In the latest editions of her new podcast series, double Olympic gold medalist Shirley Robertson sits down for a two-part chat with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, founder of the Clipper Race and the first man ever to sail solo non-stop around the planet.
Part one delves into the background of Sir Robin’s groundbreaking voyage in his 32ft ketch Suhaili — the only boat to finish the Golden Globe Race in April 1969 after 32,000 miles around the Earth.
And it certainly wasn’t an easy trip for Sir Robin, who ran constant repairs on his vessel as it took the brunt of brutal Southern Ocean storms — and then disappeared from view on the return leg of his passage when his radio gave up.
In part two he talks about life after the Golden Globe, which involved further adventures at sea on the Whitbread Round the World Race and Jules Verne Trophy, and eventually starting his own global yachting challenge.
Says Sir Robin: “When I look at all the lives that have benefitted from the Clipper, and the number of those sailors, 40% of them have never been on a boat before, who have taken up sailing subsequently as their sport, to my mind that is going to rank pretty highly because there's over five thousand people now that have taken the sport up all over the world.”
Shirley Robertson’s Sailing Podcast is available on most popular podcasting outlets such as iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts, and can also be streamed at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast
