11 times solo around the world
Australian solo sailor Jon Sanders has now completed his 11th circumnavigation of the world. The 81-year-old crossed the finish line at Fremantle on 31 January, having left 455 days earlier aboard his 39ft S&S design Perie Banou II. He has now sailed around the world more times than any other sailor. During his #Noplasticwaste voyage, he collected 214 sea water samples which he sent off to researchers at Curtin University in Western Australia studying levels of marine microplastic. Scientists say the results will form the first reliable database of microplastic levels in the Southern Hemisphere, and will be critical for research to determine if levels of plastic are increasing. Sanders faced delays during his voyage due to COVID-19, which saw him sail 4,000 miles nonstop from the Panama Canal to Tahiti and then 3,000 miles to Bundaberg, Australia to avoid restrictions. He also experienced some of the worst conditions he had seen in decades, with 65-knot winds battering Perie Banou II in the South Pacific. Despite dragging a tyre as a sea anchor in an attempt to keep the boat facing into the wind and waves, the storm left the yacht without navigation equipment, and Sanders used his paper charts and a sextant to navigate to Bundaberg. The boat also took on so much water that the engine flooded and had to be replaced when he reached Australia.
In 1982, Sanders became the first person to sail solo twice round the world, non-stop and unassisted. He was at sea for 419 days. Four years later he made three circumnavigations back-to-back, again solo, non-stop and unassisted. It took him 658 days. He has received several awards, such as the Cruising Club of America’s Blue Water Medal and the Ocean Cruising Club’s Lifetime Cruising Award.