British Steel (yacht)
Encyclopedia
British Steel is a 59 ft (18 m) ketch
famous for a circumnavigation
of the globe "the wrong way" (i.e. from east to west, against prevailing winds and currents) by Sir Chay Blyth
in 1970/71.
The entire race was completed in in 292 days. Described by The Times
as "The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone", under the headline "Boat of Steel - Man of Iron", the feat inspired two generations of ocean voyagers and adventurers, forming the basis of the 1992 British Steel Challenge and the subsequent BT Global Challenges
.
British Steel is currently moored in Dartmouth, Devon
and undergoing restoration.
, on the River Dart
. Launched on August 19 of that year, after a record build time of four months, British Steel was described by Don Holme in his book, "The Circumnavigators", as representing the absolute pinnacle of modern yacht design and construction at the time, particularly with regard to the use of steel in the building of her hull.
It was primarily for this reason, when approached by the erstwhile adventurer and "publicity-yachtist" Chay Blyth, then state-owned British Steel Corporation (now Corus) agreed to sponsor his plan.
Purpose-built to achieve what was widely regarded as impossible, the design and construction of British Steel cost £
20,000. Boasting state-of-the-art electronics, she also featured a host of other innovative features to complete her voyage single-handed.
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
famous for a circumnavigation
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
of the globe "the wrong way" (i.e. from east to west, against prevailing winds and currents) by Sir Chay Blyth
Chay Blyth
Sir Charles Blyth, CBE, BEM , known as Chay Blyth, is a Scottish yachtsman and rower. He was the first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world , on a 59-foot boat called British Steel.- Early life:...
in 1970/71.
The entire race was completed in in 292 days. Described by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as "The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone", under the headline "Boat of Steel - Man of Iron", the feat inspired two generations of ocean voyagers and adventurers, forming the basis of the 1992 British Steel Challenge and the subsequent BT Global Challenges
Global Challenge
The Global Challenge was a round the world yacht race run by Challenge Business, the company started by Sir Chay Blyth in 1989...
.
British Steel is currently moored in Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
and undergoing restoration.
History
British Steel was designed by Devon-based naval architect Robert Clark, and built in 1970 by George Phillip and Son, at NossNoss, Dartmouth
Noss is the name given to an Iron Age hill fort situated close to Dartmouth in Devon, England. The fort is situated on the South Western slope of a promontory on the Eastern side of a hill west of the Village of Hillhead some 65-80 Metres above Sea Level overlooking Noss Point in the Dart Estuary....
, on the River Dart
River Dart
The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.-Watercourse:...
. Launched on August 19 of that year, after a record build time of four months, British Steel was described by Don Holme in his book, "The Circumnavigators", as representing the absolute pinnacle of modern yacht design and construction at the time, particularly with regard to the use of steel in the building of her hull.
It was primarily for this reason, when approached by the erstwhile adventurer and "publicity-yachtist" Chay Blyth, then state-owned British Steel Corporation (now Corus) agreed to sponsor his plan.
Purpose-built to achieve what was widely regarded as impossible, the design and construction of British Steel cost £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
20,000. Boasting state-of-the-art electronics, she also featured a host of other innovative features to complete her voyage single-handed.