Will fourth time be a charm?

Dr Stanley Paris plans to solo circumnavigate the world without stopping on his Finot-Conq 53, departing November 29 from St. Augustine, FL. Now 81 years old, this will be his fourth effort after three failed attempts.

Beyond a personal challenge, his goal for the first three campaigns was to better the 150 day, 6 hour record from Bermuda back to Bermuda set by Dodge Morgan in 1986. He was also eager to set a reference for time from St Augustine, FL, set a reference for his age, and set a reference for energy (green mode, using no hydrocarbons).

His first attempt in 2014 ended when the deck fittings supporting the mast began to fail and he retired into Cape Town, South Africa. A year later it was a complete tear of the mainsail and once again ending in South Africa. Then last year he incurred electronic malfunctions that required repair in Bermuda.

He had planned a restart from there only to be told by WSSR (World Sailing Speed Record Council) that under the rules a course around the world that starts and finishes in Bermuda is too short a distance to qualify by some 346 nautical miles to be considered for an around the world feat.

By the standards set by WSSR, a solo voyage from St. Augustine around Bermuda and then south to the Southern Ocean passing under South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and South America before heading north to again round Bermuda and finish in St. Augustine does qualify for a solo non-stop circumnavigation.

So he tries again, but after three failed attempts, Paris has tempered his aspirations for this fourth departure. His goals are:

1. Just get around nonstop.
2. Challenge Dodge Morgan’s 1986 solo Bermuda back to Bermuda.
3. Be the second to do it green. Conrad Coleman managed it in the 2016-17 Vendee Globe.
4. Be the oldest at 81 years.
5. Set a record from St. Augustine

“I am planning for a low-key departure as with three failed attempts, how can I expect anyone to have confidence in me,” notes Paris. “My own confidence has been shaken and the odds remain against success.”

His estimated time is 160-170 days at sea.

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