Blue Water Sailing — June-July 2017

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sea. With a modest budget, he built a 21-foot Laurent
Giles design that he named Trekka and in this little boat
he set off from his home in British Columbia around the
world. In 1959, after many adventures and several years,
he returned to B.C. as the youngest solo circumnavigator
in the smallest vessel to sail around the world.
In the Sixties, a young Californian decided at the age
of 16 that he thought it would be a good idea to sail his
family’s 24-foot Lapworth sloop singlehanded to Hawaii.
Along the way, he hatched the plan to sail his little boat
around the world. Surprisingly, his parents went along
with the plan and even more surprisingly the National
Geographic agreed to take installments from him along
the way. In 1970, Graham retuned to California as the

world’s most famous sailor and the one who instilled vi-
sions of world sailing in thousands of young dreamers
who had followed his trip.
In the Seventies, Lin and Larry Pardey began their life-
time of seafaring aboard their 24 foot Lyle Hess designed
Serrafyn. In this little cutter, they made epic voyage after
epic voyage as they sailed eastabout around the world
via Panama and Suez Canals. Their books and lectures
inspired a whole generation of cruisers.
In the Eighties, young Tanya Aebi convinced her father
that instead of attending university she would get a much
better education if she sailed solo around the world. Her

father agreed and took the tuition money he had saved

and bought her a 26 foot fiberglass Folkboat design

named Varuna. Learning as she went, Tanya spent two

years cruising around the world in the classic trade-wind

route via Panama and Suez. She returned to her home

port in New York City to a hero’s welcome and her book,

Maiden Voyage, remains a best seller 30 years later.

More recently, in 2011 and 2012, young Matt Ruth-

erford sailed a borrowed, 27-foot Albin Vega sloop north

from his home in Maryland to the Northwest Passage.

His mission was to complete a non-stop circumnavigation

of the America via the NW Passage and Cape Horn. The

grueling and arduous adventures took him 10 months

yet he prevailed. And along the way he raised $130,000

for a local Maryland charity.

Dreaming is a good thing. Following your dreams to

sail away is even better. As Lin and Larry often say, “Go

small and go now.”

Susan and Eric Hiscock

Lin and Larry Pardey

Robin Lee Graham's Dove

Matt Rutherford