Francis Chichester
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE
(17 September 1901 – 26 August 1972), aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
for becoming the first person to sail single-handed
around the world by the clipper route
, and the fastest circumnavigator
, in nine months and one day overall.
, Devon
, England
, and was the son of an Anglican clergyman, Reverend Charles Chichester, seventh son of Sir Arthur Chichester, 8th Baronet (see Chichester Baronets
). His mother was Emily Annie, daughter of Samuel Page. He was sent to a residential boarding school
at the age of 6, and attended Marlborough College
as an adolescent during the first World War. At age 18, Chichester emigrated to New Zealand
, where in ten years he built up a prosperous business in forestry, mining and property development, only to suffer severe losses in the Great Depression
.
, Surrey, and became a qualified pilot. He then took delivery of a de Havilland Gipsy Moth aircraft, which he intended to fly to New Zealand, hoping to break Bert Hinkler
’s record solo flight back to Australia en route. Mechanical problems meant the record eluded him; however, he completed the trip in 41 days. The aircraft was then shipped to New Zealand. Finding that he was unable to carry enough fuel to cross the Tasman Sea
directly, he had his Gipsy Moth fitted with floats, borrowed from the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, and went on to make the first solo flight across the Tasman Sea from East to West (New Zealand - Australia.) He was the first aviator to land an aircraft at Norfolk Island
and Lord Howe Island
. Again, the trip was delayed: after his aircraft was severely damaged at Lord Howe, he had to rebuild it himself with the help of islanders.
Though the concept of "off-course navigation" (steering to one side so you know which way the error is) is probably as old as navigation, Chichester was the first to utilize it in a methodical manner in an aircraft. His only method of fixing his position was to take sun sights with a sextant
. This was a difficult thing to do in a moving aircraft which the pilot was also required to fly the aircraft at the same time. After the sun sight was taken he then had to make calculations by long-hand. As all this could be unreliable he needed an alternative. When he reached a point at which the sun angle was at a pre-calculated angle, the pilot then made a 90 degree turn to the left (or right as pre-calculated) and then flew along this line until the island was reached. The advantage of this method was that the effects of drift were reduced to errors in distance travelled, usually much smaller. The technique allowed him to find tiny islands in the Pacific. He was awarded the inaugural Amy Johnson
Memorial Trophy for this trip. Chichester then decided to circumnavigate the world solo; he made it to Japan; but, on take-off from Katsuura Harbour Wakayama, he collided with an overhead cable, sustaining serious injuries.
, serving in the United Kingdom as a navigation expert. He wrote the navigation manual that allowed the pilots of single-handed fighter aircraft to navigate across Europe and back using kneeboard navigation similar to that which he used in the Pacific. At the end of the war, he stayed in the United Kingdom. He purchased 15,000 surplus Air Ministry maps, initially pasting them on boards and making jigsaw puzzle
s out of them; and later founded a successful map-making company.
. (This may have been a mis-diagnosis; Dr. David Lewis, a London physician who competed against Chichester in the first solo trans-Atlantic race, reviewed the case and called Chichester's abnormality a "lung abscess.") His wife Sheila put him on a strict vegetarian diet (now considered to be a macrobiotic diet) and his cancer went into remission. Chichester then turned to long-distance yacht
ing.
In 1960, he entered and won the first single-handed
transatlantic yacht race, which he had co-founded, in the yacht Gipsy Moth III. He came second in the second race four years later.
On 27 August 1966 he sailed his ketch
Gipsy Moth IV
from Plymouth
in the United Kingdom and returned there after 226 days of sailing on 28 May 1967, having circumnavigated
the globe, with one stop (in Sydney
, Australia). By doing so, he became the first person to achieve a true circumnavigation of the world
solo from West to East via the great capes
. The voyage was also a race against the clock as Sir Francis wanted to better the typical times achieved by the fastest fully crewed clipper ships during the heyday of commercial sail in the 19th century, (the first recorded solo circumnavigation of the globe was achieved by Joshua Slocum
in 1898 but it took him three years with numerous stops - Slocum also took up the harder challenge of sailing east to west, against the prevailing wind).
(the first Englishman with his crew to complete a circumnavigation). Gipsy Moth IV was preserved alongside the Cutty Sark
at Greenwich
.
Chichester was also honoured in 1967 by a newly-issued 1/9 (one shilling
and nine (old) pence) postage stamp, which showed him aboard Gipsy Moth IV. This was a violation of the unwritten tradition of the General Post Office
, because Chichester was not a royal nor dead when the stamp was issued.
In 1970, Chichester attempted to sail 4,000 miles in 20 days, in Gipsy Moth V, but failed by one day.
Francis Chichester died of cancer in Plymouth
, Devon on 26 August 1972, and was buried, in the church of his ancestors at St Peters Church , Shirwell, near Barnstaple
.
, is a British politician, and Conservative Member of the European Parliament for South West England and Gibraltar.
In November 2004 she was lifted out of Greenwich dry dock (which some had called the yacht's "grave") after being sold to the UK Sailing Academy in Cowes
, Isle of Wight, for a token £1 and a gin and tonic
, said to be Chichester's favourite tipple. The UKSA, Yachting Monthly and the Maritime Trust were the three major project partners in the bold campaign to save the yacht. She was taken by road back to Camper & Nicholson, her original builders in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour.
On 20 June 2005 Gipsy Moth IV was relaunched after a £400,000 refit with money raised by donations from the public and equipment and services given by the British marine industry. In September 2005 she embarked on a 21-month educational round-the-world voyage with the Blue Water Round the World Rally, via the trade wind route and the Panama and Suez Canals (not the Capes as had been followed in its first circumnavigation). In spring 2006, she ran aground on an atoll in the South Pacific. An extensive restoration in Auckland was required to repair the yacht, which was successfully refloated in June 2006. After being accompanied into Plymouth by a flotilla of boats, the Gipsy Moth IV docked at West Hoe Pier on 28 May 2007, as she did exactly 40 years ago, to complete her journey round the world.
The yacht's restoration and the second circumnavigation are described in Paul Gelder's 2007 book, "Gipsy Moth IV: A Legend Sails Again".
pay tribute to the achievements of Sir Francis in their album track entitled Single Handed Sailor, which is track No.8 (of 9) of their 1979 album, Communiqué.
Norfolk Island
issued a stamp, in 1981, commemorating the first landing of an aircraft on the Island, Chichester's Gipsy Moth Mme Elijah, at Cascade Bay on 28 March 1931. Another stamp (14 cents) was issued by Norfolk Island at a later date showing Chichester's seaplane.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(17 September 1901 – 26 August 1972), aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
for becoming the first person to sail single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
around the world by the clipper route
Clipper route
In sailing, the clipper route was the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. The route ran from west to east through the Southern Ocean, in order to make use of the strong westerly winds of the Roaring Forties...
, and the fastest circumnavigator
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 :...
, in nine months and one day overall.
Early life
Chichester was born in BarnstapleBarnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and was the son of an Anglican clergyman, Reverend Charles Chichester, seventh son of Sir Arthur Chichester, 8th Baronet (see Chichester Baronets
Chichester Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Chichester, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2008....
). His mother was Emily Annie, daughter of Samuel Page. He was sent to a residential boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
at the age of 6, and attended Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
as an adolescent during the first World War. At age 18, Chichester emigrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where in ten years he built up a prosperous business in forestry, mining and property development, only to suffer severe losses in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Air pilot
After returning to England in 1929 to visit family, he took flying lessons at BrooklandsBrooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
, Surrey, and became a qualified pilot. He then took delivery of a de Havilland Gipsy Moth aircraft, which he intended to fly to New Zealand, hoping to break Bert Hinkler
Bert Hinkler
Herbert John Louis Hinkler AFC DSM , better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean...
’s record solo flight back to Australia en route. Mechanical problems meant the record eluded him; however, he completed the trip in 41 days. The aircraft was then shipped to New Zealand. Finding that he was unable to carry enough fuel to cross the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
directly, he had his Gipsy Moth fitted with floats, borrowed from the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, and went on to make the first solo flight across the Tasman Sea from East to West (New Zealand - Australia.) He was the first aviator to land an aircraft at Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
and Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
. Again, the trip was delayed: after his aircraft was severely damaged at Lord Howe, he had to rebuild it himself with the help of islanders.
Though the concept of "off-course navigation" (steering to one side so you know which way the error is) is probably as old as navigation, Chichester was the first to utilize it in a methodical manner in an aircraft. His only method of fixing his position was to take sun sights with a sextant
Sextant
A sextant is an instrument used to measure the angle between any two visible objects. Its primary use is to determine the angle between a celestial object and the horizon which is known as the altitude. Making this measurement is known as sighting the object, shooting the object, or taking a sight...
. This was a difficult thing to do in a moving aircraft which the pilot was also required to fly the aircraft at the same time. After the sun sight was taken he then had to make calculations by long-hand. As all this could be unreliable he needed an alternative. When he reached a point at which the sun angle was at a pre-calculated angle, the pilot then made a 90 degree turn to the left (or right as pre-calculated) and then flew along this line until the island was reached. The advantage of this method was that the effects of drift were reduced to errors in distance travelled, usually much smaller. The technique allowed him to find tiny islands in the Pacific. He was awarded the inaugural Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson CBE, was a pioneering English aviator. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, Johnson set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s...
Memorial Trophy for this trip. Chichester then decided to circumnavigate the world solo; he made it to Japan; but, on take-off from Katsuura Harbour Wakayama, he collided with an overhead cable, sustaining serious injuries.
World War II cartography
Chichester enlisted at the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving in the United Kingdom as a navigation expert. He wrote the navigation manual that allowed the pilots of single-handed fighter aircraft to navigate across Europe and back using kneeboard navigation similar to that which he used in the Pacific. At the end of the war, he stayed in the United Kingdom. He purchased 15,000 surplus Air Ministry maps, initially pasting them on boards and making jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
s out of them; and later founded a successful map-making company.
Yachtsman
In 1958, Chichester was diagnosed with terminal lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. (This may have been a mis-diagnosis; Dr. David Lewis, a London physician who competed against Chichester in the first solo trans-Atlantic race, reviewed the case and called Chichester's abnormality a "lung abscess.") His wife Sheila put him on a strict vegetarian diet (now considered to be a macrobiotic diet) and his cancer went into remission. Chichester then turned to long-distance yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
ing.
In 1960, he entered and won the first single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
transatlantic yacht race, which he had co-founded, in the yacht Gipsy Moth III. He came second in the second race four years later.
On 27 August 1966 he sailed his ketch
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...
Gipsy Moth IV
Gipsy Moth IV
Gipsy Moth IV is a yawl that Sir Francis Chichester commissioned specifically to sail single-handed around the globe, racing against the times set by the clipper ships of the 19th century.-Background and design:...
from Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
in the United Kingdom and returned there after 226 days of sailing on 28 May 1967, having circumnavigated
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 :...
the globe, with one stop (in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia). By doing so, he became the first person to achieve a true circumnavigation of the world
Around the world sailing record
The first around the world sailing record was, logically, set by the first person who circumnavigated the world: Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray .Most races...
solo from West to East via the great capes
Great capes
In sailing, the great capes are the three major capes of the Southern Ocean — the Cape of Good Hope , Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn. South East Cape of Tasmania and South West Cape at the southern tip of Stewart Island/Rakiura are also sometimes included as major landmarks of a circumnavigation...
. The voyage was also a race against the clock as Sir Francis wanted to better the typical times achieved by the fastest fully crewed clipper ships during the heyday of commercial sail in the 19th century, (the first recorded solo circumnavigation of the globe was achieved by Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Canadian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World...
in 1898 but it took him three years with numerous stops - Slocum also took up the harder challenge of sailing east to west, against the prevailing wind).
Honours and later life
Chichester was knighted a few weeks later in July 1967 for individual achievement and sustained endeavour in the navigation and seamanship of small craft. For the ceremony, the Queen used the sword used by a predecessor of hers, Queen Elizabeth I, to knight the adventurer Sir Francis DrakeFrancis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
(the first Englishman with his crew to complete a circumnavigation). Gipsy Moth IV was preserved alongside the Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954...
at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
.
Chichester was also honoured in 1967 by a newly-issued 1/9 (one shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
and nine (old) pence) postage stamp, which showed him aboard Gipsy Moth IV. This was a violation of the unwritten tradition of the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
, because Chichester was not a royal nor dead when the stamp was issued.
In 1970, Chichester attempted to sail 4,000 miles in 20 days, in Gipsy Moth V, but failed by one day.
Francis Chichester died of cancer in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Devon on 26 August 1972, and was buried, in the church of his ancestors at St Peters Church , Shirwell, near Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
.
Family
Sir Francis Chichester had two sons, George and Giles. His younger son, Giles ChichesterGiles Chichester
Giles Chichester is a British Conservative Party politician, and a Member of the European Parliament for South West England and Gibraltar. He was elected as a temporary Vice President of the European Parliament on 6 July 2011 to replace Silvana Koch-Mehrin who had resigned over plagiarism...
, is a British politician, and Conservative Member of the European Parliament for South West England and Gibraltar.
Gipsy Moth IV's restoration
By the early 2000s, the condition of Gipsy Moth IV, even though it continued to rest in a Greenwich drydock hoist, had seriously deteriorated. Admirers of the vessel knew that she required a complete restoration if her life was to be extended. A campaign was launched in 2003 by Paul Gelder, editor of Yachting Monthly magazine, to sail the yacht around the world a second time in observance of the 40th anniversary of Chichester's epic voyage (and coincidentally the 100th birthday of the magazine).In November 2004 she was lifted out of Greenwich dry dock (which some had called the yacht's "grave") after being sold to the UK Sailing Academy in Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
, Isle of Wight, for a token £1 and a gin and tonic
Gin and tonic
A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water poured over ice. It is usually garnished with a slice or wedge of lime, or lemon. The amount of gin varies according to taste...
, said to be Chichester's favourite tipple. The UKSA, Yachting Monthly and the Maritime Trust were the three major project partners in the bold campaign to save the yacht. She was taken by road back to Camper & Nicholson, her original builders in Gosport, Portsmouth Harbour.
On 20 June 2005 Gipsy Moth IV was relaunched after a £400,000 refit with money raised by donations from the public and equipment and services given by the British marine industry. In September 2005 she embarked on a 21-month educational round-the-world voyage with the Blue Water Round the World Rally, via the trade wind route and the Panama and Suez Canals (not the Capes as had been followed in its first circumnavigation). In spring 2006, she ran aground on an atoll in the South Pacific. An extensive restoration in Auckland was required to repair the yacht, which was successfully refloated in June 2006. After being accompanied into Plymouth by a flotilla of boats, the Gipsy Moth IV docked at West Hoe Pier on 28 May 2007, as she did exactly 40 years ago, to complete her journey round the world.
The yacht's restoration and the second circumnavigation are described in Paul Gelder's 2007 book, "Gipsy Moth IV: A Legend Sails Again".
Other posthumous honours
The English rock group Dire StraitsDire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
pay tribute to the achievements of Sir Francis in their album track entitled Single Handed Sailor, which is track No.8 (of 9) of their 1979 album, Communiqué.
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
issued a stamp, in 1981, commemorating the first landing of an aircraft on the Island, Chichester's Gipsy Moth Mme Elijah, at Cascade Bay on 28 March 1931. Another stamp (14 cents) was issued by Norfolk Island at a later date showing Chichester's seaplane.
External links
- BBC story from 1967
- "Gipsy Moth IV" website
- Gipsy Moth Circles the World at The Open Critic