Solo sailor attempts circumnavigation of the Americas non-stop
by Nancy Knudsen on 28 Jun 2011
This is the kind of Albin Vega 27 that Matt will use to solo sail a circumnavigation of the Americas SW
If you thought Ian Thomson's circumnavigation of Australia was difficult (and you were right), now there's another long-range solo adventurer out there taking on an unimaginably difficult task, to circumnavigate the Americas non-stop in a 27ft boat.
Matt Rutherford, starting from Annapolis in the USA State of Maryland, intends to sail solo East to West through the Northwest Passage beginning this summer, and then 'all going well', he will head for Cape Horn in his audacious attempt.
All sailing adventurers do it for the love of the adventure, but many of them also do it for a worthy cause and Matt Rutherford is no ordinary sailor. Leaving a troubled youth behind he taught himself to sail and this led to a life on the sea and to a life dedicated to helping others.
He departed last week and during his journey he is raising money for the Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating organisation, CRAB. A major part of this adventure is to raise awareness of and support for disabled sailing programs and sailors. To this end Matt is accepting pledges on a per mile basis (25,000miles!) with the initial funds going for the boat and all remaining funds to go to the CRAB organization.
His aim is to begin the transit of the North West Passage in August, when the ice is expected to clear. Matt might be a dreamer, but he is also by now a very experienced sailor, having previously crossed the Atlantic solo in both directions in a 32ft Pearson, and with many more maritime miles under his keel on other voyages. This time the boat he is using is a 27ft Albin-Vega, which has been donated by CRAB specifically for his challenging adventure.
Sail-World Cruising will be following Matt's adventure, so watch here for updates.
To learn more or to join in and become part of this amazing adventure go to the http://www.solotheamericas.org/!website.
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