Meet Ken Gourlay - Modest Champion Solo Sailor

by Nancy Knudsen on 25 Jun 2008 Ken Gourlay dreamt for a long time of being the first Tasmanian and the fastest Australian to sail alone, non-stop and unassisted, around the world. A couple of years ago, he did just that. But what gives a sailor the skill, guts and ambition to carry out such a dream? Well, being borne into a sailing family helps.

'The trip was always something that I just wanted to do. It was a personel thing', says Ken Gourlay today. 'Always' was a long time for Ken, who started sailing on his Dad's Derwent class yacht, which he had built and launched in 1939.

When he was eight, his Dad bought him his first Sabot, which he sailed until he progressed to the local Tasmanian class boat called the Tamar Class. He sailed these in the Tamar River in northern Tasmania. However, the ocean was calling, so then he bought an Adams 13, and started 'racing offshore a little more seriously'.

Then came a series of 'name' races – a couple of Sydney to Hobarts, and four Tasmanian 'Three Peaks' races. He had probably started to get the hang of it by finally winning one of these.

However, with all of this experience and success, he was still dreaming of the 'big trip', solo around the world. With the acquisition of Spirit Silver Edition, the dreaming turned into planning.

'Spirit Silver Edition was my fourth keel boat,' explains Ken, 'and I built her with the circumnavigation in mind. I won the 2004 Melb to Launceston line honours in hard southerly where 23 boats entered, 17 only elected to start and only three finished. This was a great test for Spirit. My son and I sailed double handed so this win was especially sweet.

There were also many other more leisurely sailing voyages. 'My wife Wendy and my 14 year old daughter sailed the Pacific with me in 1998. Wendy and I also delivered a yacht from Darwin to Durban in South Africa with her owner in 2000. We cruised the eastern seaboard extensively – I crossed Bass Strait twenty times.'

So, with more than 70,000 nautical miles of sailing already behind him, Ken started his circumnavigation off the Mersey Bluff in Bass Strait at 4.28pm on Monday, November 6, 2006 on his solo quest.

Although plagued with rigging problems for a large part of his journey, Ken was successful in beating the then standing best time for an Australian set by Tony Mowbray two years previously.

He returned to Launceston in the record time of less than 180 days, and officially became only the sixth Australian to do the journey under the stringent rules which apply to these feats of courage and perseverance. This makes him the fastest, and oldest, Australian to circumnavigate the globe.

Of the trip, he now says, modestly, 'Yes, I always wanted to do it, and now I just feel as though I have satisfied that itch.'

Along the way, he raised $130,000 for the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust, which has been established to facilitate the creation of a 'world class' medical research institution in Northern Tasmania.

Ken left home as an experienced sailor, but returned to find himself a celebrity sailor. He was presented with the Key to the City of Launceston, first ever recipient, was made a life member of the Tamar Yacht Club, and has been made a Governor of the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust. He was also Australian of the Year nomination for Tasmania.

'Since returning home my life has been very hectic,' he admits. ' I have done a lot of public speaking, 60 times in the first six months. I continue to be amazed how much people are interested in my trip. Whether I am speaking to schools, Rotary, yacht clubs or business conferences, people are spell bound at the experiences that I enjoyed. '

It's understandable that they be spellbound, as his enthusiasm for what he does, and has done, is contagious.

You can meet with Ken on the sailing stage in Hall 2 each day at 3pm from Thursday to Sunday at the Sydney International Boat Show, which runs from July 31 – August 05.

You can also read his book 'One Man's Journey', available for $29.95 plus package and handling.
The book can be purchased by visiting Ken's new website http://www.kengourlay.net/ or by phone on +61 417 366 612.