GOING SOLO : ‘A World Of My Own’

"Like so many yachtsmen, I started this adventure with the least possible amount of money and the highest possible set of goals."
Robin Knox-Johnston retells the story of his solo (non-stop) circumnavigation of the world in his book 'A World Of My Own'.
For any newly hatching yachtsmen, and all people who take up sailing, it is so inspiring to read about people like Robin Knox-Johnston. It is not by chance that he was awarded the British knighthood in 1995.

We feel proud to present Sir Robin Knox Johnston and his legendary yacht 'Suhaili' in our finest of posts.
Born in London in 1939, he served in the Merchant Navy and in the Royal Queen's Navy. He built himself a yacht - a sloop from the Colin-Archer design named Swahili. He "christened" the yacht with a cruise from Bombay to England - from 1965 to 1967.

Johnston won the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. He started on 14.06.1968 at Falmouth, rounded the Cape Horn on 17.01 the following year and on 22.04.1969 returned to Falmouth thus completing one of the greatest challenges to sailors. He also holds another world record - he and mate Peter Blake (co-skipper) gained the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest ever circumnavigation of the world - the year was 1994; the length: 74 days, 22 hours, 18 minutes, and 22 seconds

The 'Suhaili' was the 32-foot ketch in which Knox-Johnston completed the first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 1969. Suhaili, the name of this legendary yacht, means 'southern wind' in Arabic. He built it with the help of his brother in Bombay. These are its technical parameters: Ketch. L/B/D: 32 × 11.1 × 5 (9.8m × 3.4m × 1.5m). Tons: 14 TM. Hull: wood. Comp.: 1-5. Mach.: aux. Des.: Production Promotions, Ltd. Built: Colaba Workshop Ltd., Bombay, India; 1964. (it is a teak-hulled ketch)

During most of the trip (first half) Suhaili sailed third, but then Knox-Johnson decided to go through the Bass Strait rather than through the south of Tasmania, and that's when it came first, but it suffered great damage.
Suhaili is maintained in sailing condition at St. Katherine Dock, London.

You should definitely read his book - "A World of My Own" - we recommend it strongly because it is not only a diary, a guidebook with many helpful tips and advice, it is also a blend between fictional and autobiographical work of great quality.

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Bombay Dockyard: Birthplace of the Oldest Boat Afloat !

With a history of over 200 years, Bombay Dockyard is one of the largest of its kind in Asia. There are mentions about ship building activities at the Bombay Dockyard, now known as Naval Dockyard, dating back to 1671. However, the foundations of the modern naval dockyard were established in 1735. The ships made at Bombay Dockyard were among the finest in the world and sailed around the globe.

The pride of the warships built at Bombay Dockyard is HMS Trincomalee built in 1817. It is the world’s oldest ship afloat. The ship is now permanently berthed in Hartlepool in UK. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the introduction of steel as the primary ship-building material, the function of the dockyard changed in 1884 from ship-building to ship repair and maintenance for the Navy.

The yard pays utmost attention to quality of work. All the work centers of the yard are certified for Quality Management Systems. At present, there are 102 Quality Circles in the dockyard. The yard has participated in national and international Quality Circle conventions.
Safety and environment are given prime importance in the dockyard. The personnel are regularly trained in safety aspects and resort to safe work practices in the demanding conditions onboard. The dockyard is the first among defense organizations to obtain ISO 14001 certification for environment management system in fourteen work centers. The yard also boasts of vermiculture project, rainwater harvesting and waste water recycling plants.

The Naval Civilian Housing Colony at Powai is a plastic-free green colony with model management and amenities. The yard has won numerous awards for its contribution to safety and environment management. In addition, the dockyard houses many heritage buildings among which Bombay Castle is prominent. The dockyard has won Urban Heritage Award from the Mumbai Heritage Society in 2001 for excellent maintenance of Heritage buildings.
Thus to conclude, the Bombay Dockyard gives one more reason for India to be a proud spot on the map of the water-world!

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