Bad fall rocks Paris’ record bid

Stanley Paris’ solo world record bid got a lot tougher the past few days after the former Bermuda hotelier fell and injured himself.

Off the coast of Brazil and a month into his attempt to become the oldest and fastest man to sail solo from Bermuda to Bermuda, the 76-year-old had to contend with a broken sail and, more damagingly, a painful fall.

Paris, who is based in Florida, is bidding to break Dodge Morgan’s record of 150 days but has been forced to take things steady as he recuperates from his back injury.

In his latest blog update, he writes: “New Year’s Eve started out well, but by early morning the wind picked up and I was caught with a light headwind sail, which was in danger of being overloaded. On several occasions I had to take the helm.  

“It was a scary situation and no sleep for me. The 1/2 bottle of champagne to celebrate the new year had not been touched. 

“Finally at 4am, a gust blew out the sail and torn fabric filled the air with a swooshing sound. It was dark and there was nothing I could do but watch the sail self destruct. Come dawn, I started the long process of getting the sail down and on deck before stuffing it away below. 

“This would have been too dangerous to do at night. It is a pile of scraps.

“While pulling on some pieces stuck in the shrouds, one piece suddenly gave way and I fell flat on my back onto an extrusion of the deck. 

“The pain just below my left scapula was as much pain aas I have ever experienced. 

“I lay still for a few minutes testing my lungs and then started to get going. I could feel a rib cracking in my back.”

He added: “I am now sailing conservatively and gently, until such time as I am ready again and can attend to a number of tasks.”

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