Round the world that didn't happen

[Sandero]

Big Read: Donald Crowhurst's heartbreaking round-the-world hoax - Sportsnet.ca

[30yearslater]

Aaaaaahhh! Not another Crowhurst story. Then a movie on top of it. The guy was bat$hit goofy with his scheme at the end. If the Aussies would get the hell off their backsides and get going on Justin Scott's, "The Shipkiller" we would have a really good sailing movie to look forward to. Sure buy the rights and then bury the project.
http://www.empireonline.com/movies/n...g-ship-killer/

[Crazy Talk]

Interesting read, as a newb I've not heard the story. Was it the mental illness that drove him to the ruse, or was it the ruse that drove him to mental illness?

[boatman61]

It was the mental illness that made him step over the side.. he'd likely have done the same if he'd not tried cheating somewhere in the S Ocean.. a weak mind and open oceans are not compatible for solo sailors.

[Sea Dreaming]

If you have not seen it, the documentary Deep Water, lays out Crowhurst's story very well.

It is my feeling that Crowhurst had a habit of biting off more than he could chew in an effort to gain validation. He wanted praise but was not big enough to admit his failings.

[MarkJ]

Oi! All of them were nutso!

I haven read the link (too lazy) but know the story.

Crowhearst was nuts. But how about the others?
How about ANY solo sailor.

We are not solo without reason.

Solo sailors are like Snickers: full of nuts.




Mark

[SV DestinyAscen]

Being raised as a girl against your preferred gender identity by your crazy mother would do that to you.

[morrchr1]

Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen

Being raised as a girl against your preferred gender identity by your crazy mother would do that to you.

I've never heard this part of the storyline, care to share any background on this?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by morrchr1

I've never heard this part of the storyline, care to share any background on this?

According to Wikipedia, who attribute it to his biographers in "The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurs"

"His mother was a school teacher and his father worked on the Indian railways. During her pregnancy, his mother had longed for a daughter, and Crowhurst was raised as a girl until the age of seven."

[30yearslater]

The fun part was he schemed to reenter the race and finish third so the scrutiny wouldn't reveal his fraudulent reports. Then Moitessier decides to abandon the race along with his wife and kids and continue sailing to Tahiti. Off goes that crackpot to chase island girls. The next guy's boat gets into trouble and he is forced to abandon it. Now Crowhurst is the next guy in the race near the finish so he is going to win. Boing go the brain springs and boing over the side he goes rather than being found out to be a fraud. The guy who did win it gave the money to the widow of Crowhurst.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by 30yearslater

The guy who did win it gave the money to the widow of Crowhurst.

That would be Robin Knox Johnston. Now Sir Robin. A very classy move in my opinion. The poor woman was saddled with her husband's "wild hairs". She, and her children should not have been made to suffer for another's poor judgment. I think Sir Robin was very compassionate.

[30yearslater]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

That would be Robin Knox Johnston. Now Sir Robin. A very classy move in my opinion. The poor woman was saddled with her husband's "wild hairs". She, and her children should not have been made to suffer for another's poor judgment. I think Sir Robin was very compassionate.

That was the guy, Sea Dreaming. Thanks. Very classy move on his part. That alone should have been enough to get him Knighted.

[Boatguy30]

It all sounds a bit crazy now, but I guess this was a big deal at the time.

"The other guy" trimaran sailor was apparently pushing hard to beat Crowhurts supposed position. He wrecked the boat and then committed sucide a few years later.

Not many years later, another trimaraner's wife was electruted helping him prep for an ostar. That guy went on to disappear at sea.

The Atlantic 57 guys have gotten off easy!

[30yearslater]

Sir Robin seems to remain in the news: Lawyer turned sailor fails in bid to sue Sir Robin Knox-Johnston over round-the-world yacht race - Telegraph

Has Ruth never heard of team SCA? The gals is a gainin' on what was a male dominated sport.

[charliehows]

crowhurst reverse calculated a whole log of fake nav readings to support his fabrication - that amount of brain twisting mathematics would send me over the side pretty quick. I see a lot of inexperienced people putting up wacky ideas on this site, crowhursts tragedy was that his circumstances forced him into setting out in a poorly prepared vessel and not being able to simply quit when he realised the jeopardy he was in. The irony is that he achieved more with more courage than most people who may criticise his choices, a fact reflected in the response of the other contenders at the time.