Kiwi Spirit- Oldest solo non-stop circumnavigation - tour the boat

by Sail-World on 29 Nov 2012
Dr Stanley Paris is attempting to sail a Farr designed yacht around the world, and become the oldest person to circumnavigated the globe under sail non-stop and unassisted.

His boat is named Kiwi Spirit. He will attempt to break the record of Dodge Morgan, who in 1986 at age 58, achieved the same feat, on American Promise. Paris will be 76 when he sets forth on next year, on November 30, 2013 from St. Augustine, Florida.

His goals include: Becoming the oldest person to circumnavigate under sail non-stop: become the fastest to circumnavigate in a monohull cruising boat and be the first ever to circumnavigate non-stop entirely green.

Catch the video below comprised of a series of still images, taken by top US photographer George Bekris, of a tour onboard Kiwi Spirit.

Dr Paris is writing a blog, the latest excerpt is here:

Perhaps it is finally sinking in that I have a powerful boat and a grand opportunity to make it famous. Only two weeks ago Kiwi Spirit departed the shed at Lyman-Morse in the slings and eased her way into the water for the first time. It was a memorable day and kudos go to the designers at Farr and the construction crew at Lyman-Morse who have helped over the last many months to make my dream reality. I have many goals, but to put it simply I intend to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the globe using only the wind, water and my own perseverance to finish.

On November 7th, Kiwi Spirit left the dock and headed into the waters of the Gulf Of Maine for trials. There was a light breeze, barely enough to produce the occasional white cap. We began at a steady 10 knots and we topped out at 12+ knots. She handled well and performed magnificently. On board was a celebrity list of the yachting community: Bruce Farr of Farr Yacht Design, Mike Toppa of North Sails and Mike Feldman Of offshore Spars. The builder, Lyman-Morse, was represented by Drew Lyman and a whole team of sailors, riggers, and electronics experts. My son Alan was also on board (he sailed solo around the world in the Around Alone Race of 2002-3). Together this collection of professionals provided me with the information and support I needed. One by one the sails and systems were hoisted and tested and all worked beautifully.

To continues reading this story http://stanleyparis.blogspot.co.nz/!click_here

Stanley Paris and Kiwi Spirit from George Bekris on Vimeo.

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