Youngest Circumnav is now a race

[Amgine]

Sailing-World.com is reporting that British teen Mike Perham has backers paying for an Open 50 plus training on how to use it in his bid to become the youngest solo circumnavigator. This means he's in direct competition with US teen Zac Sunderland who departed California on his bid in June.

Sunderland is sailing a 36' Islander named Intrepid which he purchased and, with the help of his shipwright father and sponsors, renovated and updated for his challenge.

Perham's father Peter has chartered the Open 50, named TotallyMoney, and the boat has its own support team. They expect the entire passage to take about 4 months.

Perham is younger than Sunderland by 108 days, so he only needs to complete before Sunderland to earn the record currently held by Australian David Dicks since 1996. To insure his title, Sunderland would need to complete his voyage in at least 108 days less than Perham.

[David M]

What should we call this race? I'm sure some of you will come up with some great names.

I'm thinking The Pup Cup.

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by David M

What should we call this race? I'm sure some of you will come up with some great names.

I'm thinking The Pup Cup.

GREAT NAME!!!

This will be fun to watch...sort of feel bad for Zacky but records are ment to be broken right.. Doesn't quite seem fair competition though...I bet a six pack this helps boost Zack's fund raising infusion though...I mean its our boy against theirs right........now where did I put my check book

[GordMay]

Michael Perham
Mike’s website: sailmike.com/
Sailmike.com
and: totallymoney.com/sailmike/
SailMike.com

[Stillraining]

I guess we know who your pulling for now...

http://www.zacsunderland.com/

The games afoot

[imagine2frolic]

Well it is going to be tough going compared to a open 50. A lot of difference in how they got into position to sail. This will be interesting......GO ZAC!!!!!!!

[Sterling]

Did I read that right? Perham is doing an extended charter of a 50'? Lame. A huge part of the adventure is overcoming all the challenges involved in finding a boat, rigging it to your needs, etc.

lame lame lame.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

I guess we know who your pulling for now...

Zac Sunderland

Thanks for the link.

I’m pulling for BOTH of them to safely complete their voyages.

Personally, I empathize more with Zac, but admire both of these young men.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post219897

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...one-15650.html

[imagine2frolic]

Unfortunatley some were born with a silverspoon, and some of us weren't. IMHO you got to give Zac the nod, but you can't take away the fact that Mike is a real sailor too. It's all about what he does in life with what is available to him. I like Gord wish them both BEST WISHES, and getting home safely. Mike just may turn out to be a real likable kid, and hard working at what he does. YEP, this is going to be interesting....GO ZAC!!!!!

[theonecalledtom]

I think that both these kids have silver spoons involved, just one has the rest of the dinner set to go with it.

Good luck to both and I sincerely hope that being somewhat young they do not read this thread, think about it as a race and make dangerous decisions based on that....

[Amgine]

I'm strictly guessing here, but it seems to me that Sunderland's plan is a high-lattitudes east-about route. That is, I can't see any other route being feasible for a 4-month challenge.

The boat design was created for the Vendée Globe race. In the last running 1/3 of the boats retired on this route. And these were skippers who had prepared for a considerable period of time, most had support teams, all had sponsors. (Incidentally, the 2008 Vendée gets underway shortly; is Perham going to be tailing into their coverage? Did TotallyMoney.com fail to find a racer to sponsor?)

I'm wondering if this particular route is a wise one for anyone, let alone a young person whose goal is, well, bragging rights. I mean, it clearly isn't a world tour of destinations as Zac has done so far. (He's heading to Mauritius and I am sooooo jealous.)

[skatastrophy]

Man... like a sucker I spent my 15th year in middle school

[Stillraining]

Any record attempt is a race by definition if nothing else..but I heartily agree that I hope bad decisions arnt made just to set one by either of them.

I wonder if Dad is going to follow young mike this time too...I say not entirely like he did in his Atlantic record...but one cant help the gut feeling he will have whatever his boat needs flown in at moments notice and service crew waiting for him at the designated port when things do break....sort of like the old USSR states funded Olympic athletes competing against our wheat and corn field verity.

Time to shift gears and see this for what it is Zacky my friend and ramp up...it is indeed a race.

And a very cool one indeed.

Man... like a sucker I spent my 15th year in middle school

Im right with ya Skat

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

... sort of like the old USSR states funded Olympic athletes competing against our wheat and corn field verity ...

Was that a Freudian slip, editorializing (verity = truth), or did you mean variety?

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Was that a Freudian slip, editorializing (verity = truth), or did you mean variety?

The sad thing about spell check is it unfortunately sometimes high lights ones ignorance.....cant blame this one on Freud Im afraid.


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