Gray - Last Voyages

About the Author

Nicholas Gray started sailing at the age of 6 on a small clinker-built scow in Chichester Harbour, progressing to sailing a Cadet, a Heron and a Firefly. During his school and university holidays he crewed on many yacht delivery trips crossing the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay several times.

He bought his first keelboat in 1967 a small gaff cutter called Roma , which was followed by two other wooden yachts.

In 1978 his sailing completely changed direction when he took part in the Two Handed Round Britain and Ireland Race in a friends very fast but lightly built trimaran, sailing with Peter Phillips. They had to retire from that race, but he had caught the multihull bug and he bought a 35-foot bright yellow racing trimaran called Whisky Jack from Philip Walwyn, an old childhood friend, who features in this book.

In 1979 he took Whisky Jack into the 2,400 mile Azores and Back Race, putting up the fastest overall time and winning her class. In 1980, with Don Wood, he chartered the 56-foot trimaran Great Britain IV , which had won the 1978 Round Britain Race in the hands of Chay Blyth and Rob James. Nicholas and Don campaigned her for a year and intended to compete in the Two Handed Transatlantic Race the following year but decided she was not strong or seaworthy enough to survive a transatlantic race.

Next he bought a 30-foot trimaran, naming her Applejack , and she won her class in the 1982 Round Britain and Ireland Race.

More conventional yachts followed and he now owns a 42-foot classic wooden ketch which he keeps in Ramsgate and a 35-foot wooden motor yacht which he keeps on the Canal du Midi, in France.

Despite owning some 14 yachts and having raced against some of the top yachtsmen (many of whom feature in this book), Nicholas has never been a professional sailor. He has worked in Merchant Banking, as a solicitor and in the petroleum industry. He has also had an interest in a sailmaking company and owned a boatyard specialising in the restoration of classic wooden yachts.

Last Voyages is Nicholas first book.

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The real lives of sporting heroes on, in & under the water

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more to follow

Acknowledgements

I would never have written this book, nor met many of the people featured, had my friend David Dillistone not introduced me to the somewhat dubious joys of racing his fragile and uncomfortable trimaran Heretic around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. This started my interest in the world of multihulls and in short-handed long-distance racing. Thank you, David.

Thanks must also go for the support I have had from all the people with whom I have sailed over the years, most importantly Peter Phillips, Julian Mustoe, Roger Hill and Don Wood.

I would also like to acknowledge the help and support I have had from Chris Waddington of Wicormarine, who kindly allowed me to clutter up his foreshore with a number of trimarans whilst they were in preparation for various voyages. Also many thanks for the invaluable advice I have received over the years from those knowledgeable gurus of all things maritime, Bob Brinton and Steve Parish.

I have had much assistance from author Clare Allcard (who gave me lots of encouragement and wise counsel in completing this my first book), from Edward Allcard, Denis Lochen of the Association Eric Tabarly, Jacqueline Tabarly, Susie Walwyn and her partner John Halsey, Kate Walwyn, Jill Blancaneaux, Christina Pasquinucci, Guy Pendred, Colonel Tim Street (for information on 6 Metre yachts), Dan Primrose, Bob Comlay (for information on Bill Tilman and En Avant ), John Lewis (Royal Western Yacht Club), Lester and Henrietta Barnes, Eve Lytton and Robert Bennett.

I would like to thank the publishers and authors of the books shown in bold in the bibliography which I have used as source material.

If any acknowledgements due to other authors and publishers have been inadvertently omitted I hope they will accept my apologies.

My thanks to everyone at Fernhurst Books and especially to Jeremy Atkins for being brave enough to take me on.

Finally, thank you to Josephine for everything (especially for putting up with my strange sailing exploits over the years).

Nicholas Gray

December 2016

Acknowledgement is gratefully made to the following publishers, authors, photographers and family members for permission to use material and photographs as follows:

Chapter : Frank & Ann Davison

Cover of Last Voyage by Ann Davison, published by William Heinemann.

Photo of Reliance : By kind permission of Weymouth Museum Trust.

Chapter : Donald Crowhurst

Photo of Donald Crowhurst: Keystone Pictures USA / Alamy.

Photo of Teignmouth Electron : geogphotos / Alamy

Chapter : Mike McMullen

Extracts from Multihull Seamanship : Michael McMullen, 1976, Multihull Seamanship , Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. By kind permission of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Photos of Mike McMullen on board Three Cheers : Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy.

Chapter : Simon Richardson & Bill Tilman

Photos of En Avant & crew: taken by Sandy Lee, the estate of W G Lee. By kind permission of Barbara Waite and Robert Lee.

Chapter : Alain Colas

Photo of Alain Colas: Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy.

Photo of Manureva : Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy.

Extracts from The Atlantic Challenge : David Palmer, 1977, The Atlantic Challenge , Hollis & Carter. By kind permission of David Palmer.

Chapter : Richard Pendred

Photos of Richard Pendred and Bucks Fizz : By kind permission of Guy Pendred and the Pendred family archive.

Chapter : Angus Primrose

Photo of Angus Primrose and Blondie Hasler: Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy.

Photo of Moody 33 : By kind permission of David Moody.

Chapter : Rob James

Photos of Rob and Naomi James & Colt Cars GB : Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy.

Chapter : Peter & Thomas Tangvald

Extract and photos from At Any Cost : Peter Tangvald, 1991, At Any Cost, Cruising Guide Publications. By kind permission of Christina Pasquinucci and Cruising Guide Publications.

Chapter : Eric Tabarly

Photo of Eric Tabarly: Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy.

Photos of Pen Duick : By kind permission of Denis Lochen of the Association of Eric Tabarly.

Chapter : Philip Walwyn

Photos of Philip and Kate : From the Walwyn family archive. By kind permission of Kate Walwyn, Susie Walwyn and John Halsey.

About the Author

Photo of Nicholas Gray as a boy: From the authors family archive.

Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders of the extracts and photographs used in this book. If any errors or omissions have inadvertently been made, they will be rectified in future editions provided that written notification is made to the publishers.

Afterword

The impetuosity of youth combined with the fatalistic attitude of an 80-year-old willing to accept his end at sea in the Antarctic. Money pressures destroying long-held dreams and a refusal to accept reality. A determination to overcome the trauma of the loss of a beloved partner. Caught out in unexpected appalling weather conditions with an inexperienced crew. Sheer bad luck leading to a fatal fall overboard. Corrosion on an old boat causing it to break up and sink. A sudden disabling heart attack whilst nearing land.