I was incredibly impressed with his recall of other folks on extensive voyages in those days (the 50's), and by his charismatic yet humble storytelling.
He focussed less on his own circumnavigation, more on the passage he shared with the Smeeton's aboard their ketch "Tzu Hang--their first attempt to go around Cape Horn. About 1000 miles from the cape, they were pitchpoled and dismasted, losing the dog house, rudder, and dinghy.
Only by exhaustive efforts bailing the boat, and ingenuity in designing a jury rig and rudder/tiller system, did they eventually make landfall in South America.
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| John Guzzwell, twin headsails pulling... |
He also showed the 16mm film footage that he had taken of their passage, which was captivating to watch, and showed sea conditions right up to their capsize. Their was minimal footage of Trekka under sail, which I was keen to see more of, but was much harder for John to get while sailing his own boat.
An amazing evening, and inspiring to be in the presence of someone who followed their dreams, and had he courage to see where that would lead their life.
