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Roger Taylor navigates his engineless 24ft Mingming II on a 4,000 mile nonstop voyage around the usually icebound waters of the Arctic
A single unstayed mast and panelled junk-rig sail give Mingming II a flexible sailplan, all controlled from inside the main hatch. Credit: Bertie Milne Credit: Bertie Milne
Small boat cruiser Roger Taylor shares his solo voyage into the uncharted Arctic
The breeze was by now fresh, the sea a dark indigo, and there we were, almost at the top of world, little more than 500 miles from the North Pole, sailing gaily east along 81°N.
It was a crazy concept to be running down our easting along such a line of latitude. I kept a good watch, but saw no hint of ice.
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Katy Stickland chooses 25 modern cruising sailors who have inspired others to throw off the bowlines and explore by sail
Like many of us, Thom D’Arcy dreamed of sailing over the horizon. He has now completed a
circumnavigation of the world aboard his Vancouver 28. Credit: Thom D Arcy
When you think of sailing heroes you automatically think of those skippers who achieved ‘firsts’.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Sir Francis Chichester, Dame Naomi James and Bernard Moitessier, to name just a few, would all feature on such a list.
But I decided to focus on the sailors who are actively cruising, and whose writing and vlogging over the last two decades have quietly inspired sailors to plan and set sail on their own adventures, even if it was only for a short cruise from their home port or harbour.