The First and the Fastest

Comparing Robin Knox-Johnston's and Ellen MacArthur's famed round-the- world voyages.

This is the story of two single-handed non-stop round-the-world voyages: Robin Knox-Johnston's in 1968/9 and Ellen MacArthur's in 2004/5. Although there were similarities (both voyages started and finished in Falmouth, for instance, and neither sailor was in a conventional race) the story is mainly one of contrasts, mostly as a consequence of 36 years of technological developments. These gave MacArthur the opportunity for a considerably faster voyage, but that came at a price in that her trimaran BandQ provided more challenges than Knox-Johnston’s monohull Suhaili. MacArthur is no longer "the fastest" – her time has since been beaten by two Frenchmen – but she is still the fastest British sailor solo circumnavigator, while Knox-Johnston will always be "the first".

Book Features:

• A unique comparison of great British achievement
• Timed for the launch of the new Golden Globe race departing from Falmouth on 18th June 2018
• Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's single-handed non-stop round-the-world voyage in 1968/9
• Covers the backgrounds to the voyages, the sailing crafts, the voyages themselves and the individual hardships endured, homecomings, what came next, and other round-the-world races
• There has never been a biography of Knox-Johnstone and the book will consider both sailors’ subsequent careers
• Author has written widely on sailing through history

About the Author

Nigel Sharp spent 35 years in the boat building and repair industry, mostly in various project management-type positions. He had a change of course in 2010 when he became a freelance marine writer. Since then he has had many articles published as well as three books. He lives in Falmouth.

20 b/w illustrations