Knox-Johnston auctions famous Route du Rhum shorts for RNLI
by Julia Wall-Clarke 22 Dec 2014 16:18 GMT
26 December 2014
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston finishes 3rd in the Rhum class in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe © Christophe Breschi
When Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, 75, finished on the podium of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe race last month, it wasn't just his big grin that attracted a lot of attention as he sailed into the Caribbean port.
After 20 days at sea solo, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race founder accepted his highly celebrated third place Rhum prize in a pair of funky Hawaiian shorts. Photos of Sir Robin, the oldest competitor in the race, in the bright attire appeared in press reports around the world, and now you can bid to win the famous shorts which have been framed and signed by Sir Robin. All the money will be donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The auction closes just ahead of midday on Christmas Day.
Sir Robin, famously the oldest participant in the transatlantic classic, got the shorts in Hawaii during the Clipper 2007-08 Race when the fleet was on its stopover there. They were a sharp contrast from the bright yellow foulies Sir Robin wore at the much colder start of the transatlantic Route du Rhum race which left Saint Malo, France, on 1 November.
The framed shorts can be given as a unique Christmas gift, though please note actual delivery will take place in the New Year due to Festive period opening hours.
More than 40 years have gone by since Sir Robin Knox-Johnston made history by becoming the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the globe in 1968-69.
One of nine sailors to compete in the Times Golden Globe Race, Sir Robin set off from Falmouth, with no sponsorship, on 14 June 1968. With his yacht Suhaili packed to the gunwales with supplies he set off on a voyage that was to last just over ten months. He arrived back in Falmouth after 312 days at sea, on 22 April 1969, securing his place in the history books.
Among a long list of accolades, Sir Robin has been named the UK's Yachtsman of the Year three times and has completed three circumnavigations as well as many offshore races across the planet. Sir Robin also established the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996 to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Over the past twenty years, almost 3,000 novice sailors have taken on the challenge and become ocean racers.