CRUISING HEROES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Katy Stickland chooses 25 modern cruising sailors who have inspired others to throw off the bowlines and explore by sail

- Katy Stickland

What constitutes a cruising hero in the 21st century, especially as so much of the previously uncharted waters have already been explored? 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 harbor. I narrowed my choice down to 25 skippers or sailing couples – I am sure many of you will disagree with my choices or believe I have missed your hero off the list; feel free to write in and let me know about which cruising sailors have inspired you most in the last 20 years.

1 ROGER TAYLOR: THE SIMPLE SAILOR

Roger Taylor believes in simplicity when it comes to sailing. He is a devotee of the Blondie Hasler principle that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on gadgets and a boat for ocean voyaging. While many might balk at taking an engineless junk-rigged 20ft Coribee into the high latitudes, Roger quietly sailed