Your Top 25 Cruising Sailors.

jwilson said:
OK, I'm currently sitting in a chair in slightly draughty office, looking out at the harbour, but I have done a bit, and occasionally when I get the chance still do. I value the "die like a gentleman" ethic of Hasler, Tilman etc., and have read much of them, but too many people have commented on Tilman's somewhat dubious ideas of maintenance and sail trim to regard him as an exemplar for cruising.

Early on Moitessier was undoubtedly very careless, but he learnt, and many other boats ended up on the same beach the same day as Joshua.

For me it is more that Moitessier sailed for the sailing, Tilman to get to mountains.

Is the cold San Mig still good in the Subic Bay YC - though I preferred the very casual old club before the palatial new one was built? And do boats still hit the reef off Cubi Point?
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I apologise for biting your head off.

Having observed Tilman's seamanship as carefully as I could over several months I can find no fault with it; he had after all been taught it by Bobby Somerset and Hum Barton and he polished it by talking to old pilot cutter hands. My own sailing I had learned from my father who as a fisheries scientist and yachtsman when there still were sailing trawlers had spent as much time as he could on them.

Te boat I sailed on was not badly found or badly maintained; Tilman certainly did his bit to keep the Berthon Boatyard in business.

People sometimes forget that like Slocum he often writes with his tongue in his cheek, which I doubt is the case with Moitessier.

I am rather firmly in Tilman's camp in that I think one ought always to sail towards a destination, in an efficient and seamanlike manner, rather than aimlessly. I think I can pray Claud Worth in aid of that view as well.

As you certainly know, cold San Mig is never a problem, but it now comes in a multitude of varieties; the "light" version is very popular - still 5% but less of a headache the next day.

The new club is a white elephant but very pleasant for the visitor.
 
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Minn said:
RT McMullen (who can be said to have invented the idea of cruising in small yachts)
Claud Worth
Joshua Slocum
JC Voss
GHP Mulhauser
Conor O'Brien
WA Robinson
EG Martin
Harry Pigeon
RT Graham
Vito Dumas
HG Hasler (thanks to JW Wilson for the reminder)
The Hiscocks (count for two)
The Pyes (ditto)
The Smeetons (ditto)
HW Tilman
Peter Tangvald (thanks to Nicholas 123)
David Lewis
Ronnie Andrews
Robin Knox-Johnson
Arved Fuchs
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Cheat!

You are just reading along your bookcase!!
 
Cruising cats

Maybe i have missed the mention but didn't James Wharram sail all over, often with a crew of very scantily clad (if anything at all!) maidens. Every things I seem to remember of his exploits put him right up there in my book.

The fact that he designed and build the boats just makes him an even bigger dude.
 
Although he has not written a book, Nick Skeates - the designer and builder of Wylo II - is worth a mention.

Three circumnavigations on minimal budget and even less fuss.
 
As a representative of the mud slugging East Coast I would like to propose Charles Stock as an outstanding cruising sailor perhaps worthy of the list.

I would like to have to have seen him, just once cross the North Sea. I did ask him once and his reply was ' what do you want to go over there for ?'
 
chinita said:
Although he has not written a book, Nick Skeates - the designer and builder of Wylo II - is worth a mention.

Three circumnavigations on minimal budget and even less fuss.
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Agreed, definitely.

Actually, "not writing a book" is a sort of qualification of its own. The first owner of my boat, Philip Allen, used to have a sort of private competition with Hum Barton (whose boat Rose Rambler was recently bought by a friend) as to which of them could cross the Atlantic most times without writing a book about it - but then Philip spoiled his record by editing the RCC Atlantic Crossing Guide. ;)

Long Keeler - I agree about Charles Stock.
 
Minn said:
I apologise for biting your head off.

Having observed Tilman's seamanship as carefully as I could over several months I can find no fault with it; he had after all been taught it by Bobby Somerset and Hum Barton and he polished it by talking to old pilot cutter hands. My own sailing I had learned from my father who as a fisheries scientist and yachtsman when there still were sailing trawlers had spent as much time as he could on them.

Te boat I sailed on was not badly found or badly maintained; Tilman certainly did his bit to keep the Berthon Boatyard in business.

People sometimes forget that like Slocum he often writes with his tongue in his cheek, which I doubt is the case with Moitessier.

I am rather firmly in Tilman's camp in that I think one ought always to sail towards a destination, in an efficient and seamanlike manner, rather than aimlessly. I think I can pray Claud Worth in aid of that view as well.

As you certainly know, cold San Mig is never a problem, but it now comes in a multitude of varieties; the "light" version is very popular - still 5% but less of a headache the next day.

The new club is a white elephant but very pleasant for the visitor.
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My hat off to you, and I bow to your personal experience. About 13 years since I was in Subic last. Why did they have to mess with the little brown refillable stubby bottles of one of the best hot-weather beers anywhere. Singha in Thailand is good too, as is Kingfisher in Mumbai, though the Kingfisher sold here in England is rubbish.
 
I haven't seen the original list but what about the Pardeys?

More than any they have given a wealth of practical advice to the modern generations of cruisers whilst living the life themselves, from building their own boats upwards...

And Trevor,the iceman,Robertson (http://iron-bark.blogspot.com/). Single hander until he wed Annie Hill (http://www.anniehill.blogspot.com/) .Cruising in some of the most inaccessible parts of the planet.
 
Captain Thomas Drake......Looks like he started this ocean cruisin lark back in the early 1920s...Builts his own boatsand sailed singlehanded His adventures I found in a book by Eric Devine.."Midget Magellans"Bodley Head published in 1936
 
Another small unambitious sailer was Luis D.RUBIN,JR But his style of yachting gives hope to any under achiver....."Small Craft Advisory" ISBN 0-87113-533-7
 
If this is to be a list of cruising sailers then surely the likes of Macarther, RKJ etc don't really qualify as they were racers and/or record chasers........not that that diminishes their achievements in any way.
If we are looking for "true" cruisers then the Hiscocks and the Pardeys must be near the top of the list.
 
Updated list:

RT McMullen (who can be said to have invented the idea of cruising in small yachts)
Claud Worth
Joshua Slocum
JC Voss
GHP Mulhauser
Conor O'Brien
WA Robinson
EG Martin
Harry Pigeon
RT Graham
Vito Dumas
HG Hasler (thanks to JW Wilson for the reminder)
The Hiscocks (count for one)
The Pyes (ditto)
The Smeetons (ditto)
HW Tilman
Peter Tangvald (thanks to Nicholas 123)
David Lewis
Ronnie Andrews
Bernard Moitessier (thanks to JW Wilson)
Robin Knox-Johnson
Lin and Larry Pardey (count for one)(thanks to Gerry)
Tim and Pauline Carr(count for one)(thanks to Old Bawley)
Trevor Robertson (thanks to Gerry - boat is a Wylo 2 iirc)
Annie Hill (thanks to Gerry)
Arved Fuchs

That's 26 - who should be sacked and who else added?
 
Rigger Mortice said:
If this is to be a list of cruising sailers then surely the likes of Macarther, RKJ etc don't really qualify as they were racers and/or record chasers........not that that diminishes their achievements in any way.
If we are looking for "true" cruisers then the Hiscocks and the Pardeys must be near the top of the list.
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RK-J does also do proper cruising... pottering round Greenland in Suhaili is "proper" I think!
 
Minn said:
RT McMullen (who can be said to have invented the idea of cruising in small yachts)
Claud Worth
Joshua Slocum
JC Voss
GHP Mulhauser
Conor O'Brien
WA Robinson
EG Martin
Harry Pigeon
RT Graham
Vito Dumas
HG Hasler (thanks to JW Wilson for the reminder)
The Hiscocks (count for two)
The Pyes (ditto)
The Smeetons (ditto)
HW Tilman
Peter Tangvald (thanks to Nicholas 123)
David Lewis
Ronnie Andrews
Robin Knox-Johnson
Arved Fuchs

I am tempted to stick Erling Tambs and Arthur Ransome in the list, not because of the sailing they did but because of the influence they have had...but if I did that I'd have to let Gerbault and Moitessier in, so on reflection I won't.
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Here are some more who merit consideration :;

Lynn & Larry Pardey,
John Gore-Grimes
Tim & Pauline Carr (Curlew)
Willy Ker
Paddy Barry,
Jean-Louis Etienne (Antarctica/Tara)
Steve & Linda Dashew
Rev Bob Shepton
Peter Blake,
Gérard Janichon & Jérôme Poncet (Damien)
Eric Brossier & France Pinczon du Sel (Vagabond)
The Berque brothers
Laurent Bourgnon
Tristan Jones
Skip Novak
 
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