Record bid is ‘game on’ for Paris

Stanley Paris admitted he was ‘emotional’ after his world record attempt finally began when he crossed the start line east off St David’s Lighthouse on Saturday.

At 76, Paris is attempting to become the oldest and fastest person to sail around the globe solo.

The current record stands at 150 days set by Dodge Morgan, with the New Zealand-born sailor aiming to return to Bermuda in just 120 days.

Paris, who ran the Deepdene Manor Hotel in Bermuda in the early 1970s,  took five days and two hours to reach the island from his hometown of St Augustine, Florida.

Now he’s making inroads into the first nautical miles of a project that’s taken four years to plan.

In his latest blog entry, Paris wrote: “On Saturday I crossed the line 0.8 nm due east of St. David’s Lighthouse to begin my challenge on the 150 day, six-hour record, as well as to become the oldest and the first ever [to do it] green.

“Bermuda Radio tracked the start and the ‘black box’ issued by the World Sailing Speed Record Council was also monitoring.

“In addition, I forced an update on my Yellow Brick, which can be seen on my website. Yes, I was a little emotional but it soon passed, and I got on with changing my course to bear away from a group of coral reefs that were fast approaching. 

“The start was as Dodge Morgan, the record holder set it, one mile from the Lighthouse. However, I noted that on his return he was three miles off shore when he re-crossed the line to finish. I shall follow suit, especially should I come in at night.

“The voyage from St. Augustine was uneventful, and the time of five days and two hours was my best to date.

“I see that the winds for the next few days will be light and so I expect to fall behind Dodge Morgan’s average of 171.84 miles a day. Tomorrow I will get out a spinnaker (light air sail) and see if I can go faster. But for now, I am enjoying the moment. Four years of planning and execution... it’s game on.”

You can follow his progress by logging on to www.stanleyparis.com and clicking on the yellowbrick on-board tracker.