Yachting World - July 2018

11

1969 – Robin Knox-

Johnston achieved

the first solo non-stop

round the world voyage

in Suhaili, just 32ft

long, in 313 days

1987 – Australian

Serge Testa sailed

around the world in

Acrohc Australis, a self-

designed aluminium

sloop of 11ft 10in.

Testa stopped on the

way and also went

through the Panama

Canal and north of

Australia, although

he did round Cape

Horn in the diminutive

aluminium boat.

1993 – South African

sailor Ant Stewart

completed the first

ever round the world

voyage in an open boat,

the 19ft Dix-designed

home-built NCS

Challenger, from Cape

Town to Panama then

the Timor Sea, and

back home around

the Horn.

2010 – Alessandro

Di Benedetto sailed

solo round the world

unassisted in a

21ft/6.5m Mini Transat.

Di Benedetto, a Franco-

Italian geologist, took

268 days 19 hours to

complete the voyage.

However, he sailed

north in the Indian and

Pacific Oceans, and

was dismasted on his

return up the Atlantic

before continuing on

with a jury rig.

and pro skipper who previously worked

as a cycle courier in Krakow for eight

years (something he says was probably

a more dangerous occupation than

sailing around the world) funded the

voyage without a major sponsor. Funds

from family and friends bolstered the

low budget campaign, together with free

equipment from technical suppliers.

By his arrival in Plymouth, however, he

had attracted the interest of the Polish

media. Television crews from Poland and

other European stations captured his

homecoming, and thousands followed

his arrival on social media.

This is not Kuczynski’s first lap of

the planet; in 2016 he sailed around the

world from Las Palmas, but went through

the Panama Canal and stopped several

times en route. He and his girlfriend also

crossed the Atlantic on an even smaller

yacht, the 5m long yacht Lilla My in 2013.

Future projects under consideration

include a Mini Transat attempt, or a

westabout circumnavigation against the

prevailing winds.

First, however, he will be sailing Atlantic

Puffin back to his native Poland, where

the reserved sailor is set to be given a

hero’s welcome before, he says, he needs

to go back to the reality and back to work,

to earn the funds for his next adventure.

Oyster Yachts has resumed

building after the purchase

of the company assets

from administrators KPMG

in April.

New owner Richard

Hadida has put in place a

new management team to

turn round the company.

The new directors include

motorsports legend and

Oyster owner Eddie Irvine,

his former Oyster 885

skipper Paul Adamson and

designer Rob Humphreys.

Around 50 formers

employees have been re-

recruited to complete the

20 yachts in build. Work

has restarted on a new

Oyster 675, the first of two

new yachts the company

has signed contracts for.

Douglas Innes, the former

boss of Stormforce

Coaching which ran

the Beneteau 40.

Cheeki Rafiki, received

a suspended sentence

for failing to operate the

yacht in a safe manner

contrary to section 100 of

the Merchant Shipping Act.

Innes was given a 15-month

prison sentence suspended

for two years and

Stormforce Coaching fined

£50,000 for the conviction

from last year.

Innes was acquitted of

manslaughter by gross

negligence in a second trial

last month.

Szymon embraces

his girlfriend and

sailing coordinator

Dobrochna Novask

Time below decks was in a cramped 4m^2

cabin along with all sails, supplies and

navigation equipment

Oyster Yachts

back in build

Cheeki Rafiki

sentence

Tiny boats around the world

Photos: Tom Gruitt

Bill Rowntree/PPL

AFP

Dudley Dix Yacht Design

Paul Wyeth