Just to go around? Or are you doing it to win? If you want to win, your preparation will be different. To win, not just sail around the world. The race rules stipulate boats and equipment must strictly adhere to what was available to Knox-Johnston at the time: Competing yachts have a length overall limited to 32 to 36 feet, and they must be designed prior to with full keels and attached rudders.
EPIRBs and other safety gear can only be used in emergencies. Following high school, she spent four years traveling and working in a string of outdoor pursuits: at a ski resort, training Huskies in Lapland, guiding wilderness tours in Norway.
That period culminated with a solo north-to-south bike ride the length of Africa, at the conclusion of which she made a life-altering decision: to go to sea as a professional sailor. For more than a dozen years, that meant delivering South African-built Leopard catamarans all over the world.
It was great sailing on his boats because they were built for that sort of thing, and they were well-stocked with spares and tools, as you needed to be totally self-sufficient. We were always involved with refits because Skip wanted us to know what we were doing if we needed to fix anything. So, it was great exposure not only to maintenance and repairs, but to ice and Southern Ocean conditions.
First, she needed a boat. The obvious choice was a British-built Rustler 36; six had been entered in the previous race, and they were sailed by the top-three podium finishers, including the French victor, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede. Plus, I kind of liked the idea of doing it with another kind of boat and, you know, choosing my own path.
