A Class Of His Own
In 1968 and ’69, the legendary French yachtsman Bernard Moitessier was sailing in the prestigious Golden Globe Race for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the planet by sail. He stood to win a large prize pot and instant fame if he won the race and was well placed to do so. However, after rounding Cape Horn, he pulled alongside a passing ship and used a slingshot to fire a message onto its deck. It contained a statement to the effect that he was pulling out of the race, with immediate effect “because I am happy at sea and perhaps to save my soul”. Then he set a course for the Pacific, with no other goal than complete freedom. It’s a fitting coincidence that, almost at the same time, Jeff Beck…