Knox Johnson

[MarkMT 68]

https://www.avauntmagazine.com/adventure/sir-robin-knox-johnston

 

Some thoughts that might resonate...

 

 

Do you feel that the information overload of this era – the daily updates and the live imagery depreciates the power of modern adventure?

No! What depreciates the power of modern adventure is the increasing interference by health and safety. It’s totally out of control. Ran [sir Ranulph Fiennes] and I underwent a BBC risk assessment for a programme, and they decided we couldn’t light a Primus stove without being supervised: that Sir Ran and Sir Robin couldn’t be trusted to light a cooker! I mean, how many decades have we been doing this? This is the sort of nonsense that’s interfering with adventure. I’ve just had a load of stuff through from this French race I’m doing in November [The Route du Rhum, a 3,500-mile transatlantic single-handed yacht race that takes places every four years) and they say I’ve got to take seasickness pills. I don’t need bloody seasickness pills!

 

I was out sailing with my grandchildren in the harbour here, they were all in lifejackets and I wasn’t wearing one, and the patrol came up and said, “You should be wearing a lifejacket. It’s the law.” And I said “No it isn’t. The reason I’m not wearing a lifejacket is that if one of them falls in, I want to be able to swim after them. A lifejacket would be a hindrance.” “Well our advice is that you should wear one.” And I said, “So what qualifications have you got?” He said, “I’ve got my Boatman’s Licence.” And I said, “Well I’ve got a class one Masters’ Certificate, and I don’t need advice from a ruddy boatman. So f*ck off.” It was only because he was officious that he upset me.

 

[ScottiE 173]

I salute that man!

[Kevin McCready 28]

Feet of Clay

[wheels 404]

And I would also add, that if the dude did not recognise Knox-Johntson, he probably knew very little about Boating.

[Tamure 411]

Feet of Clay

 

Do even you know who he is and what he has done?

[Toltec 2]

No bullshit just do the job one of my most admired sailors.A World Of My Own one of the first books I ever read and have read it a few times since then

[Island Time 786]

Yep, top man. You have to admire him.

[Ex Babe 1]

Feet of Clay

Perhaps

 

Or perhaps someone with a lifetime of practical experience making an informed decision for himself based on the prevailing circumstances not wanting to be told by some muppet to do something 'just because'.  

[Zozza 127]

I think he got caught DIC recently

[Zozza 127]

"I was over in Cowes working on the boat one weekend and I remember hearing another reporter saying: “There’s old Robin – thinks he’s going to sail single-handed, nonstop around the world.” I said, “Well I’m going to try.” “It can’t be done and in any case you couldn’t do it,” he said. And I remember thinking, ‘You don’t know me. You’ve no idea of my background.’ I said, “Are you a schoolteacher or something?” “No, why?” “Because you’d be bloody depressing for your students if you were.” “You can’t say that!” he said. “I just f**king did,” I said, and went back to work."

 

Love it!