sailing heros ??

[Frank]

Gene wrote..."Larry Pardey is not a hero of mine, but he's bright". As a fellow sailor and a fellow Canadian..if a chap who builds his own 24ft 7in  boat out of wood, does a beautiful job of it, proceeds to sail it WITHOUT electronics OR an ENGINE around the world, then builds another 29ft 6in beauty himself...again engineless and keeps going for a total of about 180,000knm, around ALL southern capes including the horn,against the wind,using his home made selfsteering and on a very low budjet without money to burn on tons of 'store bought stuff' is not ANY sailors hero....who is?? I doubt there is a sailing couple with the traditional boatbuilding,navigation and sailing skills alive today. Just curious. Please submit your sailing  hero here.

[CapnK]

Wow, thats a heckuva question.

To me, certainly L&L deserve to be up there, alongside the likes of Bob and Nancy Griffith, the Smeeton's, RK Johnston, Chiles, Hasler... and many, many more, too many to name.

And on a different scale, but heros in their own right, folks like Craig and Rose, Connie, James, Magnus, and even you, Frank - people who live their dreams.

I guess that is what matters to me - people who do what it takes to become someone who *lives* their dream, not just dreams it. All of the above have done that. Kudos!

[Captain Smollett]

Agree with Kurt on all accounts.

Some names I'd like to add to Kurt's list:  Don Street, the Hiscocks,  Yves Gellinas.  In general, I think we can sum it up as Sailors Who Sail.

On a broader scale, I'd offer some of historical greats who forged a path without any of what we'd consider modern conveniences.  How about Ericson, Cook, Anson and Wilkes to name but a few.  This list could grow very long indeed.  All inspiring in terms of guts, fortitude and vision.

[Auspicious]

Jimmy Cornell. Evans Starzinger and Beth Leonard. William Shellenberger (for very different reasons). Tom Neale and his family. Tom and Diane Might. Magnus Rassy. The Dashews.

[Frank]

The Hiscocks and Smeetons are right there in my books too.There are SO many.I think what  the Pardey's have done differently is 1-build their own boat(s) 2-take simplicity to the max and finally, during their cruises,they took the time to emerse themselves in other cultures by working/living in different counties long enough to really get a 'feel' for the people there.Both  Hiscock and Smeeton had amazing women with them as well..true sealadies in the finest sence. I remember reading an article about Susan after Eric had died and she singlehanded for a while (quite a small elderly women) It recounted how she was rowing her dingy back to their boat and as she came between 2 vessels anchored close together..she changed from rowing to sculling to rowing effortlessly as she passed between them.

[Pappy Jack]

Well, I suppose Gene might have another meaning for the word "hero" and Larry doesn't fall into that group. I do think that the word"hero" is used too much in todays society but I also think that the Pardey's are people that everybody can look up to for inspiration and guidance. As far as I'm concerned L@L are the tops and get my respect and it doesn't make any difference if they are considered hero's or not.

Fair winds

[skylark]

I wouldn't call these people heroes as much as sailing and cruising authors who I appreciate and am influenced by:

1. John Guzzwell
2. Lin and Larry Pardey
3. Sir Francis Chichester
4. Anne Hammick

[Bill NH]

I try not to forget that sailors, in a previous time, did as their day to day routine what we now get all excited about and think is a remarkable accomplishment.  In some ways it's like comparing a farmer to a hobby gardener, wondering what the gardener is all excited about.  It's been done many times before, with much lower technology and in a manner that had to be commercially viable as well.

Not to sound cynical, but cruising heros are creations of magazines like cruising world, which exist to sell sailors bigger boats than they need and expensive, must-have gear that they could do without.

The late Alex Lowe, one of the finest climbers who ever lived and a very humble man, once said that "The best climber in the world is the one who is having the most fun."  Not to throw cold water on the party, but I think this approach is much more appropriate for cruising than the concept of "heros".

[Frank]

Grog to ya Bill   

[AdriftAtSea]

Well said Bill.  Also, note that it doesn't take a 40-something foot boat to do it.

I try not to forget that sailors, in a previous time, did as their day to day routine what we now get all excited about and think is a remarkable accomplishment.  In some ways it's like comparing a farmer to a hobby gardener, wondering what the gardener is all excited about.  It's been done many times before, with much lower technology and in a manner that had to be commercially viable as well.

Not to sound cynical, but cruising heros are creations of magazines like cruising world, which exist to sell sailors bigger boats than they need and expensive, must-have gear that they could do without.

The late Alex Lowe, one of the finest climbers who ever lived and a very humble man, once said that "The best climber in the world is the one who is having the most fun."  Not to throw cold water on the party, but I think this approach is much more appropriate for cruising than the concept of "heros".

[Lost Lake]

Maybe this one is too obvious, but I'd say Chuck Norris, even though technically he doesn't sail.

He stays in one place and makes the world turn around him.   

[CharlieJ]

On a serious note, I've always admired Eric Hiscock. I have his book "Wandering Under Sail" and it's pretty amazing. Tales of his FIRST cruises in the original Wanderer (a 23 wooden gaff cutter), well before he met Susan. He sailed all over the English Channel, Brittany, France, etc, with a gaff rig and no engine. Some pretty fascinating tales.

[Norm]

Hello All:
HNY, etc.
Sailing heros?  I propose a guy who is probably under everyone's radar, Jim Melcher.  He is 80 something and recently completed a couple of trans-Atlantics on his 33 ft leeboard ketch.  Jim is a Cape Cod boy.  He is referenced in the atomvoyages.com pages.

The fun part for me is that he is a family friend.  It is special to actually know the person.  I certainly admire the others.  In the famous person category Knox-Johnson tops the list.

If it makes anyone happy, today in tortola, it is pouring down rain and chilly.

Norm
Boston and Tortola 

[AdriftAtSea]

The weather forecast from Tortola still doesn't make up for the single digit temps we had last week.

I would agree it is pretty cool to know some of these people.  I've met Webb Chiles, just prior to him and his wife moving to Chicago, from here in Beantown.

Hello All:
HNY, etc.
Sailing heros?  I propose a guy who is probably under everyone's radar, Jim Melcher.  He is 80 something and recently completed a couple of trans-Atlantics on his 33 ft leeboard ketch.  Jim is a Cape Cod boy.  He is referenced in the atomvoyages.com pages.

The fun part for me is that he is a family friend.  It is special to actually know the person.  I certainly admire the others.  In the famous person category Knox-Johnson tops the list.

If it makes anyone happy, today in tortola, it is pouring down rain and chilly.

Norm
Boston and Tortola 

[CharlieJ]

Yep it is. Laura and I have done two delivery trips ( short ones) with Charl De Villiers, the Silent Voyager. His web site is here-

http://www.silentvoyager.com/

He's the deaf sailor who recently completed a solo circumnav from here. A shot of Laura, Charl and me on the Irwin 46 we were delivering-

[AdriftAtSea]

Thanks for the link Charlie.

[Zen]

I have once been 'towed in'

  $$ I hope they have tow a$$ist or $$$!!

[Auspicious]

consider how for over 40yrs and 170,000 knm's the Pardeys have 'sailed in'.This has included most  ports never before entered by them as well as the strong currents and tides of the Vancouver erea in the NW..

My understanding is that the Pardey's have been towed in by friendly cruisers many times.

[Frank]

Yes they have.You are quite correct.They have sailed or sculled in far more often.In august last year I was in New Zealand meeting with a yacht designer.When the Pardeys came up  in conversation (they live there now) he recounted how he had witnessed them preparing to go for a sail from the dock.The wind was on their nose, they raised the main and jib...backwinded them both, backed out of the slip, swung the jib over and sailed off like nothing had happened.He, being very knowledgable about things marine...said he had never witnessed such a smooth and effortless display of boathandling...as if you or I were simply backing out of a parking space with our cars.

[AdriftAtSea]

Of course, having many decades of sailing on an almost daily basis goes a long way to having that kind of confidence under sail.