The Lonely Sea and the Sky

‘I would find myself engrossed in his book; he was one of my greatest inspirations and motivations to get involved in the world of solo sailing' Dame Ellen McArthur Aged eighteen with a taste for adventure, Francis Chichester emigrated to New Zealand with ten pounds in his pocket. He tried his hand as a boxer, shepherd, lumberjack and gold prospector, before returning to England. Having qualified as a pilot, in 1929 he embarked on his most famous solo flight in the de Havilland Gipsy Moth from England to Australia. Shortly afterward, he would survive a near-death catastrophe in an attempt to fly solo around the world. Turning to sailing, he won the first single-handed transatlantic yacht race in Gipsy Moth III, despite having been diagnosed with cancer two years previously. In 1967, he became the first person to sail around the world solo from west to east via the great capes.