Derek that was just so so good. What a story what a guy Bernhard was. Have to say I wouldnt have been pleased if I backed him to win haha!. But so well told and the production values werent lost on me, they were brilliant. I can only imagine the time and effort you put in to it. One small point is you mentioned Alex Carrotso but he wasnt pictured amongst the others but probably because hes hard to find being such a long tima ago as I tried searching myself?. This series is steller and quite out of the blue to your norm so its great to see you are diversifying the content. Im looking forward to the next one.
haha thanks a lot, Aidan. This did in fact take a lot of time to create and edit etc :) Yes, I had initially only put one or two photos of the participants into the video. There was no reason for leaving Alex out at all. Really appreciate the thoughtful comment and encouragement - I'm really enjoying this blank canvas and thinking about all the stories I can tell through the series - Cheers, Derek
I'm feeling so inspired to be making this new series and I hope you guys are enjoying it. THANK YOU for all your kind and interesting comments on the last video (and this one). I really appreciate it more than you will know ;) Derek
We certainly are enjoying it, a lot. Thanks Derek. I came for the Irish guy walking around Ireland as I miss visiting your country wholeheartedly. I stayed for Derek Cullen, thought provoker, adventurer, story teller, and all round good guy. Thanks man. We appreciate you.
@@johanisnotagamer wow Jonathan, what an amazing and kind comment. Thanks so much. I will be taking another long walk through Ireland this year but really loving discovering these stories too :) Thanks again, great to have you here!
His account of how a school of dolphins saved him South of Tasmania has stayed with me for 50 years of my 80. What a man. Thanks for this doccy.. Much appreciated .. especially since our recent🇿🇦Golden Globe winner ❤️ in Minnehaha.
Very glad to have found this piece you put together. I first learned of Bernard Moitessier in the book A Voyage For Madmen. In it, the book uncovered somehistory of each participant in the Golden Globe Race including when Bernard and Francoise decided to return from Tahiti to France. They sailed around the Horn as opposed to the longer, albeit safter route of heading west and through the Suez Canel to return to France. The Logical Route was the book he wrote about the return to France from Tahiti prior to the GGR. The ebbs and flows of his state of mind reflect in part, the internal struggle between his far east upbringing and the fame he had found. He was clearly one with the wind and sea and remains an inspiration to so many. One part of that race that many don't realize is that Nigel Tetely had already crossed his outward track in the Atlantic and had in fact, circled the globe non-stop prior to the sinking of his boat. Thinking that Donald Crowhurst in his 'faster trimaran' was hot on his heals, Nigel pushed his boat harder to get to the finish. Having already been in a weakened state, the damaged bow of the port hull finally broke away and in doing so, it holed the main hull. Nigel's race was over. The false reporting of Donald led to Nigel pushing his boat too hard. All Nigel really had to do was nurse his boat back to the UK to win the fastest time award. Given the circumstances behind the sinking of Victress and the actual accomplishment of Nigel Tetely, it is a shame he didn't get more recognition. A few years after the GGR, Nigel committed suicide.
03:41 Note routing is incorrect. Moitessier's return voyage was via Cape Horn ~ (The Longue Route). His passage to Polynesia was through Panama by way of Galapagos.
Great video - thanks for posting! Bernard's book "The Long Way" has a permanent place aboard my sailboat and I read it at least once a year. It reminds me to be Human and to try to connect with the Universe. Fair winds, Capt. Blackheart Charlie s/v Aurora
An enjoyable overview of the story. There is much more though as in Moitessier's youth and experiences of war in Indo China which was more of a motivator to escape to sea and find solace. The story of his beloved boat Joshua too who he believed had a soul and with whom he felt at one with. Joshua was eventually wrecked in a storm while Moitessier was in California in his later years and he didn't have the means to salvage her so had to reluctantly abandon Joshua on the beach. Eventually Joshua was rescued and restored and Moitessier did get to meet Joshua again. Ironically Joshua ultimately outlived Bernard. I am not sure if madness affected his decision to abandon the Golden Globe race either. From reading his book 'The Long Way' I interpreted it more of a spiritual epiphany which made him reject the values of civilization but also not wishing to return to land where he was haunted by his past memories of wartime. It's a facinating story! One of my favourite parts of The Long Way is when a school of Dolphins accompanying Joshua and Bernard start behaving strangely and repeatedly veering off to one side wildly. Bernard is puzzled and it prompts him to check his course only to find he was about to run Joshua into a submerged reef. He believed the Dolphins were warning him.
I reread The Long Road almost every year because to me it's like a spiritual cleanser. I don't always agree with Moitessier views about society (we're all the products of our era after all) but when it comes to sailing, understanding the ocean & the unbreakable bond between a man & his boat, he was a master. I'm glad that Joshua is well taken care of to these days because that "piece of junk" brought so much to so many people around the world. It's a very special vessel. RIP Bernard, I hope you found what you were looking for. 💙 from France.
Excellent choice of story. So cool you recognized as so few have the true hero of that amazing race. Anything that brings attention to the present Golden Globe race is also good as it is a true race of man against nature that just about anyone can afford to enguage in as opposed to the millions in sponsorship money needed in all the other sailing races.It is literally the only Ocean Sailing Race I have any interest in. Cheers and good luck...Kim 69 years old retired offshore Tugman now cruising these past 12 years and now in Indonesia aboard my 39' Southern Cross Sloop
Thank you for your relaying this to us. I’d add an unimportant detail: the first person to sail alone around the world was Joshua Slocum. But Joshua stopped many times. The race referenced in your video was meant to immortalize the first individual to sail NON-stop around the world. Bernard named his boat after Joshua Slocum.
That was a fantastic episode Derek! How about doing a similar episode on the “Totorore Voyage”? In 1983 at the age of 56, Gerry Clark set out from New Zealand in his 10 metre home built wooden yacht to circumnavigate Antarctica in a quest for new information about seabirds. In this graphic account of the ensuing 3 year 8 month voyage, he describes his adventures in some of the remotest, wildest and most spectacularly beautiful parts of the world. It is one of the most remarkable small boat adventure of all time and not many people know about him.
Nice video, thank you. There's another interesting french sailor, that is Marcel BARDIAUX who was the 1st to pass the cap Horn from east to west... also Vito Dumas...
I tryed hard to get infos about Marcel Bardiaux and his boat INOX and what happend to them but found nothing . Do you know anything? Cheers from germany ✌️
Bernard Moitessier... he changed the direction of my life... his book Long way change my understandings and woke up the curiousity in me. To see more, to remember more, to speak with more people and learn and think. To breathing deeper And living lifer. Very good video Derek, thanks.
As a solo sailor who has always been deeply inspired by Bernard, I really appreciated this video. You really went the extra mile with this one. Well done. And thank you.
I believe it's called "The Long Way" Sean. I've read a lot about Bernard this week and actually, I'd imagine the book is a great one. He seems to talk a lot of sense in general but I find the interesting thing is that all of his lessons/perspectives seem to come from life at sea! Thanks for watching :)
I'm just about to read his book "The Long Way", so great introduction. He was mentioned in Knox Johnson's book and was an enigma worth pursuing. Smashing video.
I had completely forgotten about this fantastic story- thank you so much indeed . I even have his book somewhere , I must dig it out and read it again. From a new Subscriber .
Moitessier is a true Inspiration to many. His books are still available with the proceeds going to his surviving family: The Long Way, Tamata and the Alliance, Vagabond, and more
I did read the book went I was a little boy Bernard Moitissier a genuine human been very inspiring...a beautiful spiritual journey. Robin Knox great sailor a true gentleman he won the golden race and gave the price 💰to charity. As a little boy ...was Bernard that won the race for me,still today.
He gave the money to crowhurst’s family who killed himself along the race, that’s a whole different story but he made the paper match his donation to his family!
Even a Brit should know that: ."Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844[1] - on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wrote a book about his journey, Sailing Alone Around the World, which became an international best-seller.". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Slocum
Not to diminish Slocums achievement, it took him 3 years and many stops to circumnavigate. In fact, he financed his journey by lectures about his ongoing adventure. Also he got a lot of assistance in ports. Upon his stop in Gibraltar his boat was tended by the british Navy for free. The golden globe race means no foot on land, no assistance, no reprovisioning.
Love all of it about Sailing out of civilization to the unknown seas' which give a new and different excitement to our regularly-overscheduled land locked very dull lives.
As a professional yacht skipper, once hugely inspired by those taking part in the Golden Globe race, (yes, I'm that old), I have experienced a tiny fraction of what Moitessier was feeling during his time alone at sea. It's important to remember that he grew up in an environment (now we know as Vietnam), a culture very far removed from the grabbing, acquisitive culture of the west. He owned and skippered his own junk-rigged trading vessel while barely out of his teens, we can't judge his ideas and passions by our western standards, his was a more gentle world of acceptance of the universe and what it offered. I've on occasion, after only three weeks at sea, felt discomfort and resentment that my rythm and routine is now about to be interrupted by the technicalities and navigational problems of entering a port, of dealing with the trivia of complying with pointless paperwork and the bustle of people, and I grew up in London ! No, there was no issue of 'madness', certainly not the loss of rational experienced by Crowhurst, even Crowhurst would have survived his experience had Nigel Tetley's trimaran not broken up under the pressure of being too hard pushed. In any case, we shouldn't try to judge these people by the standards of those who live quiet lives at 17 Acacia Ave, and retire to the garden centers. They're different people from birth.
Great video Derek. An amazing story. Robin Knox's story is also amazing. I think when it comes to adventure and exploration sailing is the ultimate, and with the minimal technology back in the day those men were brave and skilled beyond belief. Inspirational. Thanks for sharing
Well done lovely video, I have the boat and am getting her ready to do the same within 2years, I am up grading her for the voyage ,shake down cruise around Iceland next June 😀 solo .
Thanks so much Derek as I’m learning an awful lot through your videos. I really enjoy the story on Bernard battling the high seas all around the world just fascinating to me
What an inspiring story. I had never heard of him before. Your talent in visually complementing your words is superb. I'm going to watch the McCandless one now! I've heard of him, read the book and watched the movie. Another inspiring story! Keep it up Derek!
Thanks very much Robert. Any stories like the last two that you can think of? I'm always on the lookout for ideas. If not, have a think and let me know on future videos if something comes to mind !
Fantastic story Derek. I love that he allowed the sea to dictate if he would finish the race or go east. He wasn’t going to be conformed to the rules or lure of fame and fortune. Thanks for sharing 👍🏼
When you showed the route of Moitessier's round trip voyage to Tahiti and back, your cursor ran the route backwards. To return to France they sailed around Cape Horn.
That was great 👍 fair play Derek 😊 I'd never heard of this story at all. What a wise man at the end of it all, I think we could all learn a little something from this man. Do what you love and makes you happy and do it for yourself, no one else. Loving this series so far 👍 cheers 😊👏👏👆
That's right, JR. I read a lot about him during my research and he was spot on about so many things! Thanks for the comment and encouragement, great to hear you are enjoying them !
@@DerekCullenOutdoors I'll definitely be looking him up 👍 I watched "Alive" last night after watching your video on the story. Great watch👌 cheers for the recommendation 😊👍
Hi there, you look like me, are ya from Australia ? I know the story of Moitessier, but it was nice to hear it again from you. By the way his second shipwreck was in St. Vincent, not Grenada. And when he sailed to Tahiti with Françoise, he took the trip first through the panamacanal, and then from Tahiti, he sailed around cape horn to Alicante, Spain nonstop, 14 000 miles alltogether. The other way around as on your map. Anyway, you made some very good comments on Bernard Moitessier, he was my hero, I even had the same boat for a couple of years.
Hello Derek great program I love your enthusiasm and I must say your accent seals the deal for me I spent time in Europe as a child that was magical in the early 80s BUT I never made it north of England I’m 50 years old now and one day would love to visit Ireland and Scotland on my way to the far east to dig up my roots …keep up the great work and you got a new sub and friend God bless you and all the works of your hands brother.
Little precision which appeared in his last book : Moitessier had grown in 2 cultures, he got very well along with the Viets, but when the Indochina war broke out ..... he joined the French and fought against the Viets until ...... his brother killed a Vietnamese local community leader, and realizing what he had done , committed suicide. THIS is the shock that he spent most of his life trying to understand. His long sea adventures are the results of a permanent internal struggle.
Hi derek, thanks for your video , i read many times about bernard, just one correction, the first round the world by the capes east bound wasn t chichester , it was vito dumas on legh II an argentine sailor in 1942, cheers from argentina
I followed the race in the Sunday Times weekly and I also got photos of the different boats from London. It was very interesting and I remember clearly Bernhard broke the race. when Robin Knox Johnston was missing for a time and Donald Crowhursts fake perticipation in his cat which ended with suiside. Bernhards boat was built in steel with wooden masts if I remember correct.
Great video mate, similar to yourself I came across this story while reading another one and what a rabbit hole! I find it very interesting that such extended periods of isolation and essentially lack of stimulation such as a round the world sailing trip can either send someone into an irrecoverable depression, or give them a spiritual rebirth (as is the case here)
great video. I immediately subscribed to your inspiriting channel, walking through Ireland.... and the I bought an old copy of The Long Way, I too hear the faint call of the infinite soul.
Hang on, just watched this and you said Moitessier was in the lead when in fact he wasn't, Knox-Johnson was! After the race, in a letter to Johnson Moitessier did say that he reckoned he would catch him and take the lead but, that was conjecture as he, as you rightly say, turned away.
Came across his story while listening to a podcast. The Courage he had to turn his back on winning the race so he could save his soul is really admirable. ❤
Thank you very much Tommy. It too a good 4 days to make but I really enjoy making these. Can you think about any people/stories that I might take a look at for future episodes? Cheers
@@DerekCullenOutdoors Oh plenty, plenty! How about this: "In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps". I still gotta watch the McCandless story. I'm curious about your take!
@@TommysOutdoors Oh I like this Tommy, thanks a lot - will do some digging! And yeah, I definitely think you will relate to what I have to say about McCandless near the end of that one (my opinion). Cheers Tommy!
I had not heard of Bernard, but had read the story about Crowhurst. I think his boat is in Little Cayman. I think you’re doing a great job on your documentaries, Derek.
At 3:43 you have his route completely wrong! Moitessier sailed to Tahiti, via the Panama Canal, returning home from Moorea to Alicante via Cape Horn, “The Long Route”. His route out to the Pacific was not Cape Horn first! Terrible inaccuracy.
@@johnnyghia Exactly John, no technology or support and only nature. His views of the world are really interesting as he seems to know/understand more in spite of spending all that time alone at sea !
Another great video...really enjoyed that. Never heard that story before. No idea why a couple of people would downvote your video...must be bigger monkies than the rest of us : )
Thanks a lot Phillip, it’s a mad story eh! Haha it’s the same person that downvotes the video as soon as they see I’ve uploaded a new one - feel sorry for them 😂
@@DerekCullenOutdoors I remember reading about a guy called Andrew McCauley who tried to kayak across the Tasman sea. I think his wife wrote a book about it. That or our own Tom Crean :-]
@@joebeatty4405 Joe, I was very touched by that story. If you do a little google search, you will find a documentary about the Andrew Mcauley trip. It's heartbreaking but the doc is extremely well done. It used to be free on TH-cam but not sure where to find it now. It's called "Solo". Highly recommend a watch!
Just getting back to you Joe. I think the next one will be about the Uruguayan rugby team plane crash in the Andes from the movie ALIVE. I will be updating this Patreon page in the future to keep everyone posted on what's coming next - www.patreon.com/outdarestories
There is no questioning Moitessier's prowess as a sailor, but, as a man, he was, IMO, a piece of shit. He abandoned his wife and 4 children so he could play on his sailboat. As a father, I find this unforgivable. He should have completed the race, donated the prize money if he was against the idea of it. Or maybe he could have used it to support his family. But no, he wanted to avoid his responsibilities and play on his boat. All the excuses in the world to try to build him into some sailing hero are BS.
I had the pleasure of sailing with Bernard Moitessier in Tahiti and on to New Zealand I think it was 1969. We kind of clicked as friends when he saw me intensely inspecting his vessel careened on the beach. I had built several steel boats myself so we had a lot in common. Wonderful man and I have many fond memories of him. We were diving off the reefs near Papeete. I speared a fish and immediately got Bernard's attention to get out of the water because of the sharks now circling us. Bernard signaled me he was going to stay for a bit longer. I was quite shocked to see Bernard punching the shark in the snout and eyes. When he finally got out of the water I asked if he had a death wish, to which he replied it was safe to do that because sharks do not like that at all!
In 1973, the United Kingdom organized the first head to head sailing race around the world, inviting expert crews from Europe and other countries against each other. The Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, today the prestigious Volvo Ocean Race took the sport to its limits. The British Royal Navy purchased six yachts to train 800 man and chose the best four 10-man crews for each of the four legs of the race, yet, an inexperienced Mexican man also signed up. In his fifties, with a crew that included his wife, son, family and friends. His name, Ramon Carlín. A docu" the weekend Sailor " is a Most!
Brilliant Derek... never heard of this story... Maybe Tom crean he had some adventures specially with Shackleton... Tom creans book unsung hero is one of the best books I've read. Have you read it ???
Thank you Patsy! That's a good call with Tom Crean - not easy to recreate with free/copyright free footage which is an obstacle :) I haven't read the book bt it's certainly on the list :)
In le route longue, Montessier clearly writes that he ditched the race when he learned how far ahead Knox Johnson was, to sail around the world a second time and go to Tahiti. ... No one was going to buy books by the guy whose greatest achievement was coming in second! The only second worth reading about was his second lap around the world !
I never heard of this guy. Thanks for the sharing, 'Civilization ends at the waterline' Most interesting survival mad lad story would have to be 'The Barefoot bandit'. Have you heard of him?
Bravo for this well done podcast video, that reflects well on whom Moitessier was and inspired, as he changed so many people minds thanks to his legacy and books. Will the bunch of monkeys sail East one day?….
Ummm Bernard. You have a wife. Unbelievably selfish. Could have left again. Strange. I'm beginning to think they were all leaving home to sail off around the world with the hope of no return. A bored suicide. No one would ignore the danger in preparation so why you would not be happy for it to end is it an unexpected return that got to them.. Ohh her and them. With the other she states she wishes she had not encouraged his departure. A lesson learned of how hard life actually was to raise her family. Not as easy as she thought it would be at the time. To also be better off was a mith.
Went through a phase of reading sailing disaster books you should read fastnet force 10 about the 1979 fastnet race. Photo of Hall Ferris still hunts me he looked like he was asleep in a wam chair as he as airlifted out of the water he died soon after.
Derek that was just so so good. What a story what a guy Bernhard was. Have to say I wouldnt have been pleased if I backed him to win haha!. But so well told and the production values werent lost on me, they were brilliant. I can only imagine the time and effort you put in to it. One small point is you mentioned Alex Carrotso but he wasnt pictured amongst the others but probably because hes hard to find being such a long tima ago as I tried searching myself?.
This series is steller and quite out of the blue to your norm so its great to see you are diversifying the content. Im looking forward to the next one.
haha thanks a lot, Aidan. This did in fact take a lot of time to create and edit etc :) Yes, I had initially only put one or two photos of the participants into the video. There was no reason for leaving Alex out at all. Really appreciate the thoughtful comment and encouragement - I'm really enjoying this blank canvas and thinking about all the stories I can tell through the series - Cheers, Derek
The editing is pretty slick.. I played it on the telly and it could have been the discovery channel. Nice work..
@@GraceRosemary1981 haha thanks Grainne, I appreciate it ....lots of burning the midnight oil ahead :p
It was Donald Crowhurst . Plenty will come up on Google on him. I am doing the GGR22 starting next September.
I'm feeling so inspired to be making this new series and I hope you guys are enjoying it. THANK YOU for all your kind and interesting comments on the last video (and this one). I really appreciate it more than you will know ;) Derek
We certainly are enjoying it, a lot. Thanks Derek. I came for the Irish guy walking around Ireland as I miss visiting your country wholeheartedly. I stayed for Derek Cullen, thought provoker, adventurer, story teller, and all round good guy. Thanks man. We appreciate you.
@@johanisnotagamer wow Jonathan, what an amazing and kind comment. Thanks so much. I will be taking another long walk through Ireland this year but really loving discovering these stories too :) Thanks again, great to have you here!
His account of how a school of dolphins saved him South of Tasmania has stayed with me for 50 years of my 80. What a man. Thanks for this doccy.. Much appreciated .. especially since our recent🇿🇦Golden Globe winner ❤️ in Minnehaha.
Very glad to have found this piece you put together. I first learned of Bernard Moitessier in the book A Voyage For Madmen. In it, the book uncovered somehistory of each participant in the Golden Globe Race including when Bernard and Francoise decided to return from Tahiti to France. They sailed around the Horn as opposed to the longer, albeit safter route of heading west and through the Suez Canel to return to France. The Logical Route was the book he wrote about the return to France from Tahiti prior to the GGR. The ebbs and flows of his state of mind reflect in part, the internal struggle between his far east upbringing and the fame he had found. He was clearly one with the wind and sea and remains an inspiration to so many. One part of that race that many don't realize is that Nigel Tetely had already crossed his outward track in the Atlantic and had in fact, circled the globe non-stop prior to the sinking of his boat. Thinking that Donald Crowhurst in his 'faster trimaran' was hot on his heals, Nigel pushed his boat harder to get to the finish. Having already been in a weakened state, the damaged bow of the port hull finally broke away and in doing so, it holed the main hull. Nigel's race was over. The false reporting of Donald led to Nigel pushing his boat too hard. All Nigel really had to do was nurse his boat back to the UK to win the fastest time award. Given the circumstances behind the sinking of Victress and the actual accomplishment of Nigel Tetely, it is a shame he didn't get more recognition. A few years after the GGR, Nigel committed suicide.
03:41 Note routing is incorrect. Moitessier's return voyage was via Cape Horn ~ (The Longue Route). His passage to Polynesia was through Panama by way of Galapagos.
Great video - thanks for posting! Bernard's book "The Long Way" has a permanent place aboard my sailboat and I read it at least once a year. It reminds me to be Human and to try to connect with the Universe.
Fair winds,
Capt. Blackheart Charlie
s/v Aurora
An enjoyable overview of the story. There is much more though as in Moitessier's youth and experiences of war in Indo China which was more of a motivator to escape to sea and find solace. The story of his beloved boat Joshua too who he believed had a soul and with whom he felt at one with. Joshua was eventually wrecked in a storm while Moitessier was in California in his later years and he didn't have the means to salvage her so had to reluctantly abandon Joshua on the beach. Eventually Joshua was rescued and restored and Moitessier did get to meet Joshua again. Ironically Joshua ultimately outlived Bernard.
I am not sure if madness affected his decision to abandon the Golden Globe race either. From reading his book 'The Long Way' I interpreted it more of a spiritual epiphany which made him reject the values of civilization but also not wishing to return to land where he was haunted by his past memories of wartime.
It's a facinating story! One of my favourite parts of The Long Way is when a school of Dolphins accompanying Joshua and Bernard start behaving strangely and repeatedly veering off to one side wildly. Bernard is puzzled and it prompts him to check his course only to find he was about to run Joshua into a submerged reef. He believed the Dolphins were warning him.
I reread The Long Road almost every year because to me it's like a spiritual cleanser. I don't always agree with Moitessier views about society (we're all the products of our era after all) but when it comes to sailing, understanding the ocean & the unbreakable bond between a man & his boat, he was a master. I'm glad that Joshua is well taken care of to these days because that "piece of junk" brought so much to so many people around the world. It's a very special vessel. RIP Bernard, I hope you found what you were looking for. 💙 from France.
Tottaly agree, The Long Road is a fantastic book. I am glad that there are now also this video to memorize Bernard. Greetings from Denmark
Excellent choice of story. So cool you recognized as so few have the true hero of that amazing race. Anything that brings attention to the present Golden Globe race is also good as it is a true race of man against nature that just about anyone can afford to enguage in as opposed to the millions in sponsorship money needed in all the other sailing races.It is literally the only Ocean Sailing Race I have any interest in. Cheers and good luck...Kim 69 years old retired offshore Tugman now cruising these past 12 years and now in Indonesia aboard my 39' Southern Cross Sloop
Thank you for your relaying this to us. I’d add an unimportant detail: the first person to sail alone around the world was Joshua Slocum. But Joshua stopped many times. The race referenced in your video was meant to immortalize the first individual to sail NON-stop around the world.
Bernard named his boat after Joshua Slocum.
That was a fantastic episode Derek! How about doing a similar episode on the “Totorore Voyage”? In 1983 at the age of 56, Gerry Clark set out from New Zealand in his 10 metre home built wooden yacht to circumnavigate Antarctica in a quest for new information about seabirds. In this graphic account of the ensuing 3 year 8 month voyage, he describes his adventures in some of the remotest, wildest and most spectacularly beautiful parts of the world. It is one of the most remarkable small boat adventure of all time and not many people know about him.
Nice video, thank you. There's another interesting french sailor, that is Marcel BARDIAUX who was the 1st to pass the cap Horn from east to west... also Vito Dumas...
I tryed hard to get infos about Marcel Bardiaux and his boat INOX and what happend to them but found nothing . Do you know anything?
Cheers from germany ✌️
Bernard Moitessier... he changed the direction of my life... his book Long way change my understandings and woke up the curiousity in me. To see more, to remember more, to speak with more people and learn and think.
To breathing deeper
And living lifer.
Very good video Derek, thanks.
Am a few years 2 late with this comment but will be following your channel from here on in what an amazing man Bernard wasindeed.
As a solo sailor who has always been deeply inspired by Bernard, I really appreciated this video. You really went the extra mile with this one. Well done. And thank you.
What a great tale. Definitely reading that book.
I believe it's called "The Long Way" Sean. I've read a lot about Bernard this week and actually, I'd imagine the book is a great one. He seems to talk a lot of sense in general but I find the interesting thing is that all of his lessons/perspectives seem to come from life at sea! Thanks for watching :)
I'm just about to read his book "The Long Way", so great introduction. He was mentioned in Knox Johnson's book and was an enigma worth pursuing. Smashing video.
I had completely forgotten about this fantastic story- thank you so much indeed . I even have his book somewhere , I must dig it out and read it again. From a new Subscriber .
Great job Derek. Nicely edited, researched and delivered and well paced. Thanks for bringing this mans life to light.
Moitessier is a true Inspiration to many.
His books are still available with the proceeds going to his surviving family: The Long Way, Tamata and the Alliance, Vagabond, and more
I did read the book went I was a little boy Bernard Moitissier a genuine human been very inspiring...a beautiful spiritual journey.
Robin Knox great sailor a true gentleman he won the golden race and gave the price 💰to charity.
As a little boy ...was Bernard that won the race for me,still today.
He gave the money to crowhurst’s family who killed himself along the race, that’s a whole different story but he made the paper match his donation to his family!
Wonderful story, well told. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for leaving this comment, Lisa. It was a pleasure to make it and felt the story was worth re-telling :)
Well that's an amazing story, and thanks for putting it out there!
Loved it derek,you tell it brilliantly ,i am going to watch it again tomorrow,cheers
Ah super, thank you for letting me know and I'm delighted that you liked it so much! Thanks for watching
Even a Brit should know that:
."Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844[1] - on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wrote a book about his journey, Sailing Alone Around the World, which became an international best-seller.".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Slocum
Not to diminish Slocums achievement, it took him 3 years and many stops to circumnavigate. In fact, he financed his journey by lectures about his ongoing adventure. Also he got a lot of assistance in ports. Upon his stop in Gibraltar his boat was tended by the british Navy for free. The golden globe race means no foot on land, no assistance, no reprovisioning.
Love all of it about Sailing out of civilization to the unknown seas' which give a new and different excitement to our regularly-overscheduled land locked very dull lives.
As a professional yacht skipper, once hugely inspired by those taking part in the Golden Globe race, (yes, I'm that old), I have experienced a tiny fraction of what Moitessier was feeling during his time alone at sea. It's important to remember that he grew up in an environment (now we know as Vietnam), a culture very far removed from the grabbing, acquisitive culture of the west. He owned and skippered his own junk-rigged trading vessel while barely out of his teens, we can't judge his ideas and passions by our western standards, his was a more gentle world of acceptance of the universe and what it offered.
I've on occasion, after only three weeks at sea, felt discomfort and resentment that my rythm and routine is now about to be interrupted by the technicalities and navigational problems of entering a port, of dealing with the trivia of complying with pointless paperwork and the bustle of people, and I grew up in London ! No, there was no issue of 'madness', certainly not the loss of rational experienced by Crowhurst, even Crowhurst would have survived his experience had Nigel Tetley's trimaran not broken up under the pressure of being too hard pushed. In any case, we shouldn't try to judge these people by the standards of those who live quiet lives at 17 Acacia Ave, and retire to the garden centers. They're different people from birth.
Great video Derek. An amazing story. Robin Knox's story is also amazing. I think when it comes to adventure and exploration sailing is the ultimate, and with the minimal technology back in the day those men were brave and skilled beyond belief. Inspirational. Thanks for sharing
Exactly, it must have been so much different back there with so little tech and connection to the mainland! Thanks a lot Justin :)
Moitessier, was clearly going to win this fantastic race. By continuing another half circumnavigation he became a legend .
Well done lovely video, I have the boat and am getting her ready to do the same within 2years, I am up grading her for the voyage ,shake down cruise around Iceland next June 😀 solo .
Thanks so much Derek as I’m learning an awful lot through your videos. I really enjoy the story on Bernard battling the high seas all around the world just fascinating to me
What an inspiring story. I had never heard of him before. Your talent in visually complementing your words is superb. I'm going to watch the McCandless one now! I've heard of him, read the book and watched the movie. Another inspiring story! Keep it up Derek!
Ah thank you very much for the kind words, Sherry. I hope you found the McCandless documentary useful too !
That was incredible Derek!! What a story, I would never have heard of it but for your video.. 👍👍 Thanks!!
Ah this is brilliant. Delighted to introduce you to the Bernard Moitessier story and thanks so much for the kind words :) Derek
@@DerekCullenOutdoors yes I love to hear the stories of those that took the road less travelled.. Keep em coming!!
Hi Derek, really enjoyed the first 2 videos in the new series. Keep them coming!
Wow. Great story Derek.
Thanks very much Robert. Any stories like the last two that you can think of? I'm always on the lookout for ideas. If not, have a think and let me know on future videos if something comes to mind !
@@DerekCullenOutdoors well firstly who would you want to be telling your story. I’ll be thinking hard of another story.
@@robertbrophy1584 haha I'm bored of talking about my own story :p Cheers Robert!
Fantastic story Derek. I love that he allowed the sea to dictate if he would finish the race or go east. He wasn’t going to be conformed to the rules or lure of fame and fortune. Thanks for sharing 👍🏼
My pleasure, Roses. It was a remarkable decision but I really loved his reasoning and how he went on to live true to his words :)
Fantastic Video!!! Very well done!!
Very interesting video. Thank you! Greetings from Germany. RIP Wilfried Erdmann who passed away this week.
When you showed the route of Moitessier's round trip voyage to Tahiti and back, your cursor ran the route backwards. To return to France they sailed around Cape Horn.
Thank you for this. I had never heard this remarkable story.
Beautiful ending, thank you ❤
The map at 3.53, is wrong: he sailed from Tahiti to France via Cape Horn and not viceversa.
Great story Derek 👏🏻
Thanks a lot, Paul and great to hear from you!
That was great 👍 fair play Derek 😊 I'd never heard of this story at all. What a wise man at the end of it all, I think we could all learn a little something from this man. Do what you love and makes you happy and do it for yourself, no one else.
Loving this series so far 👍 cheers 😊👏👏👆
That's right, JR. I read a lot about him during my research and he was spot on about so many things! Thanks for the comment and encouragement, great to hear you are enjoying them !
@@DerekCullenOutdoors I'll definitely be looking him up 👍 I watched "Alive" last night after watching your video on the story. Great watch👌 cheers for the recommendation 😊👍
Well done mate!
Hi there, you look like me, are ya from Australia ?
I know the story of Moitessier, but it was nice to hear it again from you.
By the way his second shipwreck was in St. Vincent, not Grenada.
And when he sailed to Tahiti with Françoise, he took the trip first through the panamacanal, and then from Tahiti, he sailed around cape horn to Alicante, Spain nonstop, 14 000 miles alltogether. The other way around as on your map.
Anyway, you made some very good comments on Bernard Moitessier, he was my hero, I even had the same boat for a couple of years.
Hi Derek, you have talent to put all the pieces together and create amazing message.. lovely story and incredible video. :-)
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it Petra and thanks for the kind words!
that was so interesting, and beautifully told! Look forward to your video/comments on the amazing Kirsten Neuschafer!
Moitessier is a legend. The First Voyage of Joshua is inspirational. I don't think at any time Moitessier was mad. He was on a different level.
Hello Derek great program I love your enthusiasm and I must say your accent seals the deal for me I spent time in Europe as a child that was magical in the early 80s BUT I never made it north of England I’m 50 years old now and one day would love to visit Ireland and Scotland on my way to the far east to dig up my roots …keep up the great work and you got a new sub and friend God bless you and all the works of your hands brother.
Little precision which appeared in his last book : Moitessier had grown in 2 cultures, he got very well along with the Viets, but when the Indochina war broke out ..... he joined the French and fought against the Viets until ...... his brother killed a Vietnamese local community leader, and realizing what he had done , committed suicide. THIS is the shock that he spent most of his life trying to understand. His long sea adventures are the results of a permanent internal struggle.
Merci pour ce bel hommage à Bernard Moitessier .
Hi derek, thanks for your video , i read many times about bernard, just one correction, the first round the world by the capes east bound wasn t chichester , it was vito dumas on legh II an argentine sailor in 1942, cheers from argentina
I followed the race in the Sunday Times weekly and I also got photos of the different boats from London. It was very interesting and I remember clearly Bernhard broke the race. when Robin Knox Johnston was missing for a time and Donald Crowhursts fake perticipation in his cat which ended with suiside. Bernhards boat was built in steel with wooden masts if I remember correct.
His masts were old telegraphic masts that he’d bought for cheap :)
Great video mate, similar to yourself I came across this story while reading another one and what a rabbit hole! I find it very interesting that such extended periods of isolation and essentially lack of stimulation such as a round the world sailing trip can either send someone into an irrecoverable depression, or give them a spiritual rebirth (as is the case here)
Excellent material!
I love it,, your stories are absolutely good..
Nice one Derek! Excellent stuff.
great video. I immediately subscribed to your inspiriting channel, walking through Ireland.... and the I bought an old copy of The Long Way, I too hear the faint call of the infinite soul.
WoW what a great inspirational man Bernard was just amazing, Derek you put together that story so well really loved it keep up the good work 👏👏
Thanks very much Rosemarie. He was a very inspiring man and I just love this story!
Hang on, just watched this and you said Moitessier was in the lead when in fact he wasn't, Knox-Johnson was! After the race, in a letter to Johnson Moitessier did say that he reckoned he would catch him and take the lead but, that was conjecture as he, as you rightly say, turned away.
Truly fascinating and inspiring, thank you for your channel!!!🙏👍👻
He saved his soul with a slingshot. Brilliant
haha yes that's right. He wrote a lot about that decision - it all made perfect sense from what I could tell !
Certainly did. I know now the first thing I'm going to purchase when the shop open and it's not a boat or monkey nuts 😄
@@paulbrown653 haha just be careful with it!
Best comment ever😍
Loic Lepage was an entrant in the 2018 Golden Globe race the 50th Anniversary edition :)
Absoulutly fantastic !
I just read Moitessier"s book and then stumbled on your video - well done. Will you make one on Crowhurst?
Another amazing story
Bigtime, Michael. I haven't read his book but believe it's filled with wisdom and all of it was learnt on the sea !
Came across his story while listening to a podcast. The Courage he had to turn his back on winning the race so he could save his soul is really admirable. ❤
Excellent video! Fantastic story. I am impressed by the edit and production of this video. Great job, Derek!
Thank you very much Tommy. It too a good 4 days to make but I really enjoy making these. Can you think about any people/stories that I might take a look at for future episodes? Cheers
@@DerekCullenOutdoors Oh plenty, plenty! How about this: "In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps". I still gotta watch the McCandless story. I'm curious about your take!
@@TommysOutdoors Oh I like this Tommy, thanks a lot - will do some digging! And yeah, I definitely think you will relate to what I have to say about McCandless near the end of that one (my opinion). Cheers Tommy!
I had not heard of Bernard, but had read the story about Crowhurst. I think his boat is in Little Cayman. I think you’re doing a great job on your documentaries, Derek.
Yeah I was making the doc about Crowhurst Tracy but then found out the full story behind Bernard and thought this was a better one to tell :)
Bar set high with Chris mcCandless. All the best. Looking forward to this.
Ah good man, thank you Robert. Let me know what you think after watching :p
Instead of winning, choose to not give a f**k and just continue doing what he loves.
True free man, what a sailor, what a legend
At 3:43 you have his route completely wrong! Moitessier sailed to Tahiti, via the Panama Canal, returning home from Moorea to Alicante via Cape Horn, “The Long Route”. His route out to the Pacific was not Cape Horn first! Terrible inaccuracy.
Éric Tabarly also
Enjoyed this sea tale. What a man.
Thanks a lot John. I'm not usually interested in sailing etc but found Moitessier a really interesting and genuinely good guy ! Cheers for watching :)
@@DerekCullenOutdoorsRiviting tale such a longtime ago now. Man against nature. No technological do das like today. Massive respect to him. Big balls.
Thanks for highlighting his journey
@@johnnyghia Exactly John, no technology or support and only nature. His views of the world are really interesting as he seems to know/understand more in spite of spending all that time alone at sea !
@@johnnyghia My pleasure, I love making these and will keep doing so!
Wow, fascinating! Thanks for the research that goes into these, they are great! 💚💛❤
Cheers Rob, I appreciate you man ;)
Another great video...really enjoyed that. Never heard that story before. No idea why a couple of people would downvote your video...must be bigger monkies than the rest of us : )
Thanks a lot Phillip, it’s a mad story eh! Haha it’s the same person that downvotes the video as soon as they see I’ve uploaded a new one - feel sorry for them 😂
❤this man as a brother (father)!
Great video again Derek. First time learning about it thanks. Already curios to know what you have up your sleeve for the next one ?
Thanks a lot, Joe. What story/adventurer do you think I should cover next?
@@DerekCullenOutdoors I remember reading about a guy called Andrew McCauley who tried to kayak across the Tasman sea. I think his wife wrote a book about it. That or our own Tom Crean :-]
@@joebeatty4405 Joe, I was very touched by that story. If you do a little google search, you will find a documentary about the Andrew Mcauley trip. It's heartbreaking but the doc is extremely well done. It used to be free on TH-cam but not sure where to find it now. It's called "Solo". Highly recommend a watch!
Just getting back to you Joe. I think the next one will be about the Uruguayan rugby team plane crash in the Andes from the movie ALIVE. I will be updating this Patreon page in the future to keep everyone posted on what's coming next - www.patreon.com/outdarestories
@@DerekCullenOutdoors Oh yes Derek, brilliant one ! Really looking forward to that .Will check out your patreon page.
Nicely told and put together… there is another story, same race, check out Donald Crowhurst… hats off to Ya 😊
There is no questioning Moitessier's prowess as a sailor, but, as a man, he was, IMO, a piece of shit.
He abandoned his wife and 4 children so he could play on his sailboat. As a father, I find this unforgivable.
He should have completed the race, donated the prize money if he was against the idea of it. Or maybe he could have used it to support his family.
But no, he wanted to avoid his responsibilities and play on his boat. All the excuses in the world to try to build him into some sailing hero are BS.
I had the pleasure of sailing with Bernard Moitessier in Tahiti and on to New Zealand I think it was 1969. We kind of clicked as friends when he saw me intensely inspecting his vessel careened on the beach. I had built several steel boats myself so we had a lot in common. Wonderful man and I have many fond memories of him. We were diving off the reefs near Papeete. I speared a fish and immediately got Bernard's attention to get out of the water because of the sharks now circling us. Bernard signaled me he was going to stay for a bit longer. I was quite shocked to see Bernard punching the shark in the snout and eyes. When he finally got out of the water I asked if he had a death wish, to which he replied it was safe to do that because sharks do not like that at all!
This man was my hero and he made me want to sail . 👍
In 1973, the United Kingdom organized the first head to head sailing race around the world, inviting expert crews from Europe and other countries against each other. The Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, today the prestigious Volvo Ocean Race took the sport to its limits. The British Royal Navy purchased six yachts to train 800 man and chose the best four 10-man crews for each of the four legs of the race, yet, an inexperienced Mexican man also signed up. In his fifties, with a crew that included his wife, son, family and friends. His name, Ramon Carlín. A docu" the weekend Sailor " is a Most!
Emocionante ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Brilliant Derek... never heard of this story... Maybe Tom crean he had some adventures specially with Shackleton... Tom creans book unsung hero is one of the best books I've read. Have you read it ???
Thank you Patsy! That's a good call with Tom Crean - not easy to recreate with free/copyright free footage which is an obstacle :) I haven't read the book bt it's certainly on the list :)
In le route longue, Montessier clearly writes that he ditched the race when he learned how far ahead Knox Johnson was, to sail around the world a second time and go to Tahiti. ... No one was going to buy books by the guy whose greatest achievement was coming in second! The only second worth reading about was his second lap around the world !
I have his book The Long Way, Inspiring read.
I never heard of this guy. Thanks for the sharing, 'Civilization ends at the waterline'
Most interesting survival mad lad story would have to be 'The Barefoot bandit'. Have you heard of him?
Thanks a lot! I haven't heard of him but will look him up now. Thanks for the suggestion (and kind words) !
It would've been nice to have heard more about his end of life
The cape of good horn eh?
Bravo for this well done podcast video, that reflects well on whom Moitessier was and inspired, as he changed so many people minds thanks to his legacy and books. Will the bunch of monkeys sail East one day?….
Thank you for your beautiful video ❤
Why didn’t you mention his family? Wife, daughters? Their reaction to his decision to not come home?
Legend.
Ummm Bernard. You have a wife.
Unbelievably selfish. Could have left again. Strange. I'm beginning to think they were all leaving home to sail off around the world with the hope of no return. A bored suicide. No one would ignore the danger in preparation so why you would not be happy for it to end is it an unexpected return that got to them.. Ohh her and them. With the other she states she wishes she had not encouraged his departure. A lesson learned of how hard life actually was to raise her family. Not as easy as she thought it would be at the time.
To also be better off was a mith.
Great video. One tiny thing: It's not proven that Crowhurst committed suicide.
Good on you mate choice well done my brother
Went through a phase of reading sailing disaster books you should read fastnet force 10 about the 1979 fastnet race. Photo of Hall Ferris still hunts me he looked like he was asleep in a wam chair as he as airlifted out of the water he died soon after.
Never heard of this before - thanks for the heads up, I'll check it out!
So he went crazy.