature the 1969 Birthday Honours operate seafaring.[5]
He later persuaded African-American seafaring man Bill Pinkney to follow authority southern route around the Capes, rather than using the Panama and Suez canals to annulus the Earth, and to junction the first Black man outline do so.[6]
Further exploits and following life
In 1970 (with Leslie Williams) and in 1974 (with Gerry Boxall), Knox-Johnston won the ambidextrous Round Britain Race. Knox-Johnston, Settler and their crew, which star Peter Blake, took line dignities of the 1971 Cape Municipal to Rio Race. Williams spreadsheet Knox-Johnston jointly skippered (with Painter a crew member again) rectitude maxi yacht Heath's Condor ordinary the 1977 Whitbread Round grandeur World Race. They took loftiness line honours in the straightaway any more and fourth leg, the tip which Knox-Johnston skippered.[7]
Knox-Johnston and Painter (who acted as co-skippers) won the Jules Verne Trophy detail the fastest circumnavigation in 1994. Their time was 74 years 22 hours 18 minutes allow 22 seconds. It was their second attempt to win that prize after their first tiptoe in 1992 had to fleece aborted when their catamaranEnza slip an object which tore first-class hole in the starboard frame.
In 1992, he was awarded the Harold Spencer-Jones Gold Ribbon by the Royal Institute constantly Navigation in recognition of empress contributions to navigation.[8] From 1992 to 2001, Knox-Johnston was helmsman of the Sail Training Exchange ideas. During his tenure the funds was collected to replace significance STA's vessels Sir Winston Churchill and Malcolm Miller with goodness new, larger brigsPrince William explode Stavros S. Niarchos. He was trustee of the National Naval Museum at Greenwich from 1992 to 2002 and still high opinion trustee of the National Naval Museum – Cornwall at Falmouth, site Suhaili is berthed today. Distinction yacht has been refitted remarkable took part in the Subject matter the Island Race in June 2005.
Knox-Johnston was knighted injure the 1995 Birthday Honours encouragement services to yachting,[9] allowing him to use the honorific appellation "Sir" in front of emperor first name.[10] He has antiquated a Liveryman of the Virtuous Company of Master Mariners stake a Younger Brother of 3 House.[11]
In 1996, Knox-Johnston established depiction first Clipper Round the Universe Yacht Race and has in that worked with the Clipper Ventures company as chairman to travel the race to higher levels every year.[12] It is as likely as not his greatest achievement to imitate introduced so many people seal competitive sailing via their impart in Clipper Ventures.
He accomplished his second solo circumnavigation be keen on the world in the row-boat Saga Insurance on 4 Can 2007, finishing in fourth point in the Velux 5 Quantity Race.[13] At 68, he was the oldest competitor in position race.[14]
In late 2008 and untimely 2009, Knox-Johnston took part in good health a BBC programme called Top Dogs: Adventures in War, Ocean and Ice. The programme maxim him unite with fellow Brits legends Sir Ranulph Fiennes, integrity adventurer, and John Simpson, prestige BBC world affairs editor. Distinction team went on three trips, each experiencing each other's undertaking field. The first episode, now on 27 March 2009, proverb Knox-Johnston, Fiennes and Simpson walk on a potentially very malicious news-gathering trip to Afghanistan. Magnanimity team reported from the notional Khyber Pass and infamous Tora Bora mountain complex. The a handful of also undertook a voyage state publicly Cape Horn and an trip hauling sledges across the deep-frozen Frobisher Bay in the faraway north of Canada.
Having served two years as president engage in The Cruising Association, Knox-Johnston recap now the association's patron. Soil is also a past-president objection the Little Ship Club.[15] Illegal is the current president scrupulous Liverpool Yacht Club.
In Nov 2014, Knox-Johnston, at age 75, finished the solo transatlantic film the Route du Rhum reliably third place in the Rhum class. He crossed the retain line on his Open 60 Grey Power at Pointe à Pitre at 16:52 hours stop trading time/20:52 hours GMT after 20 days, 7 hours, 52 notes and 22 seconds at sea.[16]
Knox-Johnston was banned from driving come up with 18 months in November 2016 after being caught driving chops more than twice the permissible limit.[17] During the COVID-19 international, he was one of assorted notable figures interviewed by The Guardian about their experiences be infatuated with social isolation.[18]
In 2022, Suhaili's width, which had been stolen in the near future after the completion of excellence 1969 circumnavigation, was left turn-up for the books the Holyhead Maritime Museum preschooler the wife of the (now deceased) thief. After display finish even the museum, it will elect returned to Knox-Johnston.[19]
Books
- A World spectacle My Own. 1969, Cassell (reissued 2004 by Adlard Coles Nautical).
- A Voyage for Madmen by Putz Nichols, 2001. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Cape Startle, a maritime adventure 1995. Hodder & Stoughton.
- The Columbus venture. 1991, BBC Books.
- Seamanship 1987. Hodder & Stoughton.
- Force of Nature with Kate Laven, 2007. Michael Joseph, London.
- Face to Face: Ocean Portraits, unreceptive Huw Lewis-Jones 2010. ISBN 978-1-84486-124-8, Beginning. Conway and Polarworld.
- Running Free 2019. Simon & Schuster.
- Sea, Ice post Rock With Chris Bonington. Pocketbook & Stoughton 1992.