Mike Perham 17 year old Solo Single Sailor

A new flock of Doves

dove.jpg

ON HIS SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY, MARCH 5, 1965, ROBIN LEE Graham said to his mother and father: "Know what I'd really like a boat of my own that I could sail to the South Pacific islands."

Most parents, upon hearing such talk, would dismiss it as impetuosity, but four and a half months later Robin stepped aboard his own 24 foot fiberglass sloop, Dove, a light displacement craft usually regarded as a day-sailor, and shoved off from Los Angeles for a shakedown cruise to Hawaii, a passage that took 22 1/2 days and was a piece of cake all the way. . .
 
A new flock of Doves

dove.jpg

My step brother gave this book to my father as a birthday gift. It was my first glimpse of ocean sailing. I really enjoyed the story, but I wonder if he didn't toss the blind kittens overboard himself. He talks to casually about them being lost.
 
Solo circumnavigators do seem to have their eccentricies. What did actually happen to Donald Crowhurst... new life in Brazil?

...but I digress.

It is interesting to see this sense of adventure show up periodically with the Juniors. Usually it's the old saults who go around alone.
 
Perham's Open 50 is owned by a Frenchman. I met the owner in September and October of last year while sailing in the UK--just before Perham set sail. It is a pretty cool boat, capable of hitting 25 knots. The market for renting these sorts of boats is not good. The Class 40's seem to be the in-demand boats these days. Personally, I'd love to have a modern Class 40 that is lighter than many Open 50's build in the past. The only issue with these is that they pound themselves to bits after prolonged abuse.

I am still looking for my photos. I have to get them organized. I switched to a new computer and software, and it is harder to catalog my photos because I have so many of them. If I just load them all then I can't find any of them. I have some shots of the afterdeck the ballast system, and navigation station.
 

Back
Top