Peter Goss’s Latest Venture

I just finished Pete Goss‘s Close To the Wind. Pete won’t be winning any great prizes for literature but it’s a great read nevertheless. The guy’s amazing! He came from solid but humble trappings, joined the Royal Marines and then got the offshore sailing bug. More to the point, he resolved to sail a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation.

With very little money, no reputation, few connections, Pete’s story is one of incredible tenacity: Getting to the start line was probably tougher and scarier than completing the circumnavigation. He mortgaged his house, went deep into debt and worked his ass off. Tough at the best of time but with a wife and three small children this took incredible guts.

His endeavors at sea are well-known. Half-way into the Vendee, deep in the Southern Ocean, the fleet was slammed with a hurricane. One of the sailors, Raphael Dinelli, maydayed that he was sinking. Pete on Aquaquorum was 160 miles south and to windward. He didn’t hesitate, he did what he was supposed to do and headed upwind into the storm, rescued Dinelli, who by then was floating in his life raft, close to death, having survived several days on his sinking boat in a horrendous storm.

After delivering Dinelli to Hobart, Goss re-entered the race, eventually coming fifth and returning to Les Sables D’Ollones to a massive heroes welcome.

His latest exploits are no less amazing. Goss was inspired by the voyage of the Mystery, a Cornish lugger, sailed by seven Cornish fishermen from the UK to Australia in 1864. To commemorate heir spirit, Goss has built the Spirit of Mystery, a replica 37 ft wooden sailing lugger that he will soon sail to Australia.

Spirit of Mystery was launched on Saturday. He has a great blog about the building of the boat that tracks its construction day-by-day. For someone like me who can barely hammer a nail, it’s intimidatingly fascinating.