Sir Robin Knox Johnston
From Sail World UK
Today marked Sir Robin’s second solo circumnavigation of the globe
concluding the 30,000-mile epic race
37 years after his pioneering solo
voyage in 1968/9. At the age of sixty-eight and now a grandfather of
five, Sir Robin has halved the time it took him to complete the journey
when he was just thirty years old. His 2006/7 voyage has taken 159 days
(159 days, 12 hours and 42 minutes) compared to 313 days in 1969.
On
arriving into Bilbao, Sir Robin said: ‘Age hasn’t made a difference. I
may be 68 but I am a strong, fit 68-year-old and I am ready to take on
Mike Tyson. The race has been great so I have mixed emotions about
coming back. When things were good at sea, 
I wouldn’t have swapped it
for anything in the world and ‘Saga Insurance’ is a lovely boat to
sail. I have received a fantastic welcome in Bilbao and it’s great to
see my family and friends again. I certainly will not be giving up
sailing but I won’t be going around the world again by myself.’
Just
seconds after crossing the line Sir Robin marked his incredible
achievement by enjoying a dram of a fine Old Pulteney Single Malt
Whisky before ceremonially splashing it on the bow in the customary
‘wetting the boat’ celebratory tradition.
Fantastic!