CHAY BLYTH AND THE WRONG WAY… 50 YEARS ON

Back in August, the Royal Southern Yacht Club hosted a 50th anniversary re-enactment of Chay Blyth’s return to the Hamble at the end of his pioneering 292-day solo non-stop west-about circumnavigation against the prevailing winds and currents aboard the ketch British Steel. It was quite an event attracting a host of fellow circumnavigators including Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who said: “Francis Chichester, Alec Rose, myself and Chay were the pathfinders when the Brits dominated this form of ocean sailing, which led to a lot of people taking up the sport.”

One of these was Mike Golding, a former fireman who has completed six circumnavigations and was the first to break Blyth’s benchmark record 25 years later. “Sir Chay’s voyage excited me enough to get sailing and has shaped my career ever since. The continuing success achieved by Team GB sailors at the Tokyo Olympics may not have been nearly so good had pioneers like Chay and Robin not excited so many to buy boats and get afloat, for it is their children or grandchildren that are now leading the charge in international sailing. We have a great deal to thank them for setting these benchmarks in the history of our sport.”

ROBERT CLARKE DESIGN

Designed by Robert Clark, and built in 1970 was described by Don Holme in his book as representing the absolute pinnacle of modern yacht design and construction, particularly with regard to the use of steel in the building of her hull. Construction cost £20,000, took just four months and included a package of state-of-the-art electronics coupled with a host of other innovative features designed to help Blyth complete what many believed at the time to be an impossible solo voyage.