Sir robin knox johnson biography

British yacht racer (born 1939)

Sir William Robert Apostle Knox-JohnstonCBERD* (born 17 March 1939) is a British sailor.

Pavement 1969, he became the greatest person to perform a by oneself non-stop circumnavigation of the planet. Along with Sir Peter Painter, he won in 1994 interpretation second Jules Verne Trophy, transfer which they were also confirmed the ISAFWorld Sailor of depiction Year Awards. In 2007, finish off the age of 67, misstep set a record as righteousness oldest yachtsman to complete uncomplicated round the world solo cruise in the Velux 5 Reams Race.

Personal life

Early life

Knox-Johnston was born in Putney, London. Rule birth was registered in Wandsworth in 1939. He was decency eldest child of David Acclaim Knox-Johnston (1910-1970) and Elizabeth Magill née Cree (1908-1977), who were married in Tring, in 1937.^[1]

Knox-Johnston was educated at the Berkhamsted boys' school.

From 1957 face 1968, he served in integrity Merchant Navy and the Majestic Naval Reserve. In 1965, explicit sailed his William Atkins mould ketch Suhaili from Bombay shut England. Her design is homemade on the Norwegian sailing lifeboat designs of Colin Archer.

Due to a lack of wealth, he had to interrupt empress voyage for work in Southmost Africa as Master of efficient coaster and stevedoring and was only able to complete be patient in 1967.

In 1968, inaccuracy was one of nine sailors who attempted to achieve leadership first solo non-stop circumnavigation point toward the world in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Yes was the third sailor private house start the race, and interpretation only one to complete distinction voyage.^[2]

Family

In early 1962, in University, he married Suzanne (Sue) Chorister, whom he had known propagate the age of eight; they had one daughter, Sara, who was born in Bombay whilst he was at sea.

Consummate wife left him when do something proposed taking her and depiction child back to England superimpose his new boat Suhaili, accept they were divorced in 1967.^[3] However, in 1972 they remarried in Winchester, and now maintain five grandchildren, Florence, Oscar, Missionary, Ralph, and Valentine.

Sue thriving in 2003.^[4]

Circumnavigation of the Earth

On 14 June 1968, Knox-Johnston sinistral Falmouth in his 32-foot (9.8-metre) boat Suhaili, one of primacy smallest boats to enter picture Sunday Times Golden Globe Set up. Despite losing his self-steering implements off Australia, he rounded Viewpoint Horn on 17 January 1969, 20 days before his consequent competitor Bernard Moitessier.

Moitessier confidential sailed from Plymouth more ahead of two months after Knox-Johnston, nevertheless he subsequently abandoned the track down and instead sailed on in the air Tahiti. The other seven department dropped out at various rise, leaving Knox-Johnston to win justness race and become officially blue blood the gentry first person to circumnavigate probity globe non-stop and single-handed confide in 22 April 1969, the weekend away he returned to Falmouth.

Knox-Johnston donated his prize money gather the fastest competitor, a inclusion of £5,000, to the next of kin of Donald Crowhurst, another challenger in the race who locked away committed suicide after attempting serve fake his round the universe voyage.

In recognition of rule achievement, he was appointed boss Commander of the Order make public the British Empire (CBE) accumulate the 1969 Birthday Honours beseech seafaring.^[5]

He later persuaded African-American mariner Bill Pinkney to follow rendering southern route around the Capes, rather than using the Panama and Suez canals to fraternity the Earth, and to understand the first Black man stick at do so.^[6]

Further exploits and subsequent life

In 1970 (with Leslie Williams) and in 1974 (with Gerry Boxall), Knox-Johnston won the bimanual Round Britain Race.

Knox-Johnston, Clergyman and their crew, which numbered Peter Blake, took line decorations of the 1971 Cape City to Rio Race. Williams gift Knox-Johnston jointly skippered (with Painter a crew member again) grandeur maxi yacht Heath's Condor withdraw the 1977 Whitbread Round honourableness World Race. They took honesty line honours in the on top and fourth leg, the incline which Knox-Johnston skippered.^[7]

Knox-Johnston and Painter (who acted as co-skippers) won the Jules Verne Trophy back the fastest circumnavigation in 1994.

Their time was 74 epoch 22 hours 18 minutes with 22 seconds. It was their second attempt to win that prize after their first single in 1992 had to superiority aborted when their catamaranEnza slip an object which tore unmixed hole in the starboard husk.

In 1992, he was awarded the Harold Spencer-Jones Gold Trim by the Royal Institute warning sign Navigation in recognition of rule contributions to navigation.^[8] From 1992 to 2001, Knox-Johnston was commandant of the Sail Training Sect.

During his tenure the wealth was collected to replace distinction STA's vessels Sir Winston Churchill and Malcolm Miller with character new, larger brigsPrince William skull Stavros S. Niarchos. He was trustee of the National Sea Museum at Greenwich from 1992 to 2002 and still go over the main points trustee of the National Transportation Museum – Cornwall at Falmouth, place Suhaili is berthed today.

Honesty yacht has been refitted essential took part in the Discoid the Island Race in June 2005.

Knox-Johnston was knighted lid the 1995 Birthday Honours symbolize services to yachting,^[9] allowing him to use the honorific label "Sir" in front of rule first name.^[10] He has bent a Liveryman of the Unbroken Company of Master Mariners jaunt a Younger Brother of Deuce-ace House.^[11]

In 1996, Knox-Johnston established character first Clipper Round the Globe Yacht Race and has because worked with the Clipper Ventures company as chairman to promotion the race to higher levels every year.^[12] It is it is possible that his greatest achievement to put on introduced so many people consign to competitive sailing via their complication in Clipper Ventures.

He extreme his second solo circumnavigation emulate the world in the sailing-boat Saga Insurance on 4 May well 2007, finishing in fourth mine in the Velux 5 Caboodle Race.^[13] At 68, he was the oldest competitor in blue blood the gentry race.^[14]

In late 2008 and trustworthy 2009, Knox-Johnston took part lid a BBC programme called Top Dogs: Adventures in War, High seas and Ice.

The programme gnome him unite with fellow Brits legends Sir Ranulph Fiennes, high-mindedness adventurer, and John Simpson, greatness BBC world affairs editor. Honesty team went on three trips, each experiencing each other's exam field. The first episode, very soon on 27 March 2009, maxim Knox-Johnston, Fiennes and Simpson hurry on a potentially very cautious news-gathering trip to Afghanistan.

Prestige team reported from the storied fabricated Khyber Pass and infamous Tora Bora mountain complex. The tierce also undertook a voyage keep up Cape Horn and an exploration hauling sledges across the deep-frozen Frobisher Bay in the inaccessible north of Canada.

Having served two years as president conclusion The Cruising Association, Knox-Johnston shambles now the association's patron.

Stylishness is also a past-president treat the Little Ship Club.^[15] Recognized is the current president sunup Liverpool Yacht Club.

In Nov 2014, Knox-Johnston, at age 75, finished the solo transatlantic reminiscence the Route du Rhum reap third place in the Rhum class. He crossed the conclusion line on his Open 60 Grey Power at Pointe à Pitre at 16:52 hours close by time/20:52 hours GMT after 20 days, 7 hours, 52 record and 22 seconds at sea.^[16]

Knox-Johnston was banned from driving sort 18 months in November 2016 after being caught driving move away more than twice the lawful limit.^[17] During the COVID-19 global, he was one of many notable figures interviewed by The Guardian about their experiences look after social isolation.^[18]

In 2022, Suhaili's width, which had been stolen presently after the completion of magnanimity 1969 circumnavigation, was left guard the Holyhead Maritime Museum give up the wife of the (now deceased) thief.

After display putrefy the museum, it will verbal abuse returned to Knox-Johnston.^[19]

Books

• A World female My Own. 1969, Cassell (reissued 2004 by Adlard Coles Nautical).
• A Voyage for Madmen by Putz Nichols, 2001. HarperCollins Publishers.
• Cape Bell, a maritime adventure 1995.

  Hodder & Stoughton.

• The Columbus venture. 1991, BBC Books.
• Seamanship 1987.
  Pictures of saints and their biography

  Hodder & Stoughton.

• Force of Nature with Kate Laven, 2007. Archangel Joseph, London.
• Face to Face: Main Portraits, by Huw Lewis-Jones 2010. ISBN 978-1-84486-124-8, Foreword. Conway and Polarworld.
• Running Free 2019. Simon & Schuster.
• Sea, Ice and Rock With Chris Bonington.
  And biography

  Keeper & Stoughton 1992.

References

External links