Who needs a million-euro yacht when you’ve got courage, determination, and a boat the size of a bathtub?

Welcome to the world of extreme solo sailing - where sailors take on the ocean with little more than a compass, a dream, and a ridiculous amount of grit.

These are the stories that remind us why seamanship isn’t about comfort or luxury - it’s about the human spirit pushing through spray and storm to discover what’s truly possible.

🇦🇺 Jessica Watson (2009 - 2010)

Feat: Youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted

• Age: 16
• Boat: Ella’s Pink Lady, 10 meters
• Note: Crossed the Southern Ocean and Cape Horn

At just 16 years old, Jessica became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world.

Her 210-day journey aboard the 10-meter Ella’s Pink Lady took her across the world’s most treacherous waters, including Cape Horn and the Southern Ocean.

🇫🇷 Alain Bombard (1952)

Feat: Crossed the Atlantic with no food or water

• Age: 27
• Boat: L’Hérétique, 4.5m inflatable raft
• Note: Survived on fish and seawater for 65 days
• Route: Canary Islands → Caribbean

French biologist Alain Bombard sailed across the Atlantic in an inflatable 4.5m dinghy - without any food or water supplies.

For 65 days, he survived by catching fish and drinking small amounts of seawater.

His 4.5-meter raft was named L’Hérétique.

🇵🇭 Florentino Das (1955)

Feat: First Filipino to cross the Pacific solo

• Boat: Rowboat
• Navigation: Stars, currents, wind
• Note: 2,500 km with no instruments
• Route: Philippines → Guam

The first Filipino to cross the Pacific solo-in a rowboat.

Das traveled more than 1,350 NM using traditional navigation: stars, currents, and wind.

An unsung hero of Southeast Asia’s seafaring legacy.

🇺🇸 Hugo Vihlen (1968 & 1993)

Feat: Crossed the Atlantic in a 1.6m boat

• Boat: Father’s Day
• Note: Curled up in a floating capsule
• Route: Newfoundland → England

This former fighter pilot crossed the Atlantic in boats barely larger than a suitcase.

His 1993 voyage in Father’s Day (1.6 meters!) took him from Newfoundland to England-mostly curled up inside the boat.

🇸🇪 Sven Yrvind

Feat: Multiple crossings in sub-6m boats

• Boat: Home-built micro-yachts
• Tech: No electronics
• Note: Still building in his 80s
• Route: Various Atlantic and planned world routes

Philosopher and minimalist, Yrvind has crossed the Atlantic multiple times in boats under 6 meters, all self-built.

Navigating by sextant, he shuns electronics and is currently building a 4-meter boat for a round-the-world trip.

🇺🇸 Tania Aebi (1985-1987)

Feat: Circumnavigation with minimal training

• Age: 18
• Boat: Varuna, 8.2m
• Route: New York → Panama → Pacific → Africa → Caribbean

At 18, with limited experience, Tania sailed solo on Varuna, an 8.2-meter sloop.

Her 2.5-year circumnavigation earned her sailing fame and college credit. She later chronicled the voyage in Maiden Voyage.

🇬🇧 Tom McClean (1969)

Feat: Crossed Atlantic in 9-foot boat

• Boat: Super Silver
• Note: Later lived on a rock & built a whale-boat
• Route: Canada → UK

The first to cross the Atlantic in a boat under 10 feet.

His 9-foot boat, Super Silver, was followed by stunts like sailing a whale-shaped vessel and living on Rockall rock.

🇳🇿 Naomi James (1977-1978)

Feat: First woman to solo circumnavigate Cape Horn

• Time: 272 days
• Note: Learned sailing only 2 years before
• Route: UK → South Atlantic → Cape Horn → Australia → return

The first woman to solo circumnavigate Cape Horn via the clipper route.

Despite learning to sail only two years prior, she completed the journey in 272 days-becoming a pioneer in offshore sailing.

🇯🇵 Kenichi Horie (1962-present)

Feat: First Japanese to solo the Pacific

• Age: 23
• Boat: Mermaid, 5.8m
• Note: No passport. Still voyaging at 80+
• Route: Osaka → San Francisco

At 23, he sailed from Japan to San Francisco in a 5.8-meter yacht without a passport.

Today, in his 80s, he continues to complete eco-voyages across the Pacific.

🇦🇺 Serge Testa (1987)

Feat: Smallest boat circumnavigation

• Boat: Acrohc Australis, 3.6m
• Time: 500 days
• Note: Guinness World Record
• Route: Equatorial round-the-world loop

Holds the record for the smallest boat to circumnavigate the globe: the 3.6-meter Acrohc Australis.

His 500-day journey proved that passion can conquer the sea.

🇺🇸 Robin Lee Graham (1965-1970)

Feat: Youngest circumnavigator (then)

• Age: 16
• Boat: Dove, 24 feet
• Note: Met his wife en route. Book: Dove
• Route: California → Tahiti → Africa → US

At 16 years old, Robin set off from California on a 24-foot sailboat named Dove.

Over nearly five years, he completed a solo circumnavigation, facing storms, solitude, and unexpected love along the way.

His story was later featured in National Geographic and his bestselling memoir, Dove.

🇳🇱 Laura Dekker (2010-2012)

Feat: Youngest circumnavigator (modern)

• Age: 16
• Boat: Guppy, 11.5m
• Time: 518 days
• Note: Journey made in legs
• Route: Caribbean → Panama → Pacific → Indian Ocean → Med

At 16 years old, Laura became the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

Her journey aboard Guppy lasted 518 days and covered more than 27,000 nautical miles, completed in multiple legs with stops.

🇮🇹  🇫🇷 Alessandro Di Benedetto (2009-2010)

Feat: Non-stop circumnavigation in 6.5m boat

• Time: 268 days
• Boat: Mini 6.5
• Note: Battled storms without auto-pilot
• Route: South of all 3 capes (Cape Horn, Good Hope, Leeuwin)

He completed a non-stop solo circumnavigation aboard a 6.5-meter boat-the smallest ever to achieve this feat-sailing around the world in 268 days.

🇵🇱 Szymon Kuczynski (2017-1018)

Feat: Solo, non-stop circumnavigation in 6.3m

• Time: 270 days
• Boat: Atlantic Puffin
• Note: One of the smallest to ever do it
• Route: Canary Islands → Southern Oceans → Cape Horn

Sailed solo and non-stop around the world in a 6.3-meter yacht named Atlantic Puffin.

His journey took 270 days and earned him global recognition for seamanship and endurance.

🇦🇺 Bill Hatfield (2019-2020)

Feat: Oldest solo circumnavigator (non-stop)

• Age: 81
• Boat: L’Eau Commotion, 11.6m
• Time: 258 days
• Note: Proof that age can’t stop the wind
• Route: Eastward around the world

At the age of 81, he became the oldest person to complete a non-stop, unassisted solo circumnavigation of the globe, sailing for 258 days.

🇵🇱 Krystyna Chojonowska-Liskiewicz (1976-1978)

Feat: First woman to sail solo around the world

• Time: 401 days
• Boat: Mazurek
• Note: Milestone in women’s sailing history
• Route: Canary Islands → Panama → Pacific → Indian Ocean → Suez

The first woman to sail solo around the world.

Her 401-day journey aboard Mazurek marked a milestone in sailing history and women’s achievements at sea.

Over nearly five years, she completed a solo circumnavigation, facing storms, solitude, and unexpected love along the way.

His story was later featured in National Geographic and his bestselling memoir, Dove.

🇺🇸 Matt Kent (2017)

Feat: Attempted Atlantic crossing in a 1-meter sailboat

• Boat: Undaunted, 1 meter
• Note: Though the voyage was abandoned, it pushed the limits of micro-sailing
• Route: U.S. East Coast → Canary Islands (planned)

This former fighter pilot crossed the Atlantic in boats barely larger than a suitcase.

Matt Kent set out to cross the Atlantic solo in a self-built, 1-meter sailboat named Undaunted.
Although he had to abandon the voyage due to safety concerns, the attempt drew attention worldwide for its boldness and imagination.

What These Voyages Really Mean

Welcome to the world of extreme solo sailing - where sailors take on the ocean with little more than a compass, a dream, and a ridiculous amount of grit.

These are the stories that remind us why seamanship isn’t about comfort or luxury - it’s about the human spirit pushing through spray and storm to discover what’s truly possible.