Francis Charles Chichester has become a symbol of a strong spirit and determination for many. His love for the sea still inspires sailing enthusiasts, and his solo circumnavigation of the world in 1966-1967 has long been called "the voyage of the century."
Pilot-turned-yachtsman
Francis Charles Chichester was born in 1901 in the English county of Devon into an aristocratic family. From the age of six he lived in a boarding school, then followed by studies at Marlborough College. At the age of 18, Francis emigrated to New Zealand, taking only £ 10 with him. There he worked as a lumberjack, gold digger, sold newspapers, was an intermediary in a real estate company. It was the real estate business that allowed him to amass a capital of 10,000 pounds sterling, with which Chichester returned to Great Britain in 1929.
At home, Francis used his own funds to build a sports plane "Gypsy Mot", and soon became known as a brave pilot. In 1931, he won the cup for the world's first flight over the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia. Francis then made the longest single flight from New Zealand to Japan. Five years later, Chichester and a friend flew from Australia through China, India, Iraq, Egypt and Tunisia to England.
Chichester became interested in sailing when he was already over fifty. With enthusiasm, he mastered the technical side of the matter, and he did not lack perseverance and character. In 1960, on the Gypsy Mot III, he won the first Atlantic singles regatta, covering 4004 miles in 40 and a half days. Chichester lost almost five kilograms, but the previously discovered cancer receded. The sail brought him back to life, the sea made him believe in himself. In the winter of 1961-1962, Francis's modernized yacht crossed the Atlantic seven days faster. Francis Charles Chichester also participated in the second Atlantic races of 1964, in which 15 yachts competed. He finished second and fulfilled his promise to complete the track in less than 30 days.
From Plymouth to Sydney
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Now it was possible to fulfill the dream of a solo circumnavigation of the world. Chichester was backed by Lord Dalverton with £ 20,000 for the Gypsy Mot IV, an ocean yacht with 80 square meters sail area and a one-man service. The yacht with a length of 16.5 meters had a width of 3.2 meters and a draft of 2.4 meters. The hull was made of strong and lightweight six-ply plywood, with 3.9 tonnes of lead ballast ensuring stability in six-point winds and full sail. The yacht was equipped with several sets of sails, an automatic steering device, a life raft and a radio station with a range of up to 5,000 miles. On the Gypsy Mot IV, 65-year-old Chichester was planning to beat Vito Dumas' achievement of circling the globe in 272 days;set a record of non-stop sailing - with only one stop and go around Cape Horn, going from the west.
The yacht was loaded with 300 kilograms of food for the first stage of the voyage, beer, cognac, champagne, cigars. The navigator also took his favorite musical recordings of Beethoven and Gershwin with him. On August 27, 1966, Chichester's yacht, dressed in his signature green frock coat, sailed from Plymouth. The voyage took place under the patronage of International Wal, the richest English woolen company, whose clipper used to deliver wool to Britain from Australia and New Zealand. With the Guardian and Sunday Times, which also subsidized the trip, Chichester negotiated the right to be the first to report on his voyage.
It soon became clear that with strong gusts of wind it was difficult to keep the yacht on course: the calculations did not come true, the ship turned out to be poorly balanced. Automation did not always obey. However, the speed of the Gypsy Mot IV was not inferior to the 19th century clippers. On September 22nd, leaving 3,500 miles astern, the yacht crossed the equator. In early October, Chichester turned east towards the Roaring Forties. These terrifying latitudes have begun, where winds sweep over the desert waters, heaving waves of 15 meters high. On the 58th day of sailing, having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, the yacht entered the Indian Ocean. Chichester wrote: “I crossed the North Atlantic six times at this time of year and three times alone. I had to meet there with hurricanes, in which the wind speed reaches 80 knots. But now, compared to the Indian Ocean, it all seemed like child's play. The storms here are fierceinsidious and sinister."
The trouble came unexpectedly. The automatic control has broken down. Chichester, sheaves the sail with the tiller, made a replacement. I had to keep the tiller from my hands for hours if unfavorable winds did not allow the yacht to sail on its own. These were difficult days of confrontation with the elements. With strong winds and high waves, the Gypsy moved along the southern coast of Australia. Among the islands of the Bass Strait, the yacht was tacking (changing course relative to the wind). On December 5, Sydney was 400 miles away. And then calm began - a real disaster for sailing ships. Chichester was barely on his feet. Only on December 11 the wind blew again. In the rays of the sun, the heavily heeled "Gypsy Mot IV" rushed along the waves to not far away Sydney to the sound of sirens and horns of the yachts and motor boats accompanying it.
At the port, among those who met the hero were the wife Sheila and son Gil who had flown in from England.
Going ashore, the traveler bitterly said:
- Now I already know that there is a limit to everything. I have lost my youth.
Francis lost 10 kilograms of weight and could hardly move due to a leg injured during the repair of the yacht. When asked if he was scared, Chichester replied:
- This is a weak definition. At times I was seized with terror.
In Sydney, the yacht club repaired the ship, improving its seaworthiness according to the traveler's recommendations: the shape of the keel was changed, the weight was increased, the ballast was distributed in a new way. However, friends, the owner of the yacht Lord Dalverton and experts advised Chichester to give up sailing around Cape Horn.
From Sydney to Plymouth
The persuasion was in vain. On January 29, 1967, after seven weeks in Sydney, the Gypsy entered the second stage of the voyage, although meteorologists predicted a storm in the Tasman Sea. And so it happened. Black clouds covered the horizon, the wind reached 12 points. The traveler relied on fate and fell asleep in a fully battened cabin. A sharp roll woke him up. The yacht seemed to capsize. But it soon leveled off. On the floor lay a sextant, shards of bottles, clothes, dishes and books, all covered with water. A floating anchor and two coiled sails washed off the deck.
Only two weeks later, the Gypsy Mot IV rounded the North Island of New Zealand and entered the Pacific Ocean heading south-east. The Roaring Forties began again. During the day, the yacht sometimes sailed up to 200 miles. Sometimes there were storms and squalls, but not as severe as in the Tasman Sea. Chichester diversified workdays: he celebrated the passage of the next meridian, the change of dates, the anniversary of his wedding.
On March 19, 150 miles remained to Cape Horn. The yacht entered the most stormy place in the world. This time, too, the barometer foreshadowed a storm. Chichester increased sail, trying to get past the ominous area as quickly as possible. Any mistake was a disaster. Dawn on March 21, the traveler met 30 miles from the tip of South America. The strength of the wind was growing. Now Chichester had lowered all the sails except the jib. Despite this, the boat raced along the white-capped waves at a speed of eight knots. At about 11 o'clock, just a few miles away, the navigator saw Cape Horn - his dream came true!
The storm started again. At night, the waves gained height, and the yachtsman was overcome with fear. The lag measuring the speed was out of order, and this did not allow for accurate orientation.
Fortunately, in the morning Chichester was on deck at a time when it was not too late to round the rocky coast of Estados, which stretched along the starboard side.
"Gypsy" went out to the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. And here there were often difficult days with a strong headwind. Then the yacht moved forward with difficulty, or even retreated under the pressure of the wind. In order not to "fight the ocean" in vain, Chichester waited, not wasting his strength.
April 11 became a significant date: the circumnavigation circle closed, the Gypsy ended up where it had already visited on October 3, 1966. There were still 5,000 miles to Plymouth.
On April 24, the yacht crossed the equator for the second time, approaching the trade winds. Making up for lost time, Chichester unrolled all sails. On the hundredth day of the second stage of the voyage, the Azores appeared on the horizon. Trying to squeeze the best out of the yacht, the traveler, with the northeast trade winds, made daily transitions up to 188 miles and covered up to 1215 miles a week. These were records for solo voyages.
Finally, in late May, the Gypsy Mot IV entered the English Channel. It was time for Chichester to put on his signature green coat again. On the approach to Plymouth it was surrounded by a flotilla of small ships, from the shore a quarter of a million people watched the Gypsy enter the harbor, radio and television reports were broadcast. And Chichester was already experiencing a lack of loneliness.
Then followed a series of celebrations, during one of which the traveler, tired of a long voyage, finding the strength to go into the next room, fainted. A little over a month after the completion of the voyage, Her Majesty Elizabeth II bestowed the nobility on the sailor. According to the accepted ritual, she touched his shoulder with a historical sword, which in 1581 Queen Elizabeth I knighted the famous navigator and pirate Francis Drake.