Sir Francis Chichester

Sir Francis Chichester was a lifetime adventurer. In 1929 he flew his plane solo from London to Sydney. In 1931, while trying to complete the circle from Sydney back to London, he was nearly killed when he flew into a half-mile span of steel telephone wires in Katsuura, Japan. As the years passed and flying was transformed from a pioneering activity to a technologically sophisticated one, Chichester turned to sailing as an outlet for his restless spirit. He made a record-breaking solo crossing...See more

Sir Francis Chichester was a lifetime adventurer. In 1929 he flew his plane solo from London to Sydney. In 1931, while trying to complete the circle from Sydney back to London, he was nearly killed when he flew into a half-mile span of steel telephone wires in Katsuura, Japan. As the years passed and flying was transformed from a pioneering activity to a technologically sophisticated one, Chichester turned to sailing as an outlet for his restless spirit. He made a record-breaking solo crossing of the North Atlantic in 1962, and then conceived his around-the-world voyage as his next challenge, saying, I hate being frightened but, even more, I detest being prevented by fright. At the same time the Horn had a fearsome fascination, and it offered one of the greatest challenges left in the world. Chichester died in the 1970s. See less