Not necessarily because I come from a family of scribes, though it cannot hurt, I have been musing on writing a book. For some time in fact. One wise wag once remarked, “If you’re going to be silly enough to want to write a book, write about what you know.” Following that wisdom narrows my content field dramatically. Astrophysics is out, though my uncle was just that. Economics? Nah. I’ll write about Sailing. The boats, the adventures,…
Photo by Manon le Geun We left our last conversation with Peter discussing Patriot Sailing and their work with returning and damaged veterans. There is another sailor out there, Kevin Le Poidevin, a 31-year veteran of the Royal Australian Air Force, also representing and promoting groups supporting returning service members through Soldier On. Coop: When you finally had some VMG with the Project, where did you go for resources? A Mini is a sailboat, but…
Photo by Manon le Geun In part one of this interview, I with spoke Peter about finding The Mini World and the broken rudder episode. In this second part we discuss some of the background of U.S. Patriot Sailing and the work they are doing in that community. Coop: Back to the beginning, as it were. You found a Mini, bought it, and set the Mini Transat as a goal. PGN: Yup. Coop: So, how did…
By now, hopefully everyone who is engaged by personal challenges, long distance offshore sailing, and helping foster more women in sailing are among the 323,000 followers (as of 1 February) of Cole Brauer on Instagram (instagram.com/colebraueroceanracing). If not, ya outta be. The development – and considerable success of – solo around the world non-stop for the everyman and woman races, like The Golden Globe Redux and Global Solo Challenge (Cole’s race), are starting to crack the American…
Perhaps the most famous example supporting the general proposition that solo sailors are nuts is the Donald Crowhurst story. Crowhurst was an entrant in the original Golden Globe Race, sailing a trimaran, Teignmouth Electron. The Wikipedia entry alone is a fascinating read. With the passage of time, the original verdict related to his proposed depression, and or any other mental state, but at any rate the falsifying of his logs and jumping off the boat to avoid…
Photos by Manon le Geun Regular readers will know that Peter Gibbons-Neff recently arrived back in Annapolis after completing the 2023 Mini Transat. Finishing the race after losing a day to repair a broken rudder, his placing was not what we had all hoped for, but in such races merely finishing is a massive feat on its own. I spoke with Peter via Zoom in early January. Coop: Peter, welcome back mate. Sorry about the placing….
One of several remarks I make to the assembled throng, at the first meeting of the Prout Sailing Team, usually in late February, has to do with the amount of time sailing takes up. I mention this in concert with the admonition to use our time on the water wisely. The background to these remarks has to do with the proposition that generally sailing is not the kind of sport where you can come home from school…
I first met Katie when she worked at Sail Newport and I was on the board, in the early 2000s. We spoke on the deck at Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Coop: Katie, thanks for coming out. KB: Hi Coop, thanks for asking me. Coop: Are you a Newport native? KB: I grew up in Narragansett, so not a native Newporter but Rhode Island born and raised. I went to Florida for college, at Rollins College. After that…
Welcome to Bermuda! Cole Brauer and her Class40 First Light claiming line honours in the singlehanded Leg 1 of this year’s Bermuda One-Two. © E. Michael Jones Many, most, maybe all sailors have some version of a dream of sailing around the world. They are, perhaps like Clancy’s office-bound correspondent, fed up with city life: I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,…
Planes, trains, and pilot cutters Dateline: October 2023, The Royal Ocean Racing Club, London The pilot cutter in question, Jolie Brise, won the first Fastnet Race in 1925. Originally a French Pilot Boat out of Le Harve, in the 1920s, she was subsequently sold to the British yachtsman Bobby Somerset. The first edition of what became the Rolex Fastnet Race was at that time called, no kidding, The Ocean Race. At the post-race gathering of competitors in…
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