Velux 5 Oceans - When two legends meet- Sir Robin visits Joshua

by Velux 5 Oceans on 15 Oct 2010 Velux 5 Oceans - When Sir Robin Knox-Johnston sailed back into Falmouth on his 32ft ketch Suhaili in 1969 as the first person ever to sail solo around the world, he had never even met his main rival Bernard Moitissier let alone seen his yacht Joshua. Frenchman Moitissier set off from Plymouth in the UK in August 1968, more than two months after Sir Robin and, in his longer and faster yacht Joshua, chased Suhaili around the globe. By the time Sir Robin rounded Cape Horn some six months later, Joshua was just 20 days behind. The rest is history: Sir Robin sailed into the record books as the first ever solo non-stop circumnavigator and the free-spirited Moitissier sailed on to Tahiti, anxious to avoid the fame that awaited him on his return to the UK.

In the years following the race Sir Robin and Moitissier became close friends, often exchanging stories in letters up until Moitissier’s death in 1994. Sir Robin’s great rival may be gone, but the legend of Joshua lives on. The pair were once again reunited in La Rochelle at the start of the Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world race, of which Sir Robin is chairman.

For the last 20 years Joshua has been looked after and cared for by the Maritime Museum in La Rochelle, where the Velux 5 Oceans will start from at 4pm on Sunday. She may not be the biggest of boats in the race village marina but Joshua is without doubt one of the most famous. She cuts a stark contrast with the Velux 5 Oceans’ state-of-the-art Eco 60 ocean racing yachts, berthed just metres away. But despite her age – she will be 50 years old in 2012 - Joshua exudes beauty, style and simplicity, serving as testament to the development of the modern ocean racing yacht.

'It’s rather nice to see Joshua here in La Rochelle,' Sir Robin said. 'It is nice to see she is being looked after. Seeing her in the marina next to the Eco 60s is very interesting because it shows how over the last 42 years attitudes have changed as to what the right boat to round the world is. Back in 1968 we didn’t know what the right boat was, there was just nothing to draw on. Although I didn’t meet Bernard Moitissier until after the race, I always considered him my main opponent and I knew that Joshua was a quicker boat than Suhaili. Since those days we have developed a boat that is a very safe, very strong and very quick and that is much better suited to sailing round the world. Having Joshua here alongside the Velux 5 Oceans Eco 60 fleet paints a very interesting picture indeed.'

Far from being consigned just to the history books, Joshua spends more than half the year on the water. She is looked after by the Friends of the Maritime Museum, a group of volunteers dedicated to all things Joshua.

'It was very emotional to have Sir Robin Knox-Johnston visit Joshua here in the race village,' said Daniel Gaury, one of Joshua’s volunteer skippers. 'It was great to meet someone who took part in the same adventure as Bernard Moitissier did on Joshua.'

More than 40 years after she rose to fame, Joshua’s followers are as strong as ever. Modern ocean racing design however has progressed so quickly that new boats are often only considered race-worthy for one or two seasons. The Velux 5 Oceans race is setting out to change the conception of 21st century ocean racing with the introduction of the Eco 60 class which ‘recycles’ Open 60 yachts built before 2003. Innovative, affordable and environmentally friendly, the Eco 60 class aims to set a benchmark for modern ocean racing.

It is a concept that is supported by Joshua’s dedicated crew. 'It is a very good idea to give these boats a chance to race,' added Gaury. 'They have a history and we cannot let them rot in port. Technology moves so quickly these days and it is very sad to see new boats last only one or two seasons.'

'In ocean racing, to finish first you first have to finish,' explained Sir Robin. 'For my 2006/07 race campaign I chose an older boat, strong and well tested. Of seven starters, four of us finished. The 28-year history of this race is peppered with stories of unknown sailors of limited means who emerged to make their mark on ocean racing. Some became famous; others simply achieved their life's dream of a solo circumnavigation. We want to continue that tradition. This is what lies behind our introduction of the Eco 60 class.'

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com