Sailing Magazine
By Richard Crockett
Today’s cutting is highly appropriate as it’s John Martin’s birthday – and a front page headline in the Cape Town highlighted this fact.
This was 39 years ago now, a time when our singlehanders dominated our news media as they raced around the world singlehanded.
Roger Williams of the Cape Times said this: “John Martin, who celebrates his 32nd birthday alone at sea today in event dubbed the “Everest of yachting” will receive a hero’s welcome if, as expected, he leads the international BOC round-the-world fleet of 24 ocean racers into Table Bay – probably at the weekend.
“Martin who had been at sea for 38 days yesterday, added that he would be celebrating his birthday today with “a dram of rum I was given at a shop called the Rum Runner at Newport””.
READ THE FUL REPORT HERE: 1986 10 08 – cape times – 081 – S&A – OCR
