Robin Lee Graham (1949 - ) set out to sail around the world alone as a teenager in the summer of 1965. National Geographic Magazine carried the story, and he co-wrote a book detailing his journey titled Dove.
Graham was just sixteen when he set out alone from Southern California and headed west in his 24-foot sloop. He was originally gifted two kittens for company named Joliette and Suzette, and through his travels lost and gained several more, ultimately docking with Kili, Pooh and Piglet at the end of the journey. He married along the way and, after almost five years, sailed back into his home port in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Patti Ratterree, briefly attended Stanford University, then settled in Montana.
Graham's book about his voyage, Dove, was published in 1972. His voyage was depicted in a film, The Dove (1974). A followup book, Home Is The Sailor, was published in 1983. On July 16, 2009, 17 year old Zac Sunderland, who cites Robin as an inspiration, became the youngest American sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation since Graham, and the first person to ever accomplish this feat before their 18'th birthday. As of August 27th, 2009 the youngest person has been officially Mike Perham who grabbed the solo record after completing the 28,000-mile trip, crossing the finish line in Cornwall, in southern England. Perham is a 17-year-old British sailor who became the youngest person to sail around the world with assistance, completing the solo trip in nine months.
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The route
Pacific leg
After a shakedown cruise from San Pedro, California, to Hawaii, Dove left Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Honolulu on Sept. 14th, 1965. Graham's first landfall was 14 days later at Fanning Island, a British-controlled atoll. His next planned stop was Pago Pago on the Island of Tutuila in American Samoa. A fierce squall demasted Dove and left her unable to reach Pago Pago. Under jury-rig, Dove set course for Apia on Upolu, Western Samoa. Five months later the repaired Dove sailed to Pago Pago to wait out the hurricane season.
On May 1, 1966, Robin Graham sailed Dove to the Vava'u Group in Tonga. On June 21, Dove sailed to Fiji: first to Fulanga in the Lau Group, then Kabara and then on to Suva in the Viti Levu Group. Dove next made its way through the Yasawa Group, including the Naviti, Waialailai, Waia, Nalawauki, Tavewa, and Yasawa islands. It was on Fiji that he met the future Patti Graham (born c. 1944), a fellow American traveler who was "stopping to work at various places and living mainly by her wits."[1]
On October 22, Dove set sail for the New Hebrides, arriving at the capital, Port Vila, four days later. On November 20, Dove pulled into Honiara on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. While in the Solomons, Robin visited Florida Island, Savo Island and Tulagi Island. After one of Dove's slowest passages, landfall was made at Port Moresby, New Guinea on March 24, 1967.
Dove left New Guinea on April 18 and arrived in Darwin, Australia on May 4.
Indian Ocean leg
On July 6, 1967, Graham sailed Dove out of Darwin and made 1,900 miles in 18 days to reach Direction Island in the Cocos Islands. Eighteen hours out of the Cocos Islands, Dove was again demasted during a brief storm. Graham sailed under jury rig for 2,300 miles to reach Port Louis Harbor, Mauritius. After repairs, Dove made for Reunion Island and then sailed 1,450 miles to Durban, South Africa.
Graham spent nine months in South Africa, calling on ports along the southern edge of the continent including East London, South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Plettenbergbaai, Knysna, Stilbaai, Struisbaai, Gordon's Bay and finally Cape Town. He married his girlfriend and went on a honeymoon at Kruger National Park.
Atlantic Ocean leg
On July 13, 1968, Dove left Cape Town and sailed toward the northern coast of South Africa. On August 5, Dove made landfall in Clarence Bay Ascension Island. A week later, Graham sailed Dove out of Clarence Bay and towards Surinam. On August 31, Dove sailed up the Surinam River to the city of Paramaribo.
On October 12, 1968, Dove sailed out of the mouth of the Suriname River and headed to Barbados. After a month in Barbados, Graham's new boat, Return of Dove, was sailed down Fort Lauderdale to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands]. Graham sailed Dove from Barbados to St. Thomas and sold her before continuing his trip in the bigger Return of Dove on November 20, 1969. Eight days later, Graham reached the San Blas Islands, where he spent two months exploring.
After spending Christmas and New Year's Day in Cristobal in the Canal Zone, Return of Dove sailed through the Panama Canal and reached Balboa on January 17, 1970.
The boats: "Big Dove" and "Little Dove"
Robin started his journey on the original "Little Dove", a 24 foot Lapworth sloop. On reaching the Caribbean, Dove was replaced by "Big Dove", a 33 foot Allied Luders sloop.[2]
Dove sank in Hurricane Marilyn in 1995.
The Return of Dove was found in Hawaii by Mark and Beverly Langley in 2000. They restored her in 2001. She was sold again in 2004 and is believed to be still in Hawaii.
The Return of Dove ("Big Dove") has been sold and is being transported to the mainland. Plans are for the boat to be displayed to the public, along with the opening of a new musical in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 2007 about Robin Graham's adventure.[citation needed]
Bibliography
- Robin Lee Graham (1972). Dove. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-011603-X.
- Paperback reprint: Robin Lee Graham (1991). Dove. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-06-092047-5.
- Robin Lee Graham, with Derek Gill (1983). Home Is the Sailor. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-015154-4.
Footnotes
External links
- The Schoolboy Circumnavigation
- The Dove at the Internet Movie Database.
- The Robin Lee Graham Society at Yahoo Groups
- Robin Lee Graham's Sloop Dove at St. Thomas VI at You Tube
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