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Murdoch McGregor, 82, and Katie McCabe 14, became the oldest and youngest sailors to tour Britain
Katie McCabe, 14, and Murdoch McGregor, 82, have completed their world tour around Britain and made history books.
Katie now takes the torch of the youngest to have sailed solo around Great Britain via the Caledonian Canal from Timothy Long, who achieved the feat last year, at age 15. He supported his challenge.
This is an unofficial record because Guinness World Records does not recognize records set by under-16s.
McGregor is now the oldest person to tour Britain, and the family are still awaiting Guinness World Records ratification.
He will set the benchmark for the feat as the organization currently has no record for the oldest person to sail around Britain. He sailed via Cape Wrath.
Katie’s journey aboard her West Channel One Design sloop built by Morgan Giles in the 1950s, Falanda left the River Exe on June 30 and lasted seven weeks and four days.
For insurance reasons, her father, David also had to sail counterclockwise, keeping two miles behind her in her 33ft yawl.
It was not his first long solo trip. The teenager sailed Falanda, which she herself restored, from the River Exe to the Isles of Scilly and back in 2020, again in her father’s shadow.
Katie said the only challenge in her circumnavigation was crossing the Menai Strait, having arrived later than expected.
âYou really should get over there dead water, but because we were late we rushed. It’s best not to have a tide at the Swellies, but we ended up crossing at 12 knots which was a little terrifying, âsaid Katie, who has spent most of her life living and sailing on board. from the converted 50ft family fishing trawler. Ros Ailither.
She said the trip went well, with several overnight stays; the only faulty gear was a broken water pump and impeller which were repaired at Fishguard.
When asked why she liked solo sailing, she replied, âIt’s really nice and calming. I can be alone for a while and think.
Memorable moments included sailing with the dolphins on the way from Milford Haven, Wales to Newlyn, Cornwall.
‘We had phosphorescence in the water. It was like shiny green dust, then the dolphins came. We could only see the outlines of the dolphins in green; they were like torpedoes firing in black water, âshe said.
Katie is a passionate environmentalist and has managed to raise over £ 15,600 for the Sea Shepherd UK charity.
Donate to Katie’s fundraising appeal for Sea Shepherd UK here.
She now plans to âtry her hand at runningâ and make other solo trips, notably to Biscay.
Katie met Murdoch McGregor in Oban, as the two were touring the world.
The octogenarian described their meeting as the highlight of his trip, praising his seamanship skills and stating that “she is the most exciting young person I have ever met.
A seasoned boater, Murdoch didn’t start sailing until he was 72 and decided to circle Britain clockwise via Cape Wrath after his solo trip in Norway has been postponed due to COVID-19.
He left his home port of Alloa on the River Forth in Scotland aboard his Hunter Horizon 232, Artemis June 5, ending August 22, the same day as Katie.
The member of the Forth Cruising Club has previously sailed solo to St Kilda, Shetland, the Baltic Sea to Poland, having met the German sailor Rudiger Engel and his son Alex in the Shetlands, and from the Forth to London, then to the inland to Oxford.
He also toured Scotland via the Caledonian Canal, his first major solo adventure. Initially he intended to sail up the coast 70 miles to Stonehaven, but with the encouragement of his friend, Nigel Holl, who first persuaded Murdoch to start sailing, he “kept moving” .
âI was doing stories every day and they compared me to Forest Gump. Instead of shouting âRun Forest Runâ they were shouting âSail Murdoch Sail!
Continued below …
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Despite a “back problem” that made him wonder if he should give up his circumnavigation and mis-timing a pass past The Lizard, Murdoch said the trip went well.
‘I didn’t have a fixed, rigid passage plan and did a lot of homework on each section of the trip so I knew what I was getting into. I had nothing set in stone. I’m just letting things unfold for a bit, which is actually a treat, âhe said.
‘The real star of the show is my boat, Artemis. It’s a small boat but a very large performer. I just point at it and it takes me, âhe said.
He hopes his circumnavigation will inspire others to follow in his wake.
âNigel started it all on his own, no one else had convinced me to sail. I pass on his advice to others; keep it simple and get yourself a simple boat. ‘
Murdoch has also raised money for charity – over £ 8,000 for Mental Health UK in memory of his younger brother, Jim
Donate to Murdoch’s fundraising appeal for Mental Health UK here
And his next big adventure? “I’ve always wanted to take a ride in the Grand National,” he joked.
Did you like reading Sailors aged 14 and 82 end their tour of Britain?
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