Robin Knox-Johnston – författare

On Friday 14 June 1968 Suhaili, a tiny ketch, slipped almost unnoticed out of Falmouth harbour steered by the solitary figure at her helm, Robin Knox-Johnston. Ten and a half months later Suhaili, paintwork peeling and rust streaked, her once white sails weathered and brown, her self-steering gone, her tiller arm jury rigged to the rudderhead, came romping joyously back to Falmouth to a fantastic reception for Robin, who had become the first man to sail round the world non-stop single-handed.By every standard it was an incredible adventure, perhaps the last great uncomputerised journey left to man. Every hazard, every temptation to abandon the astounding voyage came Robin's way, from polluted water tanks, smashed cabin top and collapsed boom to lost self-steering gear and sheered off tiller, and all before the tiny ketch had fought her way to Cape Horn, the point of no return, the fearsome test of any seaman's nerve and determination.A World of My Own is Robin's gripping, uninhibited, moving account of one of the greatest sea adventures of our time. An instant bestseller, it is now reissued for a new generation of readers to be enthralled and inspired.

A collection of distilled wisdom, acute observation and fascinating anecdotes from one of Britain’s greatest living sailors.

In January 1969, aboard his home-built wooden boat Suhaili, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person every to sail solo, non-stop around the world. 25 years later, Sir Robin again completed a record-breaking circumnavigation, co-skippering Enza with Kiwi yachting legend Sir Peter Blake. His place in sailing's pantheon of greats was assured. Then, after the tragic death of his wife Sue, Sir Robin decided he would try again. in October 2006, at the age of 67 - when most people are settling in to a well-earned retirement - Sir Robin embarked on another gruelling single-handed race around the world. Compared to his rivals he lacked recent experience and a large shore-based support team. There were some who believed that this time he might have bitten off more than he could chew.Then early on, it looked like their worst fears might be realised. Within days of setting off, near-Hurricane-strength storms in the Bay of Biscay capsized his 60' yacht Saga Insurance. But it wasn't just Sir Robin who suffered. Three-quarters of the entire fleet had to run for shelter. When they re-emerged, all faced months of hardship and intensity ahead.Force of Nature is Sir Robin's first-hand account his extraordinary return to the ultra-competitive, punishing world of single-handed offshore racing. It turned out to be a very different journey to the one he undertook about Suhaili, yet his experience aboard her remains a touchstone throughout this story.It's a story of courage, ingenuity and resilience played out against the World's oceans. But most of all it's a powerful reminder that age is nothing but a number; no barrier to realizing one's dreams.

This logbook is not only a convenient place to keep all the specific notes that need constant referral during a long voyage, but also a sailing record of the boat, ports visited, interesting sights, and people invited aboard. This revised edition includes new material relating to the advent of GMDSS.

One of Britain’s greatest living sailors shares a collection of distilled wisdom, acute observation and fascinating anecdotes. This book is a collection of provoking, insightful and perceptive pieces of writing by Robin Knox-Johnston. His forthright and compelling views are based on a wealth of experience and expertise. The spotlight of his steely gaze falls upon the great ocean races and the brave men and women who compete in them. He considers the lessons of seamanship he learned over hundreds of thousands of miles at sea and he looks ahead, considering the future of sailing for racing and cruising yachtsmen. This will entertain and inform in equal measure. A comprehensive index makes this a useful work of reference as well as a wonderful title which can be dipped into at leisure.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston burst to fame when he became the first man ever to complete a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world. Now, 50 years on from that famous voyage, he reveals the true, extraordinary story of his life.  After leaving school, he immediately joined the Royal Naval Reserve before serving in the merchant navy and travelling the world. During that time, he spied for the British government in the Gulf, worked in the South African dockyards, and built his boat Suhaili in Bombay, before sailing home to England. In June 1968, he set sail in Suhaili in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, and Running Free vividly brings to life that remarkable voyage, where he was the only person to finish the race, completing his journey on 22 April 1969 and thus entering the record books. Once back home, he set up a hugely successful business and continued his naval adventures, completing a second solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2007 - at 68, he became the oldest to complete this feat. Knox-Johnston's insatiable appetite for life and adventure shines through these pages, making this book a must for all sailing enthusiasts, readers of books by Ranulph Fiennes and Chris Bonington, or for anyone who has felt that the time for putting up your feet can always be put back to another day. 

On Friday 14 June 1968 Suhaili, a tiny ketch, slipped almostunnoticed out of Falmouth harbour steered by the solitary figure at herhelm, Robin Knox-Johnston. Ten and a half months later Suhaili,paintwork peeling and rust streaked, her once white sails weathered andbrown, her self-steering gone, her tiller arm jury rigged to the rudderhead, came romping joyously back to Falmouth to a fantastic receptionfor Robin, who had become the first man to sail round the worldnon-stop single-handed. By every standard it was an incredible adventure, perhaps the lastgreat uncomputerised journey left to man. Every hazard, everytemptation to abandon the astounding voyage came Robin''s way, frompolluted water tanks, smashed cabin top and collapsed boom to lostself-steering gear and sheered off tiller, and all before the tinyketch had fought her way to Cape Horn, the point of no return, thefearsome test of any seaman''s nerve and determination. A World of My Own is Robin''s gripping, uninhibited, movingaccount of one of the greatest sea adventures of our time. An instantbestseller, it is now reissued for a new generation of readers to beenthralled and inspired.

On Friday 14 June 1968 Suhaili, a tiny ketch, slipped almostunnoticed out of Falmouth harbour steered by the solitary figure at herhelm, Robin Knox-Johnston. Ten and a half months later Suhaili,paintwork peeling and rust streaked, her once white sails weathered andbrown, her self-steering gone, her tiller arm jury rigged to the rudderhead, came romping joyously back to Falmouth to a fantastic receptionfor Robin, who had become the first man to sail round the worldnon-stop single-handed. By every standard it was an incredible adventure, perhaps the lastgreat uncomputerised journey left to man. Every hazard, everytemptation to abandon the astounding voyage came Robin''s way, frompolluted water tanks, smashed cabin top and collapsed boom to lostself-steering gear and sheered off tiller, and all before the tinyketch had fought her way to Cape Horn, the point of no return, thefearsome test of any seaman''s nerve and determination. A World of My Own is Robin''s gripping, uninhibited, movingaccount of one of the greatest sea adventures of our time. An instantbestseller, it is now reissued for a new generation of readers to beenthralled and inspired.

On 14th June 1968 Robin Knox-Johnston set sail from Falmouth to take part in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race - the first, non-stop, single-handed sailing race around the world. He was an unknown 29-year old Merchant Navy Officer. Ten and a half months later he sailed back into Falmouth, the only finisher in the race and the first man to complete a non-stop solo circumnavigation. Since then he has had an illustrious sailing career, with 3 further circumnavigations, including the fastest circumnavigation and last racing solo round the world in 2007, aged 68. Few people have sailed as many miles as Robin. Now, 50 years since setting out on the Golden Globe Race, you can benefit from Robin's wealth of experience as he shares his thoughts on seamanship and seafaring in this new book, selected from his most provoking, insightful and perceptive writing from the pages of Yachting World magazine. The first half of the book concentrates on seamanship and looks at the skills and gear required. The second half allows Robin to reminisce on memorable boats, races and places he has experienced in his last 50 years of seafaring. The book starts with an original piece by Robin reflecting on the last 50 years.

When leadingmountaineer Sir Chris Bonington was researching Quest for Adventure,his study of post-war adventure, he contacted Sir Robin Knox-Johnston,the first person to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world, for aninterview. This simple request turned into an exchange of skills, which thengrew into a joint expedition to Greenland’s unexplored Lemon Mountains. Sea,Ice and Rock is the story of this epic journey. With both Boningtonand Knox-Johnston having little experience in the other’s craft, their expeditionwas not without difficulty. But through one another’s support, the two men andtheir team sailed from Britain to Greenland, going on to twice attempt the LemonMountain’s forbidding highest peak, the Cathedral. Though theirattempts ended in a dramatic descent, this could not dampen the unfailingoptimism with which the two approached their task. They recount their experiencesnot only with appreciation for the awe-inspiring nature that surrounded them,but also for one another. Layers ofalternate narration between Bonington and Knox-Johnston make thisa truly collaborative memoir. In the same way they exchanged skills on theirexpedition, the two authors rely on one another’s recollections to fill thegaps in their own. Full of ambition and perseverance, anyone wondering whyBonington and Knox-Johnston are masters in their fields need onlyread Sea, Ice and Rock.

Wenn jemand wie Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, der erste Segler, der die Welt nonstop und einhand umrundet hat, der mit Gewinn der Golden Globe Regatta, dem Vorläufer des "Everest zur See", der gerade jüngst zum 7. mal gestarteten Vendée Globe Regatta, aus dem Nähkästchen seiner Erfahrung plaudert, kann man sicher sein, dass dieses Nähkästchen Perlen enthält.Seit seinem fantastischen Sieg 1968/69 ist Knox-Johnston eine Segellegende, 2007 war er gar erstes Ehrenmitglied der Sailing Hall of Fame. 1994 gewann Knox-Johnston zudem mit Peter Blake die Jules Verne Trophy für die damals schnellste Weltumseglung.Neben seinen Büchern "Allein mit dem Meer", "In 74 Tagen um die Welt" hatte er auch eine regelmäßige Kolumne in der britischen Yachting world. Die besten Beiträge aus dieser Kolumne sind in "Übers Segeln" zusammengeführt.Aus dem Inhalt:• Solosegeln• Sicherheit auf See• Leben an Bord• Die schönsten und aufregendsten Ziele

Wenn jemand wie Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, der erste Segler, der die Welt nonstop und einhand umrundet hat, der mit Gewinn der Golden Globe Regatta, dem Vorläufer des "Everest zur See", der gerade jüngst zum 7. mal gestarteten Vendée Globe Regatta, aus dem Nähkästchen seiner Erfahrung plaudert, kann man sicher sein, dass dieses Nähkästchen Perlen enthält.Seit seinem fantastischen Sieg 1968/69 ist Knox-Johnston eine Segellegende, 2007 war er gar erstes Ehrenmitglied der Sailing Hall of Fame. 1994 gewann Knox-Johnston zudem mit Peter Blake die Jules Verne Trophy für die damals schnellste Weltumseglung.Neben seinen Büchern "Allein mit dem Meer", "In 74 Tagen um die Welt" hatte er auch eine regelmäßige Kolumne in der britischen Yachting world. Die besten Beiträge aus dieser Kolumne sind in "Übers Segeln" zusammengeführt.Aus dem Inhalt:• Solosegeln• Sicherheit auf See• Leben an Bord• Die schönsten und aufregendsten Ziele