Dr. Stanley Paris & Kiwi Spirit II

Once again my attempt to complete a solo circumnavigation has come to an end. On Xmas Eve the top quarter of the mail sail separated along a seam from the rest of the sail. This is not repairable by me at sea and given the gales I can expect before I round the tip of South Africa it is once again not advisable to continue. This of course is a big disappointment to me and too many who have wished me well. But that is life. I have never let difficulties get in my way of trying

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, shopping (but I can’t do that), office and other parties, friends and family (none of that out here). Now I don’t want you to start feeling sorry for me as you greet, shake hands hug and kiss. Care not that this is the second Xmas in a row that I have missed. Think not of me as you eat fine foods and partake of adult beverages and designate someone to drive you home. I will be okay. I will somehow manage to try not to envy all of you

Lately I have been a little wary as I have been passing through waters that caused me so much trouble last time namely broken end of boom, damaged luff rod on the staysail furler, loss of mainsail battens, loss of A2 spinnaker and finally the fittings holding rigging to the deck were providing inadequate for the task. And so I set course for Cape Town, South Africa and quit. This time by comparison I have lost one of my three autopilots and one of my two sets of wind instrume

I am wary in these waters as it was around here that most of the incidents leading to my withdrawal last year took place. For instance yesterday with north winds at 22 knots I under full main and genoa was making 11 and 12 knots. A great speed. But the seas were rough and the night was fast approaching. So I put in a reef reducing the mainsail area and bought in the genoa and ran out the smaller staysail. I lost a good knot or a little more of speed but Kiwi Spirit rode bette

It’s all in the way you do the math but it is now 37 days since I set sail out of St. Augustine. Multiply 37 by 4 and you get 148 days and that I now declare is my target. Take out 12 days for the St. Augustine to Bermuda legs, (6 days each way), and I hope to make the Bermuda to Bermuda in 136 days which will break Dodges 150 day record and that of the Chinese sailor who now hold the record for fastest circumnavigator in a cruise yacht by way of China back to China of 137 d

I am again in the waters that did so much damage to my boat on my first attempt. Just this morning I had my cereal and reconstituted milk and was on my way to the galley to take back my dishes and put the water on for a cup of tea. As I left the cockpit I looked around - all clear skies, puffy cumulus on the horizon and no overcast. I quickly snapped a photo of a double rainbow and went below. One minute later I hear it, a squall. It comes on suddenly and the first sign is

If you take into account the priority of my goals which are: Return home safely Be the oldest to have circumnavigated non-stop, non-assisted Then of less importance Beat Dodge Morgan's 150 day record from Bermuda and back Beat Chuan's 137 day record for fastest cruising boat to circumnavigate - China and back Establish a new record from St. Augustine and back Be the first to do it all green - no diesel, gas, propane, butane just what I create from sun wind and water Then, "ra

Good to see an old friend. Yes I am passing by Tristan da Cunha again, a towering volcanic island looking very much like a nuclear power station's cooling tower. Tristan along with the associated islands of I’Isola Inaccessible and le Isole Nightingale are home to very little other than birds of which I have seen quite a few these past days. They come very close to the boat flying effortlessly rarely flapping their wings. The giant albatross with its seven to nine foot wing s

Twenty days and some 3,600 miles from Bermuda, I find myself still neck and neck with Dodge Morgan and his 1986 record. He did better through the doldrums than I did. He shot through with favorable winds while I had some windless times and some time out for repairs. At this point Dodge is 249 miles north east and behind me - a little more than a day but he is east of me and will stay that way for a while. Now we enter an area off the coast of Brazil where we will start to lo

Cocktail Hour Begins Early - at 4:16 local time here yesterday, I crossed the equator. This called for a small bottle of champagne to be opened (actually a screw top cava would you believe!). I poured a little into the sea to pay homage to Neptune and then a few drops more just in case he was with company - mermaids and all. Then I poured a little on the deck for Kiwi Spirit. Next up I shared my thanks with Betsy - she is the Secondary Autopilot and is doing a splendid job -