29/05/2026
The 1968 Golden Globe Race was simple in theory. Sail nonstop, solo, around the world.
In reality, it was brutal.
Several competitors set out. Boats broke. Minds cracked under isolation. One sailor disappeared at sea.
Robin Knox-Johnston sailed a 32-foot wooden ketch named Suhaili. It was not the fastest boat in the fleet. It leaked. It creaked. It required constant repair.
Midway through the voyage, his self-steering gear failed. He hand-steered for long stretches in the Southern Ocean, exhausted and alone.
He had no modern satellite forecasts. No daily check-ins. Just horizon and wind.
