Chay Blyth
Sir Charles Blyth, CBE, BEM ( born May 14, 1940 in Hawick, Roxburghshire ), become known as Chay Blyth, is a Scottish yachtsman and rower. He was the first single-handed sailor who holds the world from east to west orbited in 1971 against the prevailing westerly wind direction non-stop in a 59 -foot yacht British Steel.
Journey
Chay Blyth grew up as the youngest child of a working class family with five girls and two boys. At the age of 15 he left school to go as an apprentice in the local textile factory. At 18, he enlisted in the British Army and served in a paratrooper unit. He rose quickly and dressed at the age of 21 platoon sergeant became the youngest superior military rank.
Career as rowers and sailors
In 1966, while still a member of the army, he rowed together with Captain John Ridgeway in an open 20 -foot dinghy with the name English Rose III across the North Atlantic. After successfully accomplishing this Atlantic crossing from Cape Cod to the Aran Islands in 92 days Chay Blyth received the British Empire Medal ( BEM).
In 1968 he took without any sailing experience to the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in part with the 30- foot yacht Dytiscus.
Chay Blyth in 1971 became internationally known through his first non-stop circumnavigation of the world, he performed as a solo sailing against the prevailing wind direction from east to west. With the 59 -foot yacht British Steel, named after the sponsor of the circumnavigation, he needed 292 days. This journey took him to their own reports to the brink of physical endurance. For these outstanding sailors' performance, he received the Order of Commander of the British Empire ( CBE).
In 1973, he led a team as skipper of British parachutists with the yacht Great Britain II in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race for the overall win line honors. Never forget the hardness and consistency with which he led his military drilled team. So everything was removed from the aircraft, which was not necessary, even the toothbrushes were broken in the middle to save weight for weight optimization.
Chay Blyth in 1978 won the challenging race around the British Isles, the Round Britain Race with the yacht Great Britain IV
In 1981, he won with the yacht Brittany Ferries GB the Two Handed Trans-Atlantic Race with his sailors Robert " Rob" James, where they broke the existing record time. In the same year he reached the second place in the Round Britain Race with the same yacht.
In 1984, he capsized his sailors Eric Blunn with the trimaran Beefeater II off Cape Horn during the record attempt New York - San Francisco. Both sailors spent 19 hours in cold water before they were rescued.
Blyth took over as co-skipper with Richard Branson at the Virgin Atlantic Challenger I and the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II part in the years 1985 and 1986 and won the Blue Riband of the Atlantic Ocean ( Blue Riband of the Atlantic ).
Chay Blyth organized in 1989, and then founded the British Steel Challenge Challenge the company business. This event made it that amateurs could sail in a professionally organized race around the world.
On the British Steel Challenge followed two successive BT Global Challenge race in the years 1996/1997 and 2000/ 2001. Problems on the part of the sponsors could not be resolved, so that the Global Challenge race 2004/2005 took place without a main sponsor.
In 1997, Chay Blyth received a knighthood and was appointed a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to hit the sport of sailing and was allowed to call Sir Chay Blyth now.
Business career
Sir Chay Blyth founded the firm Challenge Business to The Regatta Global Challenge Round the World to organize and conduct. The Chartered Institute of Marketing awarded him the distinction of The Companion of Honour in 2000 for his services to a professional marketing.
Sir Chay is the chairman of Inspiring Performance. He is also chairman of the railway company First Great Western
As Chairman of Challenge Business, he became the patron of the British sailor Denise Caffari handed in their successful attempt in the years 2005/2006 as the first woman against the prevailing wind direction from east to west to sail around the world.
Honors
Writings
- With John Ridgway: A fighting chance. Hamlyn, 1966.
- Chay Blyth: The Impossible Voyage, His own story of the first solo non -stop wrong way round the world sail.
- Chay Blyth: Theirs is the glory, Great Britain II and the Round the World Race. Hodder and Stoughton, 1974, ISBN 0-340-18518- X.