... who was almost ignored in the subsequent publicity, partly because he arrived late, and so missed the pre-race build up. But it's as well to remember that in his determination to take part, he sailed single-handed from New York in a week-ender that was barely 21 feet overall. Having arrived at Plymouth, he re-stocked the boat, and after enjoying not much more than a good night's sleep, set off on another, even tougher ocean passage; over 2,000 hard-going miles to windward.

Francis Chichester won the race, as perhaps he was expected to in a non-handicap event, because his boat, Gipsy Moth, was considerably larger and thus much faster than Blondie Hasler's Jester, David Lewis', Cardinal Vertue, Val Howells in Eira and, of course, Jean Lacombe, sailing Cap Horn, with this comment not being in any way dismissive of Chichester's achievement, but perhaps necessary in order to keep things in perspective.

For those people interested in the origins of the event, Ewen Southby-Tailyour's biography, entitled:

Blondie

ISBN 0 85052 950 6

... is a first class account of an extraordinary character who, amongst other things, founded the Special Boat Service and modern single handed ocean racing. Southby-Tailyour also comprehensively demolished the myth that the race came about as the result of a half-crown bet; but was the outcome of work that Hasler began in 1957 and came into fruition when the entrants crossed the starting line at Plymouth, bound for Sheepshead Bay, New York at 1000hrs on the 11th June, 1960.

See Page 4 for more information.