Aviator and
sailor Sir Francis Chichester is best known for being the first and fastest
person to sail around the globe single-handedly in The Gipsy Moth IV, setting
out from Plymouth on 27 August 1966. He completed the voyage at the age of 65
with just one stop and 226 days at sea and was knighted for his
circumnavigation in 1967. Chichester went on to create several books and films
about his intrepid sailing and flying adventures, all gripping accounts of a
lone adventurer’s tenacity and triumph over the forces of nature.
Born in Devon and
educated at Marlborough College, Chichester emigrated to New Zealand at the age
of 18 and spent ten years in forestry, mining and property development. On his
return to England he learned to fly, and in the original Gipsy Moth seaplane he
became the first person to complete an East-West solo flight across the Tasman
Sea, for which he was awarded the inaugural Johnson Memorial Trophy.
Solo to Sydney
(1930) recounts Chichester’s 1929 solo flight to Sydney. The
tale brings together details of the countries he visited, the characters he met
and his scrapes and near misses along the way, including time lost in the
Australian outback following a crash without water and with limited fuel.
Alone over the
Tasman Sea (1933) is Chichester’s telling
of his 1931 seaplane solo-flight over the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to
Australia – the first of its kind. Taking place when flight was still in its
dangerous infancy, Chichester’s adventure tested his courage, resolution and
stamina. It is an account told with dry wit and humour.
Ride on the Wind
(1936) follows Chichester’s adventures with his seaplane
Madame Elijah, as he ventures forth from Australia on an epic flight that
included crossing into forbidden territory in Formosa in a raging storm, a
narrow escape from Chinese pirates, another from a typhoon, and a spectacular
crash in Japan.
Further 2016
commemorations for Sir Francis Chichester’s voyage include:
·
A
re-enactment of the departure of the Gipsy Moth IV from Plymouth pier with a
gun fired as it was 50 years ago and the unveiling of a bronze plaque marking
the sailor’s return in Plymouth, on 27 August
·
A talk
by Sir Francis’ son, Giles Chichester, about the famous voyage at Waterstone’s
bookshop, New George Street, Plymouth on 26 August
·
The
original Gipsy Moth IV, now owned by charitable trust The Gipsy Moth Trust,
circling Britain crewed by ex-servicemen and women to raise money for the
charity Help for Heroes
Bello also publishes Sir
Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth Circles the World (1967), the
international bestseller published just months after the completion of
Chichester’s historic journey which inspired the first solo around-the-world
race, Alone across the Atlantic (1961), Atlantic Adventure (1962), and The
Romantic Challenge (1971).
Bello
Bello is a digital imprint, launched
by Pan Macmillan in 2011 to bring out-of-print books by iconic authors to a new
readership in the 21st century.
For more information on Bello see www.panmacmillan.com
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