Solo Atlantic singlehanded crossing on a first rule(1907)
by Peter Dupre on 21 Jul 2015
Kate racing in Antigua Classic Regatta unknown unknown
You will all remember Sailing Yacht “Kate”, which Philip Walwyn built in St. Kitts and last year sailed singlehanded to Lunenberg, Nova Scotia.
Earlier this year Philip set sail from Nova Scotia and is presently sailing singlehanded to Falmouth England via the Azores. On his crossing from Nova Scotia to the Azores he encountered two storms and has been beset with problems of the self-steering gear. He is presently about 600 miles southwest of Falmouth and despite having totally lost the self-steering gear, is in good spirits steering by hand and making good progress. Hopefully I may be able to report his arrival later in the week or on the weekend!
Philip is no stranger to short-handed ocean sailing – this will be his sixteenth transatlantic crossing and fifth solo crossing. However, this is an extraordinary yacht to sail singlehanded. Those of us who have been lucky enough to sail on Kate know despite her spectacular performance, she is a very physical and challenging yacht to sail, even fully crewed.
Kate is a first rule(1907) International 12 Meter Design. This may be a world first – (please correct me if I’m wrong) but I don’t think anyone has ever done a singlehanded crossing in a twelve meter yacht! Perhaps someone can verify this?
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/137341
