Sailing alone around the world has had a deep attraction for some sailors ever since Joshua Slocum circumnavigated alone aboard Spray in the late 1890s. It is no easy task and the adventure has thwarted many more than have made it. But that doesn’t stop Stan Paris from trying again after two failures.
In his third attempt, a St. Augustine man plans to set off this month and sail around the world alone. Dr. Stanley Paris, 80, and originally from New Zealand hopes his attempt will set a world record. He wants to be the oldest man to sail around the world alone. His first attempt was in 2014, but his deck fittings came lose about 50 days into the sail. The second time tore in half, he said. This time he has a new boat called the Kiwi Spirit II.
“It’s a little smaller, but I’ll be able to handle it better in rougher conditions,” he said.
He’s getting it ready to break the 150-day world record. He’s packed extra gear, high tech equipment and dehydrated and canned foods. Paris has really lightened his load on the boat, just to get rid of any extra weight. He’s even taken the cushions off. Read more.
