This fellow couldn't be completely inept as he did make it to South America. That's an accomplishment in itself. A shout out to the actual winner, a true gentleman.
Every person with experience in whatever area once was at the point of having no experience. We have to start _somewhere_ and every jorney is a tale of mistakes we learn from. I'm no sailor, but I assume that one learns bluewater sailing by actually DOING bluewater sailing. So why not learn it on the way? Sure, starting the experience directly by sailing single-handed may not have been the safest way, but what do we learn when others make all major decisions for us? Sometimes stupid decisions are necessary to make better ones the next time - and a bit of luck to get through with it. We don't learn how to drive on a highway from the passenger seat, either.
@@___Chris___ Calm seas don't make a skilled sailor. With that... Breaking records of which no man had ever achieved on a watercraft that is known for being unstable using untested (not just unproven, but untested) equipment that wasn't installed correctly... He committed suicide by simply beginning the race.
Oh congrats, he went west and hit a continent….and then asked a local where he was. I’m not sure I’d file that one as an accomplishment. All he had to do was go a broad general direction.
He was a former Stevedore, who wasn't wealthy in any sense. He donated the money and went on to live a long successful life, because he knew what actually matters.
When you read up his history on Wikipedia, "Due to a lack of money he had to interrupt his voyage for work in South Africa as Master of a coaster and stevedoring and was only able to complete it in 1967." is the sentence before succeeding in his record attempt.
Amateur sailor made it from the UK to Argentina alone with a defective untested boat… am I the only one that thinks that was a huge accomplishment in itself? Shit, I couldnt even cross a lake
How ironic---he entered the race for the prize money, and his family got the prize money at the end, even if not won by him. So in a way, the race accomplished what he wanted it to accomplish.
@@__sm1441 Won the game? He died having cheated, lost, feeling humiliated, and thinking his family would lose their house. His family were hounded by reporters, a family was shattered, anguished for months not knowing if he was alive or dead, and Clare was devastated for decades. Oh but they got 5,000 pounds. He also didn’t enter for the prize money. The prize money was nothing to the debt he fell into building his boat.
@@AveragePicker the Sunday times also equalled the donation. Adjusted for inflation thats nearly 200k pounds in today's money. Ultimately he took care of his family, far more important than the integrity of a boat race run by a news paper
@@__sm1441 Ok so decades of grief and the loss of a husband and father is worth 200k? WTF is wrong with you? He had a wife and four children, debt, the ship cost was leveraged against the business, and mortgage and you think 200k (which he wouldn’t have known about) is “he took care of his family?”
@@AveragePicker not saying its a positive outcome for the family... he said that the only way to win the game is by refusing to play, he took his own life and it resulted in the best possible outcome for his family given the circumstances even if he is responsible for those difficult circumstances. I just found it ironic that there was some truth in his words. If he had refused to play at the start it would've been the best outcome and by refusing to play at the end he was at least able to get his family out of their difficult situation
For me, that's the true revelation of this story: that Robin Knox-Johnson is a hero in every sense of the word. I aspire to be one tenth of the man he is. I'm so glad to see that he's still with us.
@@michaellippmann4474 Thanks. They did infact match his donation. Mr. Johnson did it for all the right reasons but the paper did it more for publicity and to get the exclusive story from the Legend. Cheers
@@bobafetting6373 nah man, literally means word for word. The word (actually) if you notice has the word act in it. As in action (the tears). But literally does mean actually. So its somewhat interchangeable. The "act" is key in this instance.
Shows what kind of a person he is, he looked at it as he wasnt technically losing anything but that family would be losing everything. Wish more people were like him.
Y'know folk (quite rightly!) go on about the Brits and their attitudes toward some things or people, but a gent like that shows how one man can browbeat a pretty unapologetic newspaper into parting with a decent bit of cash,twice, just with a donation and a few words A actress called Joanna Lumley did similar a few years ago in her campaign for Ghurka rights and benefits, stopping a government minister mid-sentence in a press conference, and making him change what he was saying! Just with a loud cough, a hard stare, then telling what he *should* be saying, and the poor guy just folded under her stern gaze and went along with her 🤣 it's a classic bit of telly, posh Brit Government minister finds himself completely outclassed by a even posher national treasure, he was lucky to get out of there with the shirt on his back 🤣
@@REALRyanCorrado Given that everything else in this story was about loss of one form or another (life, family, boats, sanity, the other people who pulled out of the running, etc.) it just made that one bit of goodness shine out all more.
This story is told in detail in “A voyage for Madmen,” which is told from the perspective of each of the journals of the men competing in the first Golden Globe. It’s a fascinating read, even if you’re not a sailor.
This video seems like it may have been largely based on “The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst,” another great read. Most of the race participants wrote a book about it. There’s a good one by Robin Knox-Johnston, the winner. My favorite is La Longue Route by Bernard Moitessier. (Beautifully written, poetic and philosophical. I don’t know if the English translation captures all that, but there is one.)
Fascinating book to read, would recommend to anyone. Had it given to me by a friend who scooped it from the discount bin. Not the first gem to be discovered that way, but a great one nonetheless
One of my favourite books, extraordinary.. When I pick up this book and my mind rises to the challenges these men faced.. If I was anyone of them it would probably be the Frenchman moitissier.
at that time the average cost of a UK house was £4,000. TheTimes equalled his donation, so the family ended-up with £10,000. Enough for two houses and three cars in those days.
Let's be honest, amateur hour was the only one in the race because he needed the money. The rest had to be very well off to just go sailing for a couple years. The prize money was probably for nothing more than bragging rights. If there was a second and third that paid 2500 and 1000 then maybe you get some single guys with not much to their name to try and snatch some cash but even then that's highly unlikely. What did Ted Turner say about sailing? Something like comparing it to standing in the shower with only the cold running while tearing up money.
@@davehoward22Wow that's insane. In Canada, a house of 4 bedroom used to cost 10k$ Canadian. The first house I bought (2008) cost me 100k. But I had to sell it, with everything that I owned in 2017 because I had a workplace accident, and got a liver cirrhosis, surely because of the stress, or at least, not alcool related. I'm 48 now and I'm returning to school to be able to start again. It's incredible what damage was done to the economy in such a short amount of time.
Sir Knox-Johnston is amazing for giving up the winnings to crowhursts family. I have faith that every human would do that given the opportunity. One of the rare uplifting facts in the last moments series. Great video!
After the discovery of Crowhurst's empty trimaran the Teignmouth Electron was sold at auction and after passing through several owners and businesses the boat was beached on Cayman Brac in the Caribbean. I was diving/vacationing in Cayman Brac in the late 1990's when a local guide pointed this boat out, decaying away on the beach that was somehow "famous, so I snapped a quick photo and thought nothing more about it until I found out about this race and the circumstances. Being an avid sailor I found this story amazing!
Crowhurst loitered around for months in some of the roughest seas in the World in a crap boat. Not to mention he worked out astronomical sights backwards to show what he would have seen had he been where he said he was in his false log, not an easy things to do. Ironically he turned out to be an brilliant sailor. Poor bugger.
Absolutely ! Had he lived he could’ve written a ‘tell all’ autobiography that every man and his dog would have wanted to read. The revenue from that alone would no doubt kept him and his family comfortable for years. It would not surprise me that he already knew that failure of any kind would end in possible suicide. It was a last gasp effort to save his family and company from bankruptcy. Unfortunately he underestimated the kindness and generosity of his fellow man. He would’ve been forgiven for trying to falsify his true locations - because it was the actions of a very desperate man - who must’ve felt completely trapped. How much he missed his family must of at times, felt overwhelming - not to mention the long list of huge problems he had to endure. It is a sad tale indeed. God bless him. Cheers 🍻
@@simonwyatt6453 - Wow ! That’s great to know - thank you 🙏 for the lovely compliment and extra information - I’m sure they had an interesting friendship too ? Cheers Simon. All the best 😎
@@johnslater8998 absolutely John. The pure pressure of needing it to succeed sent him over the edge. Takes a very brave guy to take on the seas and elements like that - unfortunately not everyone makes it back . Cheers 🥂
I get seasick like a mother fucker and can't get over it, so that's out of the question. My god though, I can't even imagine the sheer boredom out of being completely alone on the open seas for months at a time. Seriously, what the fuck do you do to keep yourself entertained?
I kinda want to hear the story of the guy that reached Nirvana, abandoned his daily life(family), sailed around the world twice, and ended up in Tahiti.
@@Houswal Dutch's version is "we're living on a boat! HAHA I SOLD THE BOAT We're living on this island! I SOLD THE ISLAND OOPS WERE GETTING KILLED" etc
Knox Johnson thoroughly deserving of his Knighthood unlike many who buy their way into the Queens honours list these days. A magnificent seaman and an even greater human being men like this are so rare God Bless him.
I would say the women who are elevated to titles of grand dames are definitely deserving . the men in the past who were knighted had definitely moved mankind ahead quite a bit . but the men who now become knights , I have to say ,I dont know about .
Absolutely. Such selfless graciousness in victory has been rarely if ever equalled. Crowhurst himself was a good and courageous man who tried his very best putting it all on the line, but, like Icarus, soared too high and came a cropper.
@@Page-Hendryx is it just me, or are you stereotyping all millennials based on one bad experience you had and are now letting that out in a completely unrelated comment on an unrelated video
@@jingalls9142 more than pride I'd say he probably felt trapped, had he returned empty-handed he would've lost basically everything, I haven't been there but that's probably something that makes a man do some wild stuff, the unfortunate reality of financial hardship
Anyone reading this that feels like they've lost everything should take note, it's never as bad as it can seem. Even if you have nobody, there are people out there that will still care and help, reach out and rebuild.
@@robin9793 Once I lost over 100k in savings in the space of 6 months and it can make you feel utterly useless, stupid, hopeless and depressed. I can't imagine what losing everything including your home must feel like especially if you have a family to provide for. I can totally understand the complete hopelessness he probably felt.
Honestly the man is an absolute legend even if he tried to cheat the race, he was an amateur who managed to navigate the cross the most dangerous ocean in the world in what amounted to three rowboats strapped together.
Its hard to blame him for his attempt at cheating. He thought of his family first, but his character was too good to go through with the deception. When faced with your family becoming homeless, who wouldn't do what it took to change their fate? What beautiful irony that his failure is what ultimately saved his family from ruin.
He wasn’t a legend. Trimarans weren’t unknown and the Atlantic was crossed by hundreds if not thousands of sailors every year. He had massive ego problems coupled with massive insecurities. He spent a huge portion of his life running away from problems, to the ultimate conclusion. Not a bad man, just a sad man.
@@albertbatfinder5240 had no idea thousands of people crossed it every year in three leaky canoes strapped together... If you can't tell I'm being sarcastic
@@jblockman_59nunyabidnis68 my bad. I didn’t pick the sarcasm in your original comment because I was reading too many other posts that seemed to worship this guy. Makes me wonder how many of the “likes” are for the sarcasm! Cheers.
As far as his business was concern, he was years ahead of his time. He came from a time of the sextant and chronometer. A modern yacht is loaded with electronic devices to aid navigation that can be used by any amateur sailer. A troubled man who gave it his best. RIP
Not really, his 'navicator' was simply a radio direction device and was not a new concept. It was hand held, that is all. His navigation was by sextant and chronometer.
No he was not. He built a pistol shaped RD device. Everyone used RD in those days, but a normal device was shaped like a radio set. He did not iinvent anything, just modified an existing bit of kit that was in common usage. It was not particularly good, which is why his company was in trouble.
It's incredibly sad that he felt suicide was his only way out. That others would not understand his reasons and eventually forgive him for it. But Knox-Johnston proved to be a true gentleman and an example for us all to live by.
I've become absolutely fascinated with the Crowhurst story and it's a very simple one. He began to fake his progress, couldn't stop faking it and slowly went mad. His last recordings are chilling.
says to me it was for sure a guilt riden suicide meaning he felt he had to face punishment for his sins hopelessness suicide is usually an act of passion where the person just in the spur of the moment offs themself. its sad to think he felt he deserved death for cheating at a race
The victor of this race is truly in the list of wholesomest people ever. Having sailed myself, not around the world. Just the basics. It really shows how pure and humble the sea can make you.
Crowhurst had cheated but even he felt guilty about it, even after being pushed by his desperation. Some don't even feel the guilt. Makes me question whether i might do the same, if i was in his place.
The ocean, especially when alone, puts everything into perspective, we are very small, and the ocean vast, unpredictable and far greater than a man....and earth is just a boat in the ocean that is the universe..nothing is certain, nothing is permanent.
I have had those thoughts before about 8 years ago The whole "I don't want to play this game anymore, I will restart" I'm so glad I had support, there is so many wonderful things in this world no matter how difficult life gets, As for the guy who donated the money, good man
Same here but mine was addiction to alcohol, I really thought I could never quit. After years of drinking and praying to stop I quit suddenly out of nowhere. All I know is that I'm forever grateful.
me too, I even had a date set for it, it hasn't come upon yet but I don't really feel like it anymore. When life becomes shit, every improvement feels like a relief, if you're at this point in life, have faith, but be proactive, be the change my friend.
His misadventure is the living definition of 'bitten off more than he could chew', however, his making it all the way to Argentina in an untested boat suffering from massive defects. That's an accomplishment in and of itself, and he should be recognized for it.
Being confronted by the vastness and emptiness of the ocean is the reason why the concept of uncaring, unfeeling cosmic horror exists. After all, as HP Lovecraft once said, "We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."
The ocean is terrifying even in a purely scientific sense. Water itself is deadly, either from the violence and power of waves or grinding, inevitable wear of erosion, it can't ever really be stopped. And that goes without mentioning the things that _live_ in it. Sharks? Nine metre-long dolphins that kill sharks and are partially connected to the extinction of the biggest shark? Giant squid? Gigantic whales who _eat_ giant squid, and whose _heads_ are sonic cannons that could liquify you? It's all down there. And that's without covering the abyssal zones, also known as _Underwater Vore Hell._ And it's just... really fuccin' big. We don't fully know what's down there. We can guess. There won't be any hidden macroraptorial creatures hiding in the depths because those leave a _mark_ on the environment. There's not enough dead whales or lost teeth washing up, but things don't have to be hyper-predators to be dangerous. Sperm whales and their body-pulping sonar can't swallow anything big and solid, but they're still dangerous. In fact, predators are typically less aggressive, because any injury sustained in a fight could stop them hunting and cause starvation, whereas plants don't tend to run, so herbivores can just attack whatever the hell they like and be fine. The ocean's fucking scary.
The ocean is our local space. We think we know a lot about both, but we barely know anything, and who knows what things we can find within when, or even if, we uncover all of it?
I was an 11 year old boy when I followed him out of Teignmouth on a yellow boat shown in the video . There was animosity towards him in the town as many locals had spent time / money helping him on his way. At the time many thought he had started a new life elsewhere. I don’t think that’s the case. I think the poor man took his own life rather than live a lie.
the yellow boat is a pleasure boat called the Britannia. she was sold a few years back. after the film the town went mad about him before that no one really cared about the story. quite a few years ago some guy made a new Teignmouth electron boat big fiberglass thing on the sea front of Teignmouth. had loads of sponsors. you could pay a pound and write you name on it .but something happened can't remember what but there was controversy about that. oh Teignmouth born and breed
@@MrWozzy28 My mother tells me that I’m the small boy standing at the stern in front of my father wearing a sort of orange waterproof sailing top. We moved to Teignmouth in 1965, I’ve lived in Cornwall most of my life now. The Pilot of Britannia on this occasion was a man called Bill Harvey. He died recently well into his 90’s
@@cherylyates9845 not sure if you’re talking about Crowhurst and his family or the man who stayed in Tahiti but they are two separate people. As far as I know the man who stayed in Tahiti only had a wife.
The contrast of the two men who both had mystical experiences during the trip is very interesting. Both experienced spiritual death at sea but one was reborn in intensity of it and the other died.
wow he died younger than me, I'm 40 now, I once crossed the the US on a bicycle that I had and maintained throughout the whole trip, I carried as many spared bike parts and tools just in case plus plenty of supplies for at least 3 days just in case I got stranded in the middle of nowhere like I did many times due to flat tires, problems with the wheels and bicycle in general, plus needed time to rest, I took off from Sarasota Florida heading towards Keywest passing through Miami, on my return from the keys I got back to the west coast leaving Sarasota again but this time heading towards the California coast, I fallowed interstate I10 for the most part, finally made it to San Diego after 7+months and some weeks later to Santa Monica LA, I know what that man went through, failure is not and option while doing this things but his whole story is sad because unlike me he had no contact with any other human beings for months along by himself at sea, on the otherhand me been on the ground I had plenty to do and people to meet along my trip that as well became a journey of a lifetime, this man was brave but it's deeply sad that he didn't make it back to his family, aldo I wasn't living a wife or kids of my own behind, my mom was worry and the rest of my relatives who new what I was doing, I deed kept communication with as many of them as I could plus people I met along the way, cellphones are truly a miracle.
@@cathecavanaugh615 @Cathe Cavanaugh I welcome the idea very much but I just haven't had enough free time to do so since I stopped riding, getting back to normal life in a busy hectic city in south California is drowning and overwhelming, my destination should had been Florida which offers a more relaxing warming lifestyle but I left Florida because I wanted to see what else was out there, got lost many times, when my phone wasn't hooked up to WIFI to keep my phone's GPS working which works with Google maps, later I got to know of a map app that was able to run offline, that really changed everything for me 😊😊😊, no more getting lost because of lack of WiFi.
What an amazing story. The ending was sad because in his own way he achieved quite a lot he just could not see it. The actual winner was in my view a true gentleman, today donate his winnings to the family and to get joy from gouging the newspaper for more was great.
Knox Johnston was a great man for doing what he did. People back then had a better understanding of priorities and that which is really important in this life . Between having a bit of spending money or giving it to help a windowed mother of 4 kids, Knox decided to help the widowed mother . The story had a bitter sweet ending!
@@pinkpugginz , the dollar was stronger back then . Had more purchasing power than it does today . Minimum wage was less that a dollar in the 70s . Average wage before Minimum wage was imposed on employers , was even less than that . Charity is charity, regardless of when
You say people had a better understanding of priorities, but one of them here prioritized his ego over all else. Not willing to accept defeat, not willing to turn around when all was lost, he decided to cheat and lie to the world.
Read his books "The Longest Voyage" e.g.. My comment on that: now he is seen as a great guy but I think forsaking family under the excuse of ocean racing is far more cowardly than how Crowhurst was acting. Crowhurst died because he did not want to let everybody down. Moitessier simply run away and hid on the tropics. Crowhurst was trying to be a criminal but he couldn't, his morale did not let him to. Moitessier did not have such a scupulus, he picked a nice place and fuck everyone. Did not have the guts to tell her he wanted a divorce, settle things and then go wherever he wanted. What an idol huh.
The French Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin did pretty much the same, in the 1800's, left his family in France, and frolicked in Tahiti with any number of teenage Tahitian girls. All of his artist buddies back in Paris were like: "We are confused, Paul, why do you choose to live in Tahiti when life in France has so much to offer?" Lol. Gauguin was my hero in art school.
Despite the sheer odds this man faced I can't help but respect him for persevering so hard, a pure act of desperation rather than ego. The man who donated was such a pure soul too.
@@youcanbesmartaskhow3857 He did make bad decisions that would have financially ruined the family, he knew it, which is why he sadly took his life. They, the family did not win due to him, they benefited or won out in this case because someone else showed compassion for their case, predicament.
Crowhurst’s story never fails to break my heart, the sheer desperation of a man with everything on the line, that bit far more than he could chew. it really is tragic, thank you for covering it and thank you for not calling him a fraud and making fun of him
It's actually incredible that an amateur was able to sail that far in that part of the ocean and not have perished months before. The guy was obviously very adaptable, 99% of people wouldn't last 4 weeks.
Such a sad story. I feel really sorry for his family--learning the truth after so much time must have been a terrible shock. The man who won was definitely a good guy. One thing people tend to forget, is that humans are social animals, and extended time alone can make most people lose their minds. I sure couldn't deal with it--when my wife was in the hospital for weeks, it was the first time I ever spent living alone. It sucked. I couldn't imagine going for months without being around other people.
For an amateur to just race down and up the Atlantic like that on such a problematic boat may have been an even greater achievement than actually crossing the seas around the world for an experienced sailor. Great documentation! Your Irish accent sounds good with a tale of a sailor.
@@icemaqe99 ah yeah, very honorable to a attempt to cheat by cutting the trip short, going radio silent for months, taking a stop he was not supposed to take, and fabricating a false report of this whole experience that he intended to present to the world. He was doing what he had to do to keep his family from homelessness, but what he attempted was hardly honorable. It does indeed look like it was just a word to him.
Honestly Barnard Moitessier’s story interests me far more 😂 The guy entered a race, had a yogi spiritual awakening, near completion decided to keep going, wrapped around the world again, then thought “thats good enough” stopped in Tahini left his wife, found a new woman had kids, and became a farmer. (9:54) 😂😂😂 And after that wild life of adventure, he died to Prostate cancer… Cancers a bitch
Fascinating story of an amazing journey! I vividly remember witnessing the MASSIVE waves created at Cape Horn , where the Atlantic meets the Pacific. Thank God I was on a Nimitz class aircraft carrier, as I cannot imagine traversing those seas in ANY boat smaller than a CVN!-John in Texas
I read a book about him years ago. Fascinating story. The author mentioned how much Crowhurst had aged over the course of the voyage, evident in the photos.
Brilliant story, he had an ego death, his account of realizing life is all just a game is a very common theme. Mostly because it's an unavoidable truth.
@@timjones9206 "here we see the true nature of a disliker... See how it boots the dislike button with its tiny little foot and lets out battlescream. *squek noises* Dislikes are afraid of mundane stuff like hairstyle or room color, they truly are special of the bunch *squek* *squek*
Intriguing story. I was very impressed with Crowhurst's speaking voice and prose. You could hear the finality of his actions and life in his voice. Fascinating.
How do you know that actually didn’t happen? No body was ever found. Of course there is a shit ton of ocean and this fella could be anywhere in it. We just don’t know, just like Morris and the Anglin brothers.....
He couldn't live like that.. the deception. Some people can live a lie, but they pay, somehow. Can't hide from yourself. And he took the *gentlemans* way out of the situation. He really could not face his limitations.
@Yuck Foutube agreed, in a way it is still cowardice, one should take the consequences of decisions, go back, look in their eyes and take the fact that you failed. Stay with them when they get in such trouble. I fully feel with him but they would still have one more person to try and help them.
I have to say, the most impressive thing about your superb videos, is the humanity you afford to your subjects. It would be easy to mock Donald, and many did, so bravo Sir, in explaining his dilemmas and respecting his, it should be said, his courage, reckless though it undoubtedly was. 👍
A great compilation and summary of Crowhurst’s fateful adventure. Crowhurst’s strong feelings guilt of being responsible for Ridgeway’s untimely finish showed that deep down, he was decent man, if not obsessed and misguided by ambition. Thanks for posting
As morbid as this might sound, I think his suicide is actually a mark of him genuinely being a good man. Because it only seems to have come up after he realized that his actions had genuinely brought harm to another person, a person who was legitimately doing what he was cheating to do, and he could not live with that.
I was thinking that he was leaving behind his wife and four children with no more income from him, as well as the total loss of his business and their home. I was relieved that the heroic winner gave the money to the widow.
So sad, the whole weight of our lives can come crashing down on us all at once. For him, it happened when he was all alone, hundreds of miles from any other soul. I hope he can rest in peace.
If y’all like this, read “A Voyage for Madmen.” It is novelistic account of the Sunday Times race. It is extremely well written and is a fascinating tale of the race, it’s participants, and their struggles. I highly recommend it.
Definitely. A good read. Also "The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst" is another great book that focuses mainly on Crowhurst's effort, and "Deep Water" the doc mentioned above, is a favorite of mine as well.
@@scarlettfever9483 Agreed. Definitely a chilling and twisted story. I'm not sure Hollywood could've written that one, truth being stranger than fiction and all. Gonna have to watch it again here soon......
@@joesutherland2017 agreed truth is stranger than fiction. The story had so many twists. I’ve returned to this doc many times. It’s really intense to hear the captain logs. So poetic and intense. Really pushing the human experience to the edge.
@@scarlettfever9483 You're so right. Very well produced, and a pretty accurate re-creation of Teignmouth Electron's cabin interior, too. Was trying to re-binge Homeland, but damnit, now I'll have to watch "Deep Water" again tonight lol. Cheers!
Poor guy, nothing ever seemed to go right for him, despite his enthusiasm. As you said, at least we can hope he found peace... And the guy who won? Respect to him.
Madness at sea is rarely a situation with a happy ending. Remarkable, all that Crowhurst endured, before his demons overwhelmed him. Knox-Johnston was a true gentleman; never knew he donated the prize money to Crowhurst’s family.
Sir Knox-Johnston is a class act. Good show! As far as losing one's mind on such long journeys, I honestly have my doubts. I recently watched an interview with a man who served in MACV SOG during the Vietnam War. Such men routinely faced the most extreme types of combat ever experienced by any soldiers in any war. He was asked if he or his fellow soldiers ever experienced PTSD or "went crazy." His reply was "only those who were already crazy when they got there." I suspect much the same is true of those who descend into insanity during extreme expeditions...they were already descending into insanity before the expedition ever started.
He was trying to make a success of his and for his family, he had failed in his attempts before and this was an act of desperation and incredible courage. What a tragedy..
An act of cowardice . He was a coward and knowingly deceived his fellow sailors his family the press and hes still deceiving the world today. He had months of time to hold up his hands . Sorry ..
@@chancesareshewears 1. he didnt sail around the planet. 2. He had opportunity to pull out before the race. 3. He decived the the world. 4. He cheated by landing in Brazil whilst others were in southern ocean. 5. He even pressed one competitor with his lies to the point of destruction. 6..He is still decieving people to this very day. And no. .I have a yacht and have sailed since 5. I wouldn't be such a fool to race around the planet in a leaky boat solo. I Have nothing against you personally but this fool destroyed a family friend and its about time people stopped believing the myth of 50 years. The mercy.??? Crowhurst was anything but as intellect. Just like he we anything but an ocean sailor.
Yea, technically he was a cheater... But more than anything I consider himself desperate. The man was about to lose everything and genuinely believed this was his solution. He was naive and misguided. Combined with poor judgment and a lack of experience, he didn't stand a chance.
What a great man to have donated the prize money to that family and seeing to the "Sunday Times" matching his gift and on top of that he seemed so casual about it. Bravo!
Crowhurst’s story is heartbreaking. For the sake of him and his family, I am so sorry that there were no other employment opportunities which might have satisfied his financial, intellectual, and emotional needs. Debt is a bitch, it drives people into desperation. “You couldn’t really see them thrown out of the house.” Bless you, kind sir.
I see mostly stubbornness. Most people don't have jobs that satisfy their emotional needs. But you get on with life, you care for your family, and in the meantime you look for better opportunities. That's life. His behaviour and mindset seem quite childish, arrogant and extremely self serving, everything somehow being about his "honour". And there you go, it left a wife widowed, four kids orphaned and a real winner felt the need to give up a 5000 pound prize pot to care for Crowhurst's family, doing what Crowhurst could easily have done himself by just GETTING A JOB like any responsible person with a family to take care of would.
Please resist temptation to give up hope on humanity. To do so is simply short sited and I believe serves as a gate to give up on ourselves. Good really has to start within all of us.
How sweet & sad. The feelings he had, the time and privacy to go crazy in his thoughts. Feel for his wife & children. Amazing the winner gave them the prize. Poor dude
Bernard Moitessier was the true winner of that race and the true winner at life. He would have won the actual race easily, but he decided to keep going and crossed the world another one and a half times before stopping. He didn't have a radio and would slingshot messages to passing ships and sit zen on the foredeck in gales. Legend.
If there is a better story teller on UA-cam I have not seen him yet. I rang th bell and looking to view more of your work. You are a badly needed gift to UA-cam viewers...
I sailed through the Bay of Biscay on a 95 foot yaght, that had run aground in Estabal a week earlier. I sat down for 18 hours using two door bells, attached to a stand-alone engine that was connected to the electric of the rudders. I had to keep the boat on a set course using a compass, hitting the left and right door bell buttons we hooked up. This was late November and I was only 19, and the sews were rough. Amazing and scary at the same time, but it was not as scary as a week before, off the coast of Portugal, about 1 mile, in the middle of the night - we had no electrics, just a purchased generater (as said above), we got hit by a 400 ton tanker. We could only power the radar and the rudders, I remember sitting there looking out the side window and seeing this fucking huge black shadow of the tanker, my heart stopped. Just before it hit us - the millionaire businessman, who employed my father as a captin to sale the boat back from Gibraltar, said "The engine has stalled!! ", if the engine had not stalled the Tanker would have hit us in the middle and tore the boat in half.. Someone was looking after us that day. The boat smashed a lot of wood as we kept hitting down the port side, as it was moving we keep hitting it until it went past. I still have the picture in my head now, the big black shadow out the window next to me, and then the sight of the tankers writing on the back - illuminated by a light as it went away. My father loved his drugs and was never a father. We did huge amounts of drugs together and he never ever showed any fatherly love really, more like a friend. But going down to Gibraltar and salling that yaght up to France, we blew the engines at Breast in France so had to leave it there, was the best time I ever had with him. He was funny and intelligent and was a great seamen. Sadly the drugs took him 8 years ago. I had not spoken to him for 10 years, we just started speaking again and I was showing how to work a laptop, we finally had something in common. One day he was walking up to the shop, went into the toilet in Tesco and never came out. He had taken speed a few days before and had a massive heart attack. He was 62. He was a great captin in his day, but that trip we took was one disaster after another. But, BUT, being at sea during the night is fking scary, it's so black, so dark, but it's also mystifying - you have the moon, the stars, the sound of the water and knowing of you fall off, or get hit by another tanker, lol, you're fucked. RIP Dave, you may have been the worst father - everybody else loved you, but that trip was amazing.
Have you read ''Criminal'' by Caspar Walsh? In Bristol docks, on a tiny Sailing Dinghy, I was hit by a woman in a motor boat... I can see her bearing down on us....and luckily no one was hurt. Goodness knows what being hit by a Tanker in mid ocean was like. Do write that book! Best wishes!
Second Channel: ua-cam.com/channels/t93hxFmjppL5nLRAX94UrA.html
Merch: teespring.com/stores/qxir
Patreon: www.patreon.com/qxir
Twitter: twitter.com/QxirYT
Discord: discord.gg/jZzvvwJ
Twitch: www.twitch.tv/qxiryt/
Subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/Qxir/
DEEZ NUTS
IN YOUR MOUTH
gottem
The next video is going to be: Why Hot Cheatoes are so good
Cliff young ultramarathon winner at 61 and farmer in australia would make a good tale from the bottle from a fellow irishman 🇮🇪🇮🇪
This fellow couldn't be completely inept as he did make it to South America. That's an accomplishment in itself. A shout out to the actual winner, a true gentleman.
Yeah really he was an amateur. I wouldn't have made it out of the harbor before I was sunk.
Every person with experience in whatever area once was at the point of having no experience. We have to start _somewhere_ and every jorney is a tale of mistakes we learn from. I'm no sailor, but I assume that one learns bluewater sailing by actually DOING bluewater sailing. So why not learn it on the way? Sure, starting the experience directly by sailing single-handed may not have been the safest way, but what do we learn when others make all major decisions for us? Sometimes stupid decisions are necessary to make better ones the next time - and a bit of luck to get through with it. We don't learn how to drive on a highway from the passenger seat, either.
@@___Chris___ Calm seas don't make a skilled sailor.
With that... Breaking records of which no man had ever achieved on a watercraft that is known for being unstable using untested (not just unproven, but untested) equipment that wasn't installed correctly... He committed suicide by simply beginning the race.
Oh congrats, he went west and hit a continent….and then asked a local where he was. I’m not sure I’d file that one as an accomplishment. All he had to do was go a broad general direction.
@@AveragePicker wow you talk like a guy who could do the same even without a boat, just swimming
Knox-Johnston is the real hero for donating the price to Crowhurst's family. What a lad!
Absolutely one of the boys
Imagine if he wouldve just given the truth without killing himself. Maybe knox wouldve donated to him anyways.
Yea man, you should check out his books.
@@jerrylindstrom3323 I think Knox did it because they didn't have anyone to support them financially after he killed himself.
@@Matt_10203 well yea but probably also bc of the tragedy of losing a family member in the same competition he was in
The man who won and donated to the Family is a damn hero.
He was a former Stevedore, who wasn't wealthy in any sense. He donated the money and went on to live a long successful life, because he knew what actually matters.
@@Paul-ie1xp success is an attitude bro straight up. This guy has it
How humble he is in the video segment at the end. You Sir are a true Gentleman.
When you read up his history on Wikipedia, "Due to a lack of money he had to interrupt his voyage for work in South Africa as Master of a coaster and stevedoring and was only able to complete it in 1967." is the sentence before succeeding in his record attempt.
all part of the game i suppose
Amateur sailor made it from the UK to Argentina alone with a defective untested boat… am I the only one that thinks that was a huge accomplishment in itself? Shit, I couldnt even cross a lake
@Adolf Hitler He said it him self that the boat was just leaking because it wasn't made properly
@Carson Wentz Please excuse him, sir. The gunshot wound on his head makes his thinking process a little... impaired.
12 years ahead of his government
@@ivnislykun lol yeah, with a name like that he's automatically a troll
Damn you guys didn't have to ROAST hitler like that
How ironic---he entered the race for the prize money, and his family got the prize money at the end, even if not won by him. So in a way, the race accomplished what he wanted it to accomplish.
He may not have won the race but its fair to say he won the game
@@__sm1441 Won the game? He died having cheated, lost, feeling humiliated, and thinking his family would lose their house. His family were hounded by reporters, a family was shattered, anguished for months not knowing if he was alive or dead, and Clare was devastated for decades. Oh but they got 5,000 pounds.
He also didn’t enter for the prize money. The prize money was nothing to the debt he fell into building his boat.
@@AveragePicker the Sunday times also equalled the donation. Adjusted for inflation thats nearly 200k pounds in today's money. Ultimately he took care of his family, far more important than the integrity of a boat race run by a news paper
@@__sm1441 Ok so decades of grief and the loss of a husband and father is worth 200k? WTF is wrong with you? He had a wife and four children, debt, the ship cost was leveraged against the business, and mortgage and you think 200k (which he wouldn’t have known about) is “he took care of his family?”
@@AveragePicker not saying its a positive outcome for the family... he said that the only way to win the game is by refusing to play, he took his own life and it resulted in the best possible outcome for his family given the circumstances even if he is responsible for those difficult circumstances. I just found it ironic that there was some truth in his words. If he had refused to play at the start it would've been the best outcome and by refusing to play at the end he was at least able to get his family out of their difficult situation
The best man won. What a truly good deed - giving his prize money to the ‘lost captains’ family so they wouldn’t lose their home.
Did the Sunday Times equal it as he said?
For me, that's the true revelation of this story: that Robin Knox-Johnson is a hero in every sense of the word. I aspire to be one tenth of the man he is. I'm so glad to see that he's still with us.
Robin Knox Johnson is a class act and a great sailor. Amazing story....
Mike👍🇨🇦
@@scottybaker13 I am not a 100% sure but I think they did....
@@michaellippmann4474 Thanks. They did infact match his donation. Mr. Johnson did it for all the right reasons but the paper did it more for publicity and to get the exclusive story from the Legend. Cheers
I actually teared up when it was said Knox-Johnston had donated the prize money to that poor family. Such honour! What a great man.
Thank God you said actually instead of literally.😃😂🤣😆
@@MrCashgold by the sound of it ‘literally’ would be accurate.
@@bobafetting6373 nah man, literally means word for word. The word (actually) if you notice has the word act in it. As in action (the tears). But literally does mean actually. So its somewhat interchangeable. The "act" is key in this instance.
Shows what kind of a person he is, he looked at it as he wasnt technically losing anything but that family would be losing everything. Wish more people were like him.
@@davidca96 Yeah, they don't make em like they use to. Humanity is a shell of its former self. Time for another deluge...
Mental Note: taking a multiple month voyage into the ocean completely alone when you are already suffering from depression is a bad idea.
You don't think
Or when you're just not capable of handling long periods alone.
For some people, hell is other people. For others, hell is their own company.
@@Skorpychan for others, it's all of the above
I love solitude
that one guy who turned into a crazy guro seemed like he got over it
"And it forced the Sunday Times to equal my donation" The chuckle he gave when he said that. A true gent.
Came here looking to see how many caught this
What does that mean?
@@giraffe1219 family got double pay and he seems awful chipper he guilted a corporation into paying out more money
@@nickabel8279 ahh, i didn't even get what he said there, all i hear is "anyway, 4th jkdbhjeab kjfghbg"
Y'know folk (quite rightly!) go on about the Brits and their attitudes toward some things or people, but a gent like that shows how one man can browbeat a pretty unapologetic newspaper into parting with a decent bit of cash,twice, just with a donation and a few words
A actress called Joanna Lumley did similar a few years ago in her campaign for Ghurka rights and benefits, stopping a government minister mid-sentence in a press conference, and making him change what he was saying! Just with a loud cough, a hard stare, then telling what he *should* be saying, and the poor guy just folded under her stern gaze and went along with her 🤣 it's a classic bit of telly, posh Brit Government minister finds himself completely outclassed by a even posher national treasure, he was lucky to get out of there with the shirt on his back 🤣
One: IRL cosmic horror is way worse then anything written and two: that actaul winner was a fucking great dude.
Just posted, that the bloke was a proper gentleman to donate his winnings to the family
@@REALRyanCorrado Given that everything else in this story was about loss of one form or another (life, family, boats, sanity, the other people who pulled out of the running, etc.) it just made that one bit of goodness shine out all more.
An era when there was no second or third place, no participation trophy. The ultimate 'reality show.'
whoever won that money and donated was truly a real one
Right? Right before his end that was some lovecraftian writing.
It was absolutely chilling to listen to.
This story is told in detail in “A voyage for Madmen,” which is told from the perspective of each of the journals of the men competing in the first Golden Globe. It’s a fascinating read, even if you’re not a sailor.
There are so many books worth reading. This is surely one of them.
This video seems like it may have been largely based on “The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst,” another great read.
Most of the race participants wrote a book about it. There’s a good one by Robin Knox-Johnston, the winner. My favorite is La Longue Route by Bernard Moitessier. (Beautifully written, poetic and philosophical. I don’t know if the English translation captures all that, but there is one.)
It’s a book that I couldn’t put down and I’m not an avid reader. I own it know and have read it several times.
Fascinating book to read, would recommend to anyone. Had it given to me by a friend who scooped it from the discount bin. Not the first gem to be discovered that way, but a great one nonetheless
One of my favourite books, extraordinary.. When I pick up this book and my mind rises to the challenges these men faced.. If I was anyone of them it would probably be the Frenchman moitissier.
Mr. Johnston is a downright good guy. That's $100k usd in today's value that he gave to Crowhurst's family. The world needs more folk like him.
at that time the average cost of a UK house was £4,000. TheTimes equalled his donation, so the family ended-up with £10,000. Enough for two houses and three cars in those days.
1st house I lived in late 1960s cost my dad 500 pounds
Let's be honest, amateur hour was the only one in the race because he needed the money. The rest had to be very well off to just go sailing for a couple years. The prize money was probably for nothing more than bragging rights. If there was a second and third that paid 2500 and 1000 then maybe you get some single guys with not much to their name to try and snatch some cash but even then that's highly unlikely. What did Ted Turner say about sailing? Something like comparing it to standing in the shower with only the cold running while tearing up money.
@@davehoward22Wow that's insane. In Canada, a house of 4 bedroom used to cost 10k$ Canadian. The first house I bought (2008) cost me 100k. But I had to sell it, with everything that I owned in 2017 because I had a workplace accident, and got a liver cirrhosis, surely because of the stress, or at least, not alcool related. I'm 48 now and I'm returning to school to be able to start again. It's incredible what damage was done to the economy in such a short amount of time.
That's incredible. The amount of damage that was done to the economy in a short amount of time. @@davehoward22
Just your reminder that Ocean Madness is not excuse for Ocean Rudeness.
"Hail Atlanta!"
Oh so that's where I left my cigar.
"Your student loans have been repaid?"
YES
manners over everything else
Haunting story. Sir Johnston was a real gentleman though wasn't he?
He still is, he's lived a long happy life, viewed as a hero for his accomplishments... and he's always known what truly matters in life.
I’ve gotta learn more about this man, sounds like a good read
Hahaha way to make a comment that will attract 1000's of likes ::)
Spirit of a true sailor
Sir Robin, NOT Sir Knox--Johnston
Sir Knox-Johnston is amazing for giving up the winnings to crowhursts family. I have faith that every human would do that given the opportunity. One of the rare uplifting facts in the last moments series. Great video!
It really choked me up!
its sad to know you are wrong and that far from every human would do such a thing
@@higamerXD nihilistic pessimism cringe moment
@@higamerXD I wouldn’t
@@mort4810 same
After the discovery of Crowhurst's empty trimaran the Teignmouth Electron was sold at auction and after passing through several owners and businesses the boat was beached on Cayman Brac in the Caribbean. I was diving/vacationing in Cayman Brac in the late 1990's when a local guide pointed this boat out, decaying away on the beach that was somehow "famous, so I snapped a quick photo and thought nothing more about it until I found out about this race and the circumstances. Being an avid sailor I found this story amazing!
I would have just stayed in Argentina and called it a day.
100%
Hell, maybe you can stay with hitler on his private beach too
Right it was the like the 50s so he could of met hitler
He was too zeroed in on his goal. Should have pulled out honestly, he'd still have completed a navigation to a different continent with no experience
A British in Argentina...
Crowhurst loitered around for months in some of the roughest seas in the World in a crap boat. Not to mention he worked out astronomical sights backwards to show what he would have seen had he been where he said he was in his false log, not an easy things to do. Ironically he turned out to be an brilliant sailor. Poor bugger.
Absolutely ! Had he lived he could’ve written a ‘tell all’ autobiography that every man and his dog would have wanted to read. The revenue from that alone would no doubt kept him and his family comfortable for years. It would not surprise me that he already knew that failure of any kind would end in possible suicide. It was a last gasp effort to save his family and company from bankruptcy. Unfortunately he underestimated the kindness and generosity of his fellow man. He would’ve been forgiven for trying to falsify his true locations - because it was the actions of a very desperate man - who must’ve felt completely trapped. How much he missed his family must of at times, felt overwhelming - not to mention the long list of huge problems he had to endure. It is a sad tale indeed. God bless him. Cheers 🍻
@@RikiNewtonMusicianSongwriter nice write up, he was a good friend of my late father
@@simonwyatt6453 - Wow ! That’s great to know - thank you 🙏 for the lovely compliment and extra information - I’m sure they had an interesting friendship too ? Cheers Simon. All the best 😎
Yes, deeply sad. He had little kids at home. It’s clear from his logs, though, that he wasn’t thinking coherently in the final days or weeks.
@@johnslater8998 absolutely John. The pure pressure of needing it to succeed sent him over the edge. Takes a very brave guy to take on the seas and elements like that - unfortunately not everyone makes it back . Cheers 🥂
Believe me, if you have depression or anxiety DO NOT sail single-handed!
What about both?
I get seasick like a mother fucker and can't get over it, so that's out of the question. My god though, I can't even imagine the sheer boredom out of being completely alone on the open seas for months at a time. Seriously, what the fuck do you do to keep yourself entertained?
@@nightshadehelis9821 became your own best friend
@@nightshadehelis9821 Don't worry, after the third day all your friends show up to join you.
Well, there goes that idea of a hobby
I kinda want to hear the story of the guy that reached Nirvana, abandoned his daily life(family), sailed around the world twice, and ended up in Tahiti.
Dutch Van Der Linde kind of story
@@Houswalno he’d had to have had a PLAN for that to be the case.
@@Houswal Dutch's version is "we're living on a boat! HAHA I SOLD THE BOAT We're living on this island! I SOLD THE ISLAND OOPS WERE GETTING KILLED" etc
Yh that part was a tat bit confusinf thought it was all about Crowhurst... 😅
a philosophically minded French upperclass guy trying to find himself
Knox Johnson thoroughly deserving of his Knighthood unlike many who buy their way into the Queens honours list these days. A magnificent seaman and an even greater human being men like this are so rare God Bless him.
Yep most of the peole knighted now don't
Deserve it in the slightest
A real gentleman
I would say the women who are elevated to titles of grand dames are definitely deserving . the men in the past who were knighted had definitely moved mankind ahead quite a bit . but the men who now become knights , I have to say ,I dont know about .
Hear here, and amen sir.
Absolutely. Such selfless graciousness in victory has been rarely if ever equalled. Crowhurst himself was a good and courageous man who tried his very best putting it all on the line, but, like Icarus, soared too high and came a cropper.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find maritime story narration with an Irish accent somehow just perfect?
It's Just you
ur right
Is it just me, or is it annoying to have to look at millenials' unshaven sweaty faces?
@@Page-Hendryx is it just me, or are you stereotyping all millennials based on one bad experience you had and are now letting that out in a completely unrelated comment on an unrelated video
I agree with you! 🥰
Clare Crowhurst said that had her husband returned home he would have been welcomed by a family that loved him.
Jesus...i couldve went without knowing that one...heartbreaking indeed. Sometimes pride turns men into ants...oftentimes infact.
@@jingalls9142 more than pride I'd say he probably felt trapped, had he returned empty-handed he would've lost basically everything, I haven't been there but that's probably something that makes a man do some wild stuff, the unfortunate reality of financial hardship
Anyone reading this that feels like they've lost everything should take note, it's never as bad as it can seem. Even if you have nobody, there are people out there that will still care and help, reach out and rebuild.
😔🙏
@@robin9793 Once I lost over 100k in savings in the space of 6 months and it can make you feel utterly useless, stupid, hopeless and depressed. I can't imagine what losing everything including your home must feel like especially if you have a family to provide for. I can totally understand the complete hopelessness he probably felt.
Honestly the man is an absolute legend even if he tried to cheat the race, he was an amateur who managed to navigate the cross the most dangerous ocean in the world in what amounted to three rowboats strapped together.
Its hard to blame him for his attempt at cheating. He thought of his family first, but his character was too good to go through with the deception. When faced with your family becoming homeless, who wouldn't do what it took to change their fate? What beautiful irony that his failure is what ultimately saved his family from ruin.
He wasn’t a legend. Trimarans weren’t unknown and the Atlantic was crossed by hundreds if not thousands of sailors every year. He had massive ego problems coupled with massive insecurities. He spent a huge portion of his life running away from problems, to the ultimate conclusion. Not a bad man, just a sad man.
@@albertbatfinder5240 had no idea thousands of people crossed it every year in three leaky canoes strapped together...
If you can't tell I'm being sarcastic
@@jblockman_59nunyabidnis68 my bad. I didn’t pick the sarcasm in your original comment because I was reading too many other posts that seemed to worship this guy. Makes me wonder how many of the “likes” are for the sarcasm! Cheers.
@@jblockman_59nunyabidnis68 You totally missed that guy's point.
As far as his business was concern, he was years ahead of his time. He came from a time of the sextant and chronometer. A modern yacht is loaded with electronic devices to aid navigation that can be used by any amateur sailer.
A troubled man who gave it his best. RIP
Not really, his 'navicator' was simply a radio direction device and was not a new concept. It was hand held, that is all. His navigation was by sextant and chronometer.
my guess is what really happened was he ran out of potable water, just didn't log it for whatever reason..
@@geraldlrstubbs I invent amazing shit all the time. Then I learn it already exists.
@@deandee8082 His boat was unseaworthy, that was the problem, and he was not up to the job.
No he was not. He built a pistol shaped RD device. Everyone used RD in those days, but a normal device was shaped like a radio set. He did not iinvent anything, just modified an existing bit of kit that was in common usage. It was not particularly good, which is why his company was in trouble.
It's incredibly sad that he felt suicide was his only way out. That others would not understand his reasons and eventually forgive him for it. But Knox-Johnston proved to be a true gentleman and an example for us all to live by.
When a man stares into the abyss, it's his own character that stares back at him..
very well said
@Johhny Johnstone 👊
Lol the shit abyss
I saw some black dude. Go try it some time.
Is that true
I've become absolutely fascinated with the Crowhurst story and it's a very simple one. He began to fake his progress, couldn't stop faking it and slowly went mad. His last recordings are chilling.
That countdown to his death written by himself was truly unsettling. While i can't imagine the madness he endured i sympathise with his struggle.
🙏
If that was actually his voice, the guy could easily have a living as a narrator.
Made
says to me it was for sure a guilt riden suicide meaning he felt he had to face punishment for his sins hopelessness suicide is usually an act of passion where the person just in the spur of the moment offs themself. its sad to think he felt he deserved death for cheating at a race
@@hardwirecars That narrative went way deeper than cheating in a race. It went to the core of his soul. I don't know what you were listening to.
The victor of this race is truly in the list of wholesomest people ever. Having sailed myself, not around the world. Just the basics. It really shows how pure and humble the sea can make you.
And also how mad and maniac you can become. Or how introspective you become.
Crowhurst had cheated but even he felt guilty about it, even after being pushed by his desperation. Some don't even feel the guilt. Makes me question whether i might do the same, if i was in his place.
The ocean, especially when alone, puts everything into perspective, we are very small, and the ocean vast, unpredictable and far greater than a man....and earth is just a boat in the ocean that is the universe..nothing is certain, nothing is permanent.
@@virginiaviola5097 everything's efemeral
@@RANDOMSHITRANDOM *ephemeral*....but I get what you mean!
I have had those thoughts before about 8 years ago
The whole "I don't want to play this game anymore, I will restart"
I'm so glad I had support, there is so many wonderful things in this world no matter how difficult life gets,
As for the guy who donated the money, good man
Same here but mine was addiction to alcohol, I really thought I could never quit. After years of drinking and praying to stop I quit suddenly out of nowhere. All I know is that I'm forever grateful.
True the good things in life are as intense as the horrible parts of life so that fact balances out the effort to keep trying
Have yet to experience those "wonderful" things
@@bswihart1 that’s is a literal miracle
me too, I even had a date set for it, it hasn't come upon yet but I don't really feel like it anymore. When life becomes shit, every improvement feels like a relief, if you're at this point in life, have faith, but be proactive, be the change my friend.
His misadventure is the living definition of 'bitten off more than he could chew', however, his making it all the way to Argentina in an untested boat suffering from massive defects. That's an accomplishment in and of itself, and he should be recognized for it.
Being confronted by the vastness and emptiness of the ocean is the reason why the concept of uncaring, unfeeling cosmic horror exists. After all, as HP Lovecraft once said, "We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."
The ocean is terrifying even in a purely scientific sense.
Water itself is deadly, either from the violence and power of waves or grinding, inevitable wear of erosion, it can't ever really be stopped.
And that goes without mentioning the things that _live_ in it. Sharks? Nine metre-long dolphins that kill sharks and are partially connected to the extinction of the biggest shark? Giant squid? Gigantic whales who _eat_ giant squid, and whose _heads_ are sonic cannons that could liquify you? It's all down there. And that's without covering the abyssal zones, also known as _Underwater Vore Hell._
And it's just... really fuccin' big. We don't fully know what's down there. We can guess. There won't be any hidden macroraptorial creatures hiding in the depths because those leave a _mark_ on the environment. There's not enough dead whales or lost teeth washing up, but things don't have to be hyper-predators to be dangerous. Sperm whales and their body-pulping sonar can't swallow anything big and solid, but they're still dangerous. In fact, predators are typically less aggressive, because any injury sustained in a fight could stop them hunting and cause starvation, whereas plants don't tend to run, so herbivores can just attack whatever the hell they like and be fine.
The ocean's fucking scary.
The ocean is our local space. We think we know a lot about both, but we barely know anything, and who knows what things we can find within when, or even if, we uncover all of it?
That's how I feel living in my city today.
fun fact: HP lovecraft also said black people bad
@@abloodcorpse3318 Tbf, the dude was afraid of people from the next town over, of course he'd be terrified of people from the other side of the world.
I was an 11 year old boy when I followed him out of Teignmouth on a yellow boat shown in the video . There was animosity towards him in the town as many locals had spent time / money helping him on his way. At the time many thought he had started a new life elsewhere. I don’t think that’s the case. I think the poor man took his own life rather than live a lie.
That's really cool!
👍
Damn...
the yellow boat is a pleasure boat called the Britannia. she was sold a few years back. after the film the town went mad about him before that no one really cared about the story. quite a few years ago some guy made a new Teignmouth electron boat big fiberglass thing on the sea front of Teignmouth. had loads of sponsors. you could pay a pound and write you name on it .but something happened can't remember what but there was controversy about that. oh Teignmouth born and breed
@@MrWozzy28 My mother tells me that I’m the small boy standing at the stern in front of my father wearing a sort of orange waterproof sailing top. We moved to Teignmouth in 1965, I’ve lived in Cornwall most of my life now. The Pilot of Britannia on this occasion was a man called Bill Harvey. He died recently well into his 90’s
Are we just ignoring the guy who just decided when he was nearly done with the race that he was going to go again then decided to live in Tahiti
And leave his wife with four children to raise. What a guy.
@@cherylyates9845 not sure if you’re talking about Crowhurst and his family or the man who stayed in Tahiti but they are two separate people. As far as I know the man who stayed in Tahiti only had a wife.
@@loganwalters5613 I think you're right. I remember that part being confusing, like wait did he stay in Tahiti or do the race nearly twice?
The contrast of the two men who both had mystical experiences during the trip is very interesting. Both experienced spiritual death at sea but one was reborn in intensity of it and the other died.
Sir Knox Johnston was a gentleman of the highest calibre, and though witty, he was deeply humble with it. What a good man.
What do you mean was? He's still alive you know.
@@adamcoleman4578 well, there you go. Still alive. Added bonus.
And still as enthusiastic about sailing as ever!
wow he died younger than me, I'm 40 now, I once crossed the the US on a bicycle that I had and maintained throughout the whole trip, I carried as many spared bike parts and tools just in case plus plenty of supplies for at least 3 days just in case I got stranded in the middle of nowhere like I did many times due to flat tires, problems with the wheels and bicycle in general, plus needed time to rest, I took off from Sarasota Florida heading towards Keywest passing through Miami, on my return from the keys I got back to the west coast leaving Sarasota again but this time heading towards the California coast, I fallowed interstate I10 for the most part, finally made it to San Diego after 7+months and some weeks later to Santa Monica LA, I know what that man went through, failure is not and option while doing this things but his whole story is sad because unlike me he had no contact with any other human beings for months along by himself at sea, on the otherhand me been on the ground I had plenty to do and people to meet along my trip that as well became a journey of a lifetime, this man was brave but it's deeply sad that he didn't make it back to his family, aldo I wasn't living a wife or kids of my own behind, my mom was worry and the rest of my relatives who new what I was doing, I deed kept communication with as many of them as I could plus people I met along the way, cellphones are truly a miracle.
You should write a book & record what must have been a harrowing feat on a bike .
So true .the invention of cell phones & computers changed life so much & forever . life never went backwards after those events
What do you mean you know what the man went through ????
Wanna bike across the USA some day
@@cathecavanaugh615 @Cathe Cavanaugh I welcome the idea very much but I just haven't had enough free time to do so since I stopped riding, getting back to normal life in a busy hectic city in south California is drowning and overwhelming, my destination should had been Florida which offers a more relaxing warming lifestyle but I left Florida because I wanted to see what else was out there, got lost many times, when my phone wasn't hooked up to WIFI to keep my phone's GPS working which works with Google maps, later I got to know of a map app that was able to run offline, that really changed everything for me 😊😊😊, no more getting lost because of lack of WiFi.
Imagine leaving your wife and friends to circle the world almost twice.
@Egg T
by circling the world twice?
Idk seems interesting maybe see if someone made a video on it
@Egg T did you not watch the video? lol
Just to end up in Tahiti.
It's a better excuse than going for smokes
@@SangerZonvolt FARM MANGOES IN TAHITI
What an amazing story. The ending was sad because in his own way he achieved quite a lot he just could not see it. The actual winner was in my view a true gentleman, today donate his winnings to the family and to get joy from gouging the newspaper for more was great.
That fellow who made the donation to the family is one classy dude, a man to aspire to be like.
dam hes been killing it with the uploads lately
True dat
get it, cuz the captain died
Sublime!
Wow the guy who won was a great guy... wins 5,000 pounds and immediately donates it to the family of a person he's never met. what a man
@@Aron-ru5zk Gave the money to a widow and her 4 children? Yeah. Them.
And he said that he made the Times match his donation!
Imagine what a real pos he actually is if he knows he doesn't need or deserve the money. We need equality not hand outs from the elite.
@@r.m.5548 what
@@r.m.5548 The only time we will EVER be equal is in the grave.
Knox Johnston was a great man for doing what he did.
People back then had a better understanding of priorities and that which is really important in this life .
Between having a bit of spending money or giving it to help a windowed mother of 4 kids, Knox decided to help the widowed mother .
The story had a bitter sweet ending!
economy was different. I'm sure he also already had money to have a boat
@@pinkpugginz , the dollar was stronger back then . Had more purchasing power than it does today . Minimum wage was less that a dollar in the 70s .
Average wage before Minimum wage was imposed on employers , was even less than that .
Charity is charity, regardless of when
You say people had a better understanding of priorities, but one of them here prioritized his ego over all else. Not willing to accept defeat, not willing to turn around when all was lost, he decided to cheat and lie to the world.
I want to know more about the dude who had a serious case of the “fuck it’s”, left his wife and sailed around the world again to Tahiti 😂
His name is Bernard Moitessier. He's a famous French sailor and philosopher. He's written some fairly interesting books about his experiences at sea
Better excuse than going out for milk or smokes 😂
Obviously hooked up with a Tahitian glamour and thought fuck it, I’m bunking down with her 😂😂
Read his books "The Longest Voyage" e.g.. My comment on that: now he is seen as a great guy but I think forsaking family under the excuse of ocean racing is far more cowardly than how Crowhurst was acting. Crowhurst died because he did not want to let everybody down. Moitessier simply run away and hid on the tropics. Crowhurst was trying to be a criminal but he couldn't, his morale did not let him to. Moitessier did not have such a scupulus, he picked a nice place and fuck everyone. Did not have the guts to tell her he wanted a divorce, settle things and then go wherever he wanted. What an idol huh.
The French Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin did pretty much the same, in the 1800's, left his family in France, and frolicked in Tahiti with any number of teenage Tahitian girls. All of his artist buddies back in Paris were like: "We are confused, Paul, why do you choose to live in Tahiti when life in France has so much to offer?" Lol. Gauguin was my hero in art school.
The voice of the man who reads the notes is so hypnotizing and calming
Look up crime YT channel that's called That Chapter.
@@soylentlyso3219 Great Shakespearian actor --> ua-cam.com/video/Vi9W41EBnU8/v-deo.html
He was also the voice of many commercials in the 70`s
@@brendareed8412
That's "let's have a goo" Mike reading that?!?
😮🤔😮
@@brendareed8412 that chapter sucks. his voice is annoying and he makes too many jokes about the victims
Knox-johnston is a true Gentleman. God bless him.
Despite the sheer odds this man faced I can't help but respect him for persevering so hard, a pure act of desperation rather than ego.
The man who donated was such a pure soul too.
So he won without knowing it, his family got the money, the money to save his family's house
Yeah but he should have figured out another way to do it . There are other houses out there!!
No insurance?
Actually, he lost but his family won due to the kindness and generosity of another person's heart.
@@joletty1793 really? When you die we will say your family hit the jackpot?
@@youcanbesmartaskhow3857 He did make bad decisions that would have financially ruined the family, he knew it, which is why he sadly took his life. They, the family did not win due to him, they benefited or won out in this case because someone else showed compassion for their case, predicament.
I met Robin K-J when we were both in our 20's and he impressed me then. He is a real gentleman.
Crowhurst’s story never fails to break my heart, the sheer desperation of a man with everything on the line, that bit far more than he could chew. it really is tragic, thank you for covering it and thank you for not calling him a fraud and making fun of him
It's actually incredible that an amateur was able to sail that far in that part of the ocean and not have perished months before.
The guy was obviously very adaptable, 99% of people wouldn't last 4 weeks.
in a clearly unworthy boat that he was unfamiliar with. Yep truly incredible
They made a movie about this in 2017 called "The Mercy" starring Colin Firth as Donald Crowhurst.
Thanks will look for it right now.
No I seen the movie that was made of this story. Waterworld duh.
Lmfao yeah dennis hopper lost an eye filming waterworld...
I live in Teignmouth and the entire town was shut down to film it
“This boat is going to Tahiti!”
Is that a Rdr2 reference?
HAVE SOME GODDAMN FAITH!
Mangos
@@rodrikforrester6989 are you or your brother going to kill the bastard?
Damnit arthur
"He left his life and moved to Tahiti"
Dutch Van Der Linde: Write that down! Write that down!
"I have a plan Arthur"
Yeah of course you have dutch
FAITH
WE JUST NEED MONEY
I just need more TIME
@@brendonutjita MUNNEH
Such a sad story. I feel really sorry for his family--learning the truth after so much time must have been a terrible shock. The man who won was definitely a good guy.
One thing people tend to forget, is that humans are social animals, and extended time alone can make most people lose their minds. I sure couldn't deal with it--when my wife was in the hospital for weeks, it was the first time I ever spent living alone. It sucked. I couldn't imagine going for months without being around other people.
For an amateur to just race down and up the Atlantic like that on such a problematic boat may have been an even greater achievement than actually crossing the seas around the world for an experienced sailor. Great documentation! Your Irish accent sounds good with a tale of a sailor.
Could have lied, come clean later and then just wrote a book about his big scam
Honor wasn't just a word back then.
He was Like the Napoleon Bonaparte or Napalm bonerpart or whatever of sailing. Constant lying.
@@icemaqe99 ah yeah, very honorable to a attempt to cheat by cutting the trip short, going radio silent for months, taking a stop he was not supposed to take, and fabricating a false report of this whole experience that he intended to present to the world.
He was doing what he had to do to keep his family from homelessness, but what he attempted was hardly honorable. It does indeed look like it was just a word to him.
Thats all well and good when your not in completely manic state from months of isolation at sea
@@icemaqe99
Honor is a constant in the mind of humanity. It doesn't fluctuate with generations, it just changes forms.
It can be such a lonely feeling out at sea,the ocean is so huge and makes us seem so small and insignificant to its power.
Honestly Barnard Moitessier’s story interests me far more 😂 The guy entered a race, had a yogi spiritual awakening, near completion decided to keep going, wrapped around the world again, then thought “thats good enough” stopped in Tahini left his wife, found a new woman had kids, and became a farmer. (9:54) 😂😂😂
And after that wild life of adventure, he died to Prostate cancer… Cancers a bitch
Sure is
Thanks for explaining, i didnt understand that part.
I was like - he did what??
Quite possibly the most french person ever
Fascinating story of an amazing journey! I vividly remember witnessing the MASSIVE waves created at Cape Horn , where the Atlantic meets the Pacific. Thank God I was on a Nimitz class aircraft carrier, as I cannot imagine traversing those seas in ANY boat smaller than a CVN!-John in Texas
great comment, john in texas
Is that THE john in texas??!!?
I read a book about him years ago. Fascinating story. The author mentioned how much Crowhurst had aged over the course of the voyage, evident in the photos.
Dude should have just chilled in Argentina for a month and then sailed back. Free vacation, and you're the fastest.
He could still be chilling in argentina for all we know
@@att7364 reminds me of a certain german man I know....
@@att7364 a fate worse than death
@@donnachaoconnor9425 Austrian to be precise.
@typo pit the capes are really tough to round though, and this guy wasn’t exactly a seasoned sailor in a fit boat
Brilliant story, he had an ego death, his account of realizing life is all just a game is a very common theme. Mostly because it's an unavoidable truth.
That guy who left his wife and started a new life in Tahiti might be an interesting story too.
That's just Dutch Van Der Linde lmfao
@@badfitz66 stole the words from my mouth
Coulson?
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Moitessier
@@rayy__7630 It's a magical place.
As tragic as this story is
This would make a good horror movie
There is a movie... Its called "The Mercy"
A movie was made called Cabin Boy with Chris Elliot, it was similar.
and Dead Calm
The dislikes are just Crowhurst’s investors.
Its his one investor who made several different accounts or maybe he invested in a dislike bot? 🤔
Steven Pinneo . Or people who are annoyed that the guy telling the story can’t keep the hair out of his face.
@@timjones9206 "here we see the true nature of a disliker...
See how it boots the dislike button with its tiny little foot and lets out battlescream.
*squek noises*
Dislikes are afraid of mundane stuff like hairstyle or room color, they truly are special of the bunch
*squek* *squek*
tuxutku . That’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. By the way... I liked the video.
Yeah buddy, I lost 1000s of pounds off this investment I am mad
The man who finished and then donated is absolutely deserving of every good thing that happens to him! Actual hero
Your voice is made to tell stories. The way you do it, that makes it special.
Intriguing story.
I was very impressed with Crowhurst's speaking voice and prose. You could hear the finality of his actions and life in his voice. Fascinating.
Sad thing is, he could have had a career in radio, or voice over. He did sound good.
Honestly if I was that guy I probably would’ve just started a new life in Brazil and let everyone think I’d died at sea.
How do you know that actually didn’t happen? No body was ever found. Of course there is a shit ton of ocean and this fella could be anywhere in it. We just don’t know, just like Morris and the Anglin brothers.....
The guilt and isolation probably got to him
He couldn't live like that.. the deception. Some people can live a lie, but they pay, somehow. Can't hide from yourself. And he took the *gentlemans* way out of the situation. He really could not face his limitations.
@Yuck Foutube would've been one hell of a story to tell them once they got older, though he can always just say he's not proud of it
@Yuck Foutube agreed, in a way it is still cowardice, one should take the consequences of decisions, go back, look in their eyes and take the fact that you failed. Stay with them when they get in such trouble. I fully feel with him but they would still have one more person to try and help them.
I have to say, the most impressive thing about your superb videos, is the humanity you afford to your subjects. It would be easy to mock Donald, and many did, so bravo Sir, in explaining his dilemmas and respecting his, it should be said, his courage, reckless though it undoubtedly was. 👍
A great compilation and summary of Crowhurst’s fateful adventure. Crowhurst’s strong feelings guilt of being responsible for Ridgeway’s untimely finish showed that deep down, he was decent man, if not obsessed and misguided by ambition. Thanks for posting
As morbid as this might sound, I think his suicide is actually a mark of him genuinely being a good man. Because it only seems to have come up after he realized that his actions had genuinely brought harm to another person, a person who was legitimately doing what he was cheating to do, and he could not live with that.
I agree
I was thinking that he was leaving behind his wife and four children with no more income from him, as well as the total loss of his business and their home. I was relieved that the heroic winner gave the money to the widow.
These new animations are surprisingly life-like. Still... I kinda miss the crude line drawings.
I think the crude animations are only for "Tales from the bottle"
@@Lewd-Tenant_Isan I'm not interested in your completely logical and probably accurate explanation. I'm only interested in the drawings.
Friendly fire
So sad, the whole weight of our lives can come crashing down on us all at once. For him, it happened when he was all alone, hundreds of miles from any other soul. I hope he can rest in peace.
Just biding my time waiting for madness at sea to become fashionable again.
If y’all like this, read “A Voyage for Madmen.” It is novelistic account of the Sunday Times race. It is extremely well written and is a fascinating tale of the race, it’s participants, and their struggles. I highly recommend it.
Definitely. A good read. Also "The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst" is another great book that focuses mainly on Crowhurst's effort, and "Deep Water" the doc mentioned above, is a favorite of mine as well.
@@joesutherland2017 the doc is amazing. I’ve seen hundreds of docs. And Deep Water is in my top five.
@@scarlettfever9483 Agreed. Definitely a chilling and twisted story. I'm not sure Hollywood could've written that one, truth being stranger than fiction and all. Gonna have to watch it again here soon......
@@joesutherland2017 agreed truth is stranger than fiction. The story had so many twists. I’ve returned to this doc many times. It’s really intense to hear the captain logs. So poetic and intense. Really pushing the human experience to the edge.
@@scarlettfever9483 You're so right. Very well produced, and a pretty accurate re-creation of Teignmouth Electron's cabin interior, too. Was trying to re-binge Homeland, but damnit, now I'll have to watch "Deep Water" again tonight lol.
Cheers!
Qxir is trying to give me nightmares like cave diving tragedy
These vids make me not want to sleep because of that lol
Junior Mudd...the underwater cave diving episode were we saw the dead man's goggles, hell anyone involving caves now that I think about it
This is an absolutely beautiful and tragic telling of this man's adventure and existential despair.
Poor guy, nothing ever seemed to go right for him, despite his enthusiasm. As you said, at least we can hope he found peace...
And the guy who won? Respect to him.
Madness at sea is rarely a situation with a happy ending. Remarkable, all that Crowhurst endured, before his demons overwhelmed him.
Knox-Johnston was a true gentleman; never knew he donated the prize money to Crowhurst’s family.
its sad that a man had to decide between trying to save his living or try save his live
Sir Knox-Johnston is a class act. Good show!
As far as losing one's mind on such long journeys, I honestly have my doubts. I recently watched an interview with a man who served in MACV SOG during the Vietnam War. Such men routinely faced the most extreme types of combat ever experienced by any soldiers in any war. He was asked if he or his fellow soldiers ever experienced PTSD or "went crazy." His reply was "only those who were already crazy when they got there." I suspect much the same is true of those who descend into insanity during extreme expeditions...they were already descending into insanity before the expedition ever started.
Agreed.
He was trying to make a success of his and for his family, he had failed in his attempts before and this was an act of desperation and incredible courage. What a tragedy..
An act of cowardice . He was a coward and knowingly deceived his fellow sailors his family the press and hes still deceiving the world today. He had months of time to hold up his hands . Sorry ..
@@rutherfojr Judge not lest thee is judged.
@@rutherfojr let's see you sail around the planet in a leaky boat, and then we'll discuss
@@chancesareshewears 1. he didnt sail around the planet. 2. He had opportunity to pull out before the race. 3. He decived the the world. 4. He cheated by landing in Brazil whilst others were in southern ocean. 5. He even pressed one competitor with his lies to the point of destruction. 6..He is still decieving people to this very day.
And no. .I have a yacht and have sailed since 5. I wouldn't be such a fool to race around the planet in a leaky boat solo.
I Have nothing against you personally but this fool destroyed a family friend and its about time people stopped believing the myth of 50 years.
The mercy.??? Crowhurst was anything but as intellect. Just like he we anything but an ocean sailor.
@@rutherfojr His life was on the line...some go into foreclosure..Pride was his only sin..he fucking tried! he was a MAN!
The algorithm has awarded me with a new channel.
wow, what a soul to donate his winnings to the cheaters family, that is a selfless and Golden act of awsomeness, you sir are a legend.
Yea, technically he was a cheater... But more than anything I consider himself desperate. The man was about to lose everything and genuinely believed this was his solution. He was naive and misguided. Combined with poor judgment and a lack of experience, he didn't stand a chance.
What a noble gesture to donate the money to the family. That is beautiful.
What a great man to have donated the prize money to that family and seeing to the "Sunday Times" matching his gift and on top of that he seemed so casual about it. Bravo!
Great bloke donating that money, why have we not heard about that before
That british dude's narrating felt mega calming, like a caring dad reading you a bed time story
Qxir himself? Hes Irish.
@@lilcrippie5927 I think he meant the last few seconds
@@lilcrippie5927 ya it was the narrator in the end
@@Danger-Tater the British usually prefer it in the end.
@@alfredpeasant5980 idiot
Crowhurst’s story is heartbreaking. For the sake of him and his family, I am so sorry that there were no other employment opportunities which might have satisfied his financial, intellectual, and emotional needs. Debt is a bitch, it drives people into desperation.
“You couldn’t really see them thrown out of the house.” Bless you, kind sir.
I see mostly stubbornness. Most people don't have jobs that satisfy their emotional needs. But you get on with life, you care for your family, and in the meantime you look for better opportunities. That's life. His behaviour and mindset seem quite childish, arrogant and extremely self serving, everything somehow being about his "honour". And there you go, it left a wife widowed, four kids orphaned and a real winner felt the need to give up a 5000 pound prize pot to care for Crowhurst's family, doing what Crowhurst could easily have done himself by just GETTING A JOB like any responsible person with a family to take care of would.
The fact that the winner paid off the widow's debt, speaks of a time gone by when people weren't all shit.
@Zsuzsanna Varga *mostly shit then.
Please resist temptation to give up hope on humanity. To do so is simply short sited and I believe serves as a gate to give up on ourselves. Good really has to start within all of us.
R/thewronggeneration
I hate to agree, but I do...
No, People had been a shit since the beginning of time.
How sweet & sad. The feelings he had, the time and privacy to go crazy in his thoughts. Feel for his wife & children. Amazing the winner gave them the prize. Poor dude
Technically every human is an accomplished semen
*sigh*
Yes thank you
Seaman 😂
I hate you for that pun
Wow, from that perspective you're right. We're all born winners. :)
Bernard Moitessier was the true winner of that race and the true winner at life. He would have won the actual race easily, but he decided to keep going and crossed the world another one and a half times before stopping. He didn't have a radio and would slingshot messages to passing ships and sit zen on the foredeck in gales. Legend.
Thanks for this comment as I read slingshots are left at his grave and I didn't know why
If there is a better story teller on UA-cam I have not seen him yet. I rang th bell and looking to view more of your work. You are a badly needed gift to UA-cam viewers...
Mr. Ballen
I like this new format: it’s different, but in a GOOD kind of way. Great work, my friend!!! Love from USA!!!
I sailed through the Bay of Biscay on a 95 foot yaght, that had run aground in Estabal a week earlier. I sat down for 18 hours using two door bells, attached to a stand-alone engine that was connected to the electric of the rudders. I had to keep the boat on a set course using a compass, hitting the left and right door bell buttons we hooked up. This was late November and I was only 19, and the sews were rough. Amazing and scary at the same time, but it was not as scary as a week before, off the coast of Portugal, about 1 mile, in the middle of the night - we had no electrics, just a purchased generater (as said above), we got hit by a 400 ton tanker. We could only power the radar and the rudders, I remember sitting there looking out the side window and seeing this fucking huge black shadow of the tanker, my heart stopped. Just before it hit us - the millionaire businessman, who employed my father as a captin to sale the boat back from Gibraltar, said "The engine has stalled!! ", if the engine had not stalled the Tanker would have hit us in the middle and tore the boat in half..
Someone was looking after us that day. The boat smashed a lot of wood as we kept hitting down the port side, as it was moving we keep hitting it until it went past. I still have the picture in my head now, the big black shadow out the window next to me, and then the sight of the tankers writing on the back - illuminated by a light as it went away.
My father loved his drugs and was never a father. We did huge amounts of drugs together and he never ever showed any fatherly love really, more like a friend. But going down to Gibraltar and salling that yaght up to France, we blew the engines at Breast in France so had to leave it there, was the best time I ever had with him. He was funny and intelligent and was a great seamen. Sadly the drugs took him 8 years ago. I had not spoken to him for 10 years, we just started speaking again and I was showing how to work a laptop, we finally had something in common. One day he was walking up to the shop, went into the toilet in Tesco and never came out. He had taken speed a few days before and had a massive heart attack. He was 62. He was a great captin in his day, but that trip we took was one disaster after another. But, BUT, being at sea during the night is fking scary, it's so black, so dark, but it's also mystifying - you have the moon, the stars, the sound of the water and knowing of you fall off, or get hit by another tanker, lol, you're fucked. RIP Dave, you may have been the worst father - everybody else loved you, but that trip was amazing.
That's one crazy story bud. Best of luck to you in life!
Now thats a story worth of a book m8
Have you read ''Criminal'' by Caspar Walsh?
In Bristol docks, on a tiny Sailing Dinghy, I was hit by a woman in a motor boat... I can see her bearing down on us....and luckily no one was hurt.
Goodness knows what being hit by a Tanker in mid ocean was like.
Do write that book!
Best wishes!
Wow. Thank you for that
Holy cow what a tale