scots yachtsman blyth

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Chay Blyth: 50 years since his Impossible Voyage

• Katy Stickland
• July 9, 2021

50 years ago Chay Blyth became the first person to sail solo, non-stop, westwards around the world. Dee Caffari, the first woman to emulate his record, looks back at his achievement

Chay Blyth finished his solo non-stop westwards circumnavigation around the world on 6 August 1971. Credit: Getty

Before the attempt, Sir Francis Chichester commented that he thought the voyage was impossible, and on completion it became known as ‘The Impossible Voyage’, writes Dee Caffari

The Times newspaper in London described it as, ‘The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone’.

It is still considered the toughest challenge in sailing; only five people have ever managed it, a number which becomes more significant when compared to the 12 people who have walked on the moon.

The plan began in earnest to sail the ‘wrong way’ round the world in 1969.

It was not until 18 October 1970 that Chay Blyth departed from Southampton on board the 59ft ketch, British Steel .

His voyage had never been done before: to sail single-handed, non-stop, westwards around the world.

Blyth returned to a hero’s welcome 292 days later .

Thousands cheered and their Royal Highnesses Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne were there to greet him as was the then prime minister, Edward Heath.

Chay Blyth had become the first person to sail non-stop, around the world against the prevailing winds and currents .

Chay Blyth’s record breaking 59ft yacht British Steel. Credit: Getty

In recognition of his impressive achievement, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Sponsorship was vital to the success of the venture and Chay secured the backing of The British Steel Corporation.

This experience of gaining and developing a relationship with a major corporation was to shape not only Chay’s personal exploits in the following years but also his business initiatives too.

Those skills were something he happily passed on and I remember receiving advice from Chay about business meetings and how the world of corporate sponsorship worked during regular chats when I was preparing for my solo voyage .

Preparation for such a voyage is an endless task with phone calls, meetings, challenges and hurdles all to be overcome.

There are infinite decisions that need making and as you are the only sailor involved, you are the only one that can make the final decision.

The hours of commuting from boatyard to boardroom and back again gives you plenty of time to think.

Continues below…

40th anniversary of Chay Blyth’s return

Sailed into Southampton in 1971

Dee Caffari makes history

First woman to sail solo round the world both ways

Dee Caffari: 6 times around the world; 600 times around the garden

Like all of us, Dee Caffari had to abandon her sailing plans when COVID-19 hit. Budding journalist Harry Sowerby talks…

Chay, and his wife Maureen, worked tirelessly through their tasks.

I also remember driving back and forth during my preparation, making calls and endless lists. It’s not something that can be done alone.

You need a support network and those closest to you are crucial in fulfilling that role.

Without their support the dream never becomes a reality.

As departure day came closer Chay talked about it being not possible to be completely ready as there was always last-minute organised chaos.

The final night ashore you are unable to relax, your mind racing through final checklists, mixed with nerves and anxiety.

No one can take any more days of tension and pressure – all you want is the start line.

Chay recalled his emotions at his start: ‘I think you are beyond feeling, you don’t feel anything.’

As mentor for my ‘Impossible Voyage’ in 2005/6 , his parting words to me as I set off, were to remind me not to cry – it had been done before.

Asked how I felt, I think, like Chay, I was too busy initially to feel anything.

Then it was overwhelming. I was heading towards the Lizard Lighthouse, the stopwatch started and I was swamped with the reality of what I had chosen to undertake.

It took a while to settle into a routine.

Calms and light airs were conditions that both Chay and I seemed to find most difficult to tolerate.

Chay often talked to himself, a trait I can relate to.

It is like giving yourself a running commentary or a set of instructions out loud to follow.

The benefits are two-fold.

First it gives you confidence in your decisions on what actions to take.

It also feels like you have some dialogue or company while you do it.

Both of us were plagued with autopilot issues and had to constantly fix or hand steer in certain conditions, testing our resolve.

Chay had his army and para training to draw upon, and I had my stubbornness and tenacity, but both of us were determined to see things through.

A common topic that comes up no matter whose sailing memoirs you read are the constant references to food.

In the preparation phase the focus is all on performance, sails, navigation, boat systems and weather.

Sir Chay Blyth with Dee Caffari after finishing her own solo Impossible Voyage in 2006. Credit: Getty

But the reality is that when you are out there, it is the fuel you consume that keeps you going.

That, and sleep or rather the lack of it at times, and how that affects your mood in difficult circumstances.

Recognising how you react at these times, so you can do something about it, is something I probably underestimated in my voyage, despite having read about it in Chay’s book.

My relationship with Sir Chay Blyth started when I was one of his skippers in the 2004 Global Challenge Race – ‘The World’s Toughest Yacht Race’ .

He planted the solo non-stop seed in my mind during the Cape Town stop-over, while we were chatting after dinner.

Since his Impossible Voyage , only three men had followed in his footsteps, Mike Golding, Philippe Monnet and Jean-Luc Van den Heede.

In Chay’s opinion it was only a matter of time before a woman would do it, so why shouldn’t it be me?

Sir Chay Blyth may not have directly passed on his tips and techniques for dealing with mountainous seas and gale force headwinds, but the 14 years’ experience of sailing on Global Challenge races and the teams he put together to compete in them clearly benefited me .

I trusted their confidence and Blyth’s belief in me and my abilities.

When I crossed the finish line 15 years ago, having sailed myself into the history books following in Sir Chay Blyth’s footsteps, the first call I made was to Chay.

I was standing on deck in the rain with the wind blowing 50 knots and the phone inside my hood.

He had heard the news and had popped the Champagne cork and he sounded proud.

As he wrote in the foreword of my book published the following year: ‘The Impossible Voyage may no longer be impossible, but it remains hard, very, very hard.’

Sir Chay Blyth

Adventurer, businessman – an inspiration.

1940  – Born – Hawick , Scotland.

1958  – Joined the Parachute Regiment.

1966  – Rowed across The Atlantic in 92 days in an open 20ft dory, “English Rose II” with Capt. John Ridgway.  Awarded the BEM and voted Man of the Year..

1968  – Attempted to sail around the world aboard the 30ft yacht “Dyfiscus”.

1970-71  – Became the first person to sail non-stop single handed westwards around the world, aboard the yacht “British Steel” , taking 292 days.

1971  – Was made a  Commander of the British Empire  (CBE). Voted Yachtsman of the Year and again Man of the Year.  Also awarded The Chichester Trophy and became an Honourary Member of the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

1973 -74  – Skippered a crew of paratroopers in the yacht “Great Britain II”, which took line honours in the  Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race .

1978  – Won the Two Handed Round Britain Race in the yacht “Great Britain IV” with Rob James. And came second in the Round the Island Race (IoW).

1981  – Entered the Whitbread race again in the yacht “United Friendly” and was the first British yacht to finish.

1981  – On the yacht “Brittany Ferries GB” won the Two Handed Trans Atlantic Race with Co Skipper Rob James in record time.  Came second again in the Round the Island Race (IoW).

1982  – Came second overall and first in class in The Round Britain and Ireland Race on “Brittany Ferries GB”.

1984  – Capsized off Cape Horn aboard the trimaran “Beefeater II” whilst attempting the New York – San Francisco record attempt with Eric Blunn. Rescued by passing fishing boat after 19 hours in the water.

1985  – Co Skipper of “Virgin Atlantic I” with Richard Branson on Blue Riband attempt.

1986  – Co Skipper of “Virgin Atlantic II” with Richard Branson on successful Blue Riband crossing of The Atlantic.

1989  – Chay Blyth founded Challenge Business which was to re-shape global yacht racing opening it up to ordinary people and raising millions for charity in the process.

• 1992-93 British Steel Challenge
• 1996-97 BT Global Challenge
• 2000-01 BT Global Challenge
• 2004-05 Global Challenge

Challenge Business also launched the Trans Atlantic Rowing Race in 1997 and the Transat for Open 60s.

1990  – Attended six month course at the London Business School.

1997  – Chay Blyth knighted by the Queen for his services to yachting.

1997  – Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Portsmouth.

1998  – Honorary Doctorate of Technology from the University of Plymouth.

2000  – Chartered Institute of Marketing awards Chay Blyth its prestigious Companion of Honour.

2006  – Appointed Non-Executive Chairman of First Great Western Railway.

2008  – Appointed Chairman of FirstScot Railway Stakeholder Advisory Board

2012  – Purchased a new yacht “Lazy Jacques” – renamed “Wullie Waught”.

Leading Yacht Clubs • Working Together • Sharing Experiences

Celebrating Sir Chay Blyth’s 50th Anniversary of Solo Circumnavigation

Barry Pickthall

Royal Southern Yacht Club

September 8, 2021

Royal Southern Yacht Club welcome Sir Blyth and Sir Knox-Johnson to celebrate westabout achievements.

British yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth returned to the Hamble in August to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his victorious return to the UK at the end of a pioneering 292-day solo non-stop westabout circumnavigation against the prevailing winds and currents aboard his 59ft ketch rigged yacht British Steel.

A large crowd gathered at the Royal Southern Yacht Club to welcome his return, including fellow pioneer solo circumnavigator Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, and Mike Golding who was the first to break Sir Chay’s record 23 years later.

The fact that only five sailors have managed to complete the same “wrong way” voyage in the 50 years since, compared to the 140 who have sailed eastabout with the prevailing winds, underlines the enormity of Blyth’s feat at a time when yachts were not equipped with roller furling, GPS navigation, high-tech communications or tech-enabled self-steering. In fact, Blyth’s wind vane self-steering was smashed in a storm off Cape Horn, and Blyth had to steer his 59ft yacht by hand for the remaining 20,000 miles.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said, “Francis Chichester, Alec Rose, myself and Chay were the pathfinders when the Brits dominated this form of ocean sailing, which led to a lot of people taking up the sport.”

Mike Golding, a former fireman who has completed six circumnavigations is one of these. “Sir Chay’s voyage excited me enough to get sailing and has shaped my career ever since. The continuing success achieved this last week by Team GB sailors at the Tokyo Olympics may not have been nearly so good had these pioneers like Sir Chay and Sir Robin not excited so many to buy boats and get afloat, for it is their children or grandchildren that are now leading the charge in international sailing. We have a great deal to thank them for and today is marked in the history of our sport.

Sir Chay Blyth

• July 23, 2023

Club Secretary

• HoF Inductees

Sir Chay Blyth, our second live inductee, is another sailing pioneer – the first to sail single-handed non-stop westwards around the world against the prevailing winds and currents in 1971 aboard his a 59ft (18m) ketch British Steel.

As a Sergeant serving in the British Green Beret 3rd Parachute regiment, the Scot set a record, rowing across the Atlantic with Captain John Ridgway in 1966 in the 20ft (6m) open dory English Rose III, completing the distance from Cape Cod to Ireland in 92 days.

The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was another challenge that excited him, and with no previous sailing experience, he set out from Southampton aboard a 30ft (9m) yacht bilge keeled cruising yacht Dytiscus. Remarkably, he managed to round the Cape of Good Hope, before finding out that the design was no match for the Southern Ocean and retired to Port Elizabeth.

Undaunted by the experience, Blyth was spurred on by Robin Knox-Johnston’s ultimate success in the Sunday Times Golden Globe race to sail around the world the other way to become the first person to sail solo non-stop westwards, setting a pioneering record of 292 days in 1972. As a result he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

In 1973, Blyth skippered a crew of paratroopers aboard the 77ft (23.5m) yacht Great Britain II, winning the first Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race on elapsed time. He returned again in 1981/2, skippering the same yacht, renamed United Friendly, which was the first British yacht to finish.

Later Blyth founded the Challenge Business to organise a series of round the world races for amateur crews in 1992/3, 1996/7 2000/1 and 2004/5 for which he was knighted in 1997.

Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anFx1_dDKe4

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Hawick yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth remembers the Duke of Edinburgh

• Duke of Edinburgh
• Friday 16 April 2021 at 5:20pm

Video report by Jennifer Cordingley

Ahead of the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh tomorrow, Hawick yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth has been sharing his memories of his time with Prince Philip.

In 1971, Sir Chay completed a 10 month journey making him the first person to sail single-handed "the wrong way" (east to west) around the world.

There to welcome his arrival home was a crowd of more than 6000 people, brass bands, and Prince Philip.

A keen yachtsman himself, Prince Philip sailed at the Royal Southern Yacht Club where he was a patron, as well as competing regularly at Cowes. Sir Chay says, "He would mix with everyone, walk up and down the street, very approachable, he used to do a lot of yacht racing, dragon fleet and won a few times."

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Sir Charles Blyth , CBE , BEM (born 14 May 1940), known as Chay Blyth , is a Scottish yachtsman and rower. He was the first person to sail single-handed non-stop westwards around the world (1971), on a 59-foot boat called British Steel .

• 1 Early life
• 2 Rowing and sailing career
• 3 Business career
• 4 Achievements and accolades
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Early life [ ]

Blyth was born in Hawick, Roxburghshire. He joined the British Army Parachute Regiment when he was 18 and rose quickly through the ranks to become a Sergeant at the age of 21.

Rowing and sailing career [ ]

In 1966, whilst in the Army, Blyth, together with Captain John Ridgway , rowed across the North Atlantic in a 20 ft open dory called English Rose III . After successfully completing this in 92 days Blyth was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

In 1968, with no sailing experience, he competed in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race , aboard a 30 ft yacht called Dytiscus retiring just past the Cape of Good Hope.

In 1971 Blyth became the first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world , aboard the yacht British Steel , taking 292 days, and as a result was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

In 1973, Blyth skippered a crew of paratroopers in the yacht Great Britain II , which took line honours in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race , and in 1978 won the Round Britain Race in the yacht Great Britain IV 1981 - Entered the Whitbread race again in the yacht “United Friendly” and was the first British yacht to finish.

1981 – On the yacht “Brittany Ferries GB” won the Two Handed Trans Atlantic Race with Co Skipper Rob James in record time. Came second again in the Round the Island Race (IoW).

1982 – Came second overall and first in class in The Round Britain and Ireland Race on “Brittany Ferries GB”.

1984 – Capsized off Cape Horn aboard the trimaran “Beefeater II” whilst attempting the New York – San Francisco record attempt with Eric Blunn. Rescued by passing fishing boat after 19 hours in the water

He was co-skipper with Richard Branson on Virgin Atlantic Challenger I and Virgin Atlantic Challenger II in 1985 and 1986 respectively, before founding the Challenge Business to organise the 1992/1993 British Steel Challenge in 1989. This event allowed novices to sail around the world in a professionally organised race.

The British Steel Challenge was followed by two successive BT Global Challenge races in 1996/7 and 2000/2001. However, a downturn in the sponsorship market meant that the 2004/2005 Global Challenge race set off without a title sponsor.

In 1997, Blyth was created a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to sailing.

Business career [ ]

Sir Chay started the company Challenge Business, to operate the Global Challenge Round the World yacht races. The Chartered Institute of Marketing awarded The Companion of Honour to Sir Chay in 2000 for his services to the Profession of Marketing.

Sir Chay is chairman of Inspiring Performance. He also heads the Board of Directors at train company First Great Western - Greater Western franchise. He is Non Executive Chairman of the franchise which was formed to run the new and enlarged franchise from 1 April 2006. The franchise combines the previous First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains franchises.

As chairman of Challenge Business, he was the mentor for Dee Caffari on her successful bid to be the first woman to sail around the world against the prevailing winds and currents in 2005/6.

Achievements and accolades [ ]

• The first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world (1971)
• A street has been named after him in his birth town of Hawick. It is known as "Chay Blyth Place".
• Third Place in St Andrews Rectorship Elections 2008 [1]
• Awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Technology from Plymouth University in 1994.

See also [ ]

• Chay (given name)

References [ ]

• ↑ Fife Today news article on Rector elections

The Circumnavigators Chapter 31 by Don Holm

Grant Thornton Press Release

British Steel Yacht Homepage

External links [ ]

• English Rose III
• Pangbourne College
• 1 Comparative military ranks of Korea

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Scots sailing legend Sir Chay Blyth breaks leg on friend's yacht

LEGENDARY Scots yachtsman Sir Chay Blyth had the wind knocked out of his sails after a freak holiday fall.

• 00:00, 15 OCT 2011
• Updated 19:51, 1 JUL 2012

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The 71-year-old, who was the first person to sail around the world the "wrong way", suffered a serious leg break after slipping on the deck of a friend's boat in Spain.

He was flown to Scotland by air ambulance and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where surgeons operated on his thigh bone on Tuesday.

Sir Chay had just reached the end of a family holiday on a friend's yacht at Sant Carles de la Rapita in Catalonia last Thursday when the accident happened. Daughter Samantha Blyth said: "We had a great holiday and were all packed and ready to leave for the airport when my dad slipped on morning dew and broke his femur.

"It was apparently a bad break to mend but everything is fine and dad is doing really well.

"He is in great hands and the staff at the hospital have been fantastic."

Chay, a former para, shot to fame when he became the first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world in 1971 aboard the 59ft long yacht British Steel, taking 292 days.

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