Dr. Stanley Paris, 77, has had to abandon his quest to become the oldest and fastest person to sail solo continuously and without assistance around the world after damage to his yacht made it too dangerous to continue. Dr. Paris, founder of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in Florida, began his journey, appropriately, in St. Augustine and was close to the tip of South Africa when he had to put an end to the trip.
Without an engine or any hydrocarbons of any sort, Dr. Paris hoped to sail around the world’s great capes, as the only American to ever do it completely green. However, his yacht, Kiwi Spirit, ran into some trouble when a portion of the mainsail became separated from the rest of the sail. Unfortunately, the damage could not be fixed while at sea, making further travel extremely risky. Consequently, Dr. Paris had to call it quits on December 25th, Christmas Day.
In a post on his blog, the daring adventurer states, “This of course is a big disappointment to me and too many who have wished me well. But that is life. I have never let difficulties get in my way of trying something worthwhile. I am always aware that failure can occur but I have never let the fear of failure deter or prevent me from trying. To do so would be to accept mediocrity and that I will never do. To all who wished me well, family, friends, colleagues and school children I am sorry to disappoint you yet once again and wish you all well in following your dreams.”
Photo Courtesy of 4.bp.blogspot.com
This is the second time that Dr. Paris has had to end his journey early due to issues with his yacht. He spent four years planning his first trip before having to call it quits after suffering damage to the boat. His aim is to beat the record set by Dodge Morgan, who was able to circumnavigate the world solo in a record 150 days, back in 1986.
As of now, Dr. Paris’ yacht is being sent to Capetown for necessary repairs before being sent back to the United States.
Is this the end of Dr. Paris’ attempts to circumnavigate the globe solo? Given his determination, it seems extremely unlikely. He set off for his second attempt at circumnavigating the globe only a year after his first trip, making another attempt at the end of this year a definite possibility. As they say, the third time’s the charm.
