GIPSY MOTH CIRCLES THE WORLD

Chichester is magnificent, laudable. He is a wonderful fellow. Quiet, determined and capable. God has been very good to him, and very patient. But to handicap yourself with such a monstrously small yacht in those seas at the age of sixty-five and after a serious operation seems to me to be asking a little too much of God."" Thus, Allan Villiers on the second half of Sir Francis' epic voyage about the world, after he had already sailed from Plymouth to Sydney in 107 days, alone, and with the Hornlying before him. Sir Francis: ""Our only purpose in life, if we are able to say such a thing, is to put up the best performance we can...As he sails the Gipsy Moth single-handed through nine months to a record run, (twice the speed for the size boat, longest passage between ports of call, etc., etc.), he shares the day-to-day experience, repairing the steering system or setting to rights a capsized boat, toasting his wife on their thirtieth anniversary or listening to Ravel and Gershwin. A two-page agenda of duties for a single day gives ""some idea of the human effort needed for single-handed voyage sailing."" By the end of his voyage, Sir Francis had logged more than 200,000 words. Some are cogently shared in a drama without dramatics. The man gained worldwide acclaim, popularity along with publicity; and his book is also ""quiet, determined and capable.