In this first blog I wish to provide some general background information.
My boat is named Kiwi Spirit. I will attempt to break the record of Dodge Morgan,
who circumnavigated the globe under sail non-stop and unassisted in 1986 at age
58 on American Promise. I will be 76
when I set forth on November 30, 2013 from St. Augustine, Florida.
My goals include
being:
- The oldest person to circumnavigate under sail non-stop
- The fastest to circumnavigate in a monohull cruising boat
- The first ever to circumnavigate non-stop entirely green
Let’s Get Personal:
We are of course all special if only
to our mothers. Each of us has a life worthy of study but on occasion some of
us, fortunate enough to be at a time and place of means, are able to engage in
an activity that may be of interest to others.
Sailing around the world has been done now by more than a thousand people,
mostly via the Panama and Suez Canals with few going around the southern capes
including Cape of Good Hope and especially Cape Horn. But sailing around solo, non-stop and unassisted
and attempting to do it in record time – via the southern capes, well it’s just
a handful that have done this. In addition, I have come to it at the ripe age
of 76 – no chicken! But as a physical therapist I have largely led a life of wellness,
of participation and of adventure. I have been fortunate in my profession of
physical therapy, in business - principally real estate and education - and
have taken the time to balance and enjoy life with family and sports, including
sailing.
Risk and Reward:
While I write
with confidence I am well aware that much can go wrong. Far less than half the boats that set out to
do a non-stop circumnavigation succeed. Dismasting, keel and rudder damage,
running aground and being wrecked have all played a role in defeating the would
be circumnavigator. Even in organized crewed events such as the Volvo Ocean
Race less than half the boats finish without assistance. I must complete this
journey non-stop and unassisted if I am to succeed. Anything less is a failure.
I do not
underestimate the possibilities of failures and the risks that I take. But
these pages will not focus on the negative. Know that a great deal of planning,
design and construction have combined to make this project a success. However,
I acknowledge that an element of luck will be needed to avoid striking a semi
submerged container, log, iceberg or even a whale. All these can result in a
dismasting, loss of keel or loss of rudder. Kiwi
Spirit has two rudders and carries a third as a spare and even has a spare
mast stored below and ready for assembly. Additionally it has a sacrificial bow
that will self-destruct on impact leaving the true bow exposed. If ever a boat
was designed and constructed to be a fast and successful cruiser - then Kiwi Spirit is the boat.
Boat Features
- Cutter rigged some 88 feet in height - a good height to carry plenty of sail
- Retractable bow sprit goes out 7 feet to add yet more sail to the boat’s length for downwind sailing
- Out riggers to hold the sails out rather than having a spinnaker pole.
- Displacement is only 32,000 lbs. - half the weight of the record holder. I shall be light and fast.
- Keel goes from 8'7" to 14'9" - this is for increased stability to carry the sails aloft.
- Four water ballast tanks again for stability – equivalent of 22 men sitting on the rail
- Solar panels, two wind generators and four water generators with energy stored in lithium ion phosphate batteries.
- Five water tight bulkheads
- Sacrificial bow
Kiwi Spirit
is a truly state of the art yacht! The yacht is designed by Farr Yacht Design, specifically addressing my desire to sail
safe and fast, while also having the option to transition the yacht in the
future to a family cruising platform. The experts at Lyman-Morse Boat Building were employed to construct Kiwi Spirit
in Thomaston, Maine. On November 1, 2012, Kiwi
Spirit will be officially christened by my wife Catherine and the adventure
will begin as I head off for sea trials and one full year of training.
If you feel inspired
to follow my journey as I prepare to circle the globe, please follow my blog
and enjoy the future tales of adventure, which will be accompanied by photos
and video. www.stanleyparis.com will
soon be a fully functioning website with route map, tracking of Kiwi Spirit, and news of my training
from November 2012-November 2013, including the regattas I will compete in
prior to the circumnavigation.
Cheers,
Stanley
