Robin Knox-Johnston

In conjunction with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Quba is privileged to be able to offer limited edition jackets made from the original sails from his record breaking epic voyage, which will include hand stitched repairs, salt and rust stains, and general wear from exposure to the elements. Only 30 will ever be made (Price £1,500).

The Epic Voyage

In 1968, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston skippered his yacht Suhaili to become the first man to sail single-handedly non-stop around the world.

The 30,123 nautical mile voyage would take him through some of the most demanding and inhospitable seas on the planet, and test both him and his small 32' yacht to the extreme. The ultimate goal was to become the first person to complete the challenging global voyage alone.

Over 313 days Suhaili logged an average of 96.2 nautical miles per day. Knox-Johnston and Suhaili did not have an easy time of it.

A knockdown off the Cape of Good Hope rendered the radio inoperable for most of the rest of the voyage. Crossing the Indian Ocean, Suhaili took another knock that resulted in damage to the water tanks, tiller and self stearing gear, and near Dunedin in New Zealand she ran aground.

At the time, Knox-Johnston wrote:  "I am beginning to wonder how much of the original boat I am going to be left with by the time I reach home. So far I have written off the self stearing gear, two tillers, a jib, a spinnaker, half the cooking stove and water tank. The cabin has shifted and leaks, and its canvas cover is cracking up."

Against formidable opposition and after ten and a half months at sea, Robin Knox-Johnston was able to claim the Sunday Times Golden Globe trophy for the first ever non-stop, single-handed voyage round the world. By any standards it was an incredible adventure, a feat of epic endeavour and seamanship which remains unsurpassed and unforgotten.