CLOSING HIS CIRCLES
Sailing World|Summer 2023
American circumnavigator Joe Harris can't get enough of that offshore thing. Round and round he goes
HERB MCCORMICK
CLOSING HIS CIRCLES

ON a dark St. Patrick's Day morning-some 15 miles from the Lorient, France, finish line for the Globe40 doublehanded round-the-world. raceJoe Harris sat down at the bumpy navigation station of his extremely well-traveled Class 40 yacht, Gryphon Solo 2, and commenced to type his final blog post from a cold and rainy Biscay Bay.

"We are loping along at 7 knots of boatspeed without our foot on the accelerator for the first time in forever, as we are going to be in third place for this leg no matter what. So we are timing our arrival for daylight, and I thought this last night at sea might be a good time to digest and try to make sense of these past 10 months," he wrote in the last of dozens of posts that chronicled the eight-leg, 35,000-nautical-mile voyage he shared with mate Roger Junet.

"Trying is a word that comes to mind. Tumultuous is another, as is turbulence, but maybe I just like words that start with a T?"

As he closed the circle on his second circumnavigation on the boat-the first had been a solo record attempt for a Class 40 in 2015-16-tenacious is another appropriate adjective. That's because, for Harris, these last few miles were but the latest chapter in an epic nautical journey that started some five decades earlier, commencing with junior sailing, then learning the ropes on a collection of race boats from his rock-star bowman dad, to amassing his own series of racers, including an old, leaky wooden boat, a C&C 40 and an Aerodyne 38. Finally, he moved into the elite realm of shorthanded offshore sailing, first on a canting-keel Open 50 before moving into the Class 40 battles and knocking off a pair of circles around the planet.

Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av Sailing World.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av Sailing World.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SAILING WORLDSe alt
Tips for More Successful Epoxy Projects
Sailing World

Tips for More Successful Epoxy Projects

That have nothing to do with epoxy mixing or application techniques

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2023
Auxiliary Rear Station Build
Sailing World

Auxiliary Rear Station Build

From past fishing experiences, I've learned that quick changes in speed and direction are often required when retrieving a hooked fish.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2023
TARGETED PERFORMERS
Sailing World

TARGETED PERFORMERS

Defending their title at the 420 Youth Worlds in July, Freddie Parkin and Asher Beck were on a roll-until they weren't.

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall 2023
BALANCE ON THE PINNACLE
Sailing World

BALANCE ON THE PINNACLE

The path to gender equity in the Olympics has been a long and twisted one, but when the sailors assemble in Marseille next year, we'll finally see what's been a long time coming.

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2023
SIMPLE STEPS TO CONSISTENT SPEED
Sailing World

SIMPLE STEPS TO CONSISTENT SPEED

Boatspeed is the magic ingredient for winning races because we can get away with bad decisions if we are fast, but we can't make good choices if we're slow.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2023
THREE-DIMENSIONAL JIB-LEAD ADJUSTMENTS
Sailing World

THREE-DIMENSIONAL JIB-LEAD ADJUSTMENTS

Floating jib leads give trimmers more dynamic control of the headsail profile.

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2023
BETTER TOGETHER
Sailing World

BETTER TOGETHER

Success over three decades comes down to making it meaningful.

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2023
JUSTINE THE MACHINE
Sailing World

JUSTINE THE MACHINE

This self-effacing Swiss sailor has-in her quiet and understated way become one of the stars of offshore ocean racing in recent years, whether as part of a winning crew in The Ocean Race or building her credentials as a top-class solo racer.

time-read
6 mins  |
Fall 2023
THE MULTITASKING MULTIHULL MOM
Sailing World

THE MULTITASKING MULTIHULL MOM

Competing in Olympic sailing's most challenging discipline is one thing, but doing so with a tyke in tow takes the campaign hustle to a higher level.

time-read
5 mins  |
Fall 2023
CONNECTED COAST TO COAST
Sailing World

CONNECTED COAST TO COAST

From sunny St. Pete to historic Marblehead, the 34th edition of the Regatta Series linked sailors and friends across the country, with a few new twists.

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2023