Sailing around the world has changed!

When I taught sailing (in the ‘80s), I would sometimes tell my students, “You are aboard a 40-foot, 9-ton pinnacle of sailing’s evolution. Columbus would have given his right arm for a boat like this, and with it, he would have ruled the oceans.”

The introductory photo to this entry is of a replica of Columbus’ flagship, the Santa Maria. She was 62’ long, weighed 150 tons, and had a crew of 40. Twenty-seven years later Magellan set off with five similar ships and 240 men. Only one of those ships, with 17 survivors on board (Magellan not among them), made it around the world 1,082 days later!

The first solo circumnavigation was by Joshua Slocum on a boat under 37’ and 13 tons in 1,155 days.

If you are a sailing enthusiast, over the last 3+ months, you may have followed the Vendee Globe: a non-stop solo race sailing around the world. The image above is of the winning boat, “flying” as much as sailing. She is 60’ long and weighs 8.25 tons. Aboard her, Charlie Dalin set a new monohull solo record of a little less than 65 days! The last finisher got home after 117 days at sea, after the race’s time limit. (the multi-hull records stand at under 41 days crewed and 43 days solo).

There’s a big difference between racing and voyaging, but there’s also a saying that “when there is a sail on the horizon, you’re in a race.” Here is a link to the Vendee Globe excitement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtVXw3-_lDw. Be impressed!