Chichester was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 1958 (possibly a misdiagnosed lung abscess), which went into remission after his wife placed him on a strict vegetarian diet.

In WWII Chichester enlisted for the UK as a Navigation Expert, literally writing the manual for solo fighter aircraft 'kneeboard navigation,' enabling them to run missions across Europe and return successfully, counteracting the errors resulting from the difficulties of taking sun sights with a sextant alone from a moving airplane. On an attempt to circumnavigate the world solo by airplane some time later he hit an overhead cable and went down in Japan. On Lord Howe Island his plane was heavily damaged and he ended up having to rebuild it himself with the help of native islanders. He made the first solo flight East to West across the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia, and was the first to land an aircraft at Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.

Sir Francis Chichester was a distinguished aviator before becoming a yachtsman. I love accounts of true sailing adventures, and when I recently rediscovered this book on my shelf I finally dove in. Surprisingly, I had never heard of Sir Francis Chichester or of his book Gypsy Moth Circles the World until I found and bought a copy at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney several years ago. Como era de esperar el libro está cargado de términos marineros, por lo que también ha sido interesante ampliar el vocabulario en esta materia. Yo no soy marinero ni lo quiero ser, pero me ha resultado una lectura interesante, aunque algo repetitiva porque durante muchos días nos cuenta las operaciones y maniobras para llevar el velero a rumbo y sus rutinas diarias, las dificultades con las tempestades o con las calmas, los problemas con el motor, las velas o el comportamiento del barco en algunas circunstancias, además de otras anécdotas o singularidades que surgen en esta gran aventura. Toda una hazaña que merece la pena conocer, una navegación sin gps, a base de las cartas náuticas y la orientación astronómica. Soñar es poner en práctica los sueños, y esto es lo que hizo F. El viaje más veloz alrededor del mundo de navegación en solitario en un pequeño velero, con una sola escala, 29.630 millas y 226 días pasados en la mar.

Plymouth-Sidney-Plymouth, del 16 de agosto de 1966 al 28 de mayo de 1967.

Gipsy moth circles the world