Jon Sanders

Australian Jon Sanders was the first man to circumnavigate Antarctica solo, circling the continent twice in 1981 – 1982 in his S&S 34 monohull Perie Banou, . His course took him south of the three great capes: Horn, Good Hope and Leeuwin, before rounding Cape Horn a second time. He turned north to Plymouth, UK and returning south around Good Hope a second time before returning to Fremantle.

This voyage is recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as:
The first single-handed sailor to remain continuously at sea twice around the world
First single-handed sailor to round the five southernmost Capes twice on one voyage
First single-handed sailor to round the five southernmost Capes twice
Longest distance continuously sailed by any yacht: 48,510 miles (78,070 km).
Longest period alone at sea during a continuous voyage: 419 days: 22 hours: 10 minutes

In 1986 Sanders set out again from Fremantle, and this time completed three solo non-stop circumnavigations aboard his 47-foot (14 m) yacht Parry Endeavour, rounding Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago just north of the Equator each time to ensure that his course covered both hemispheres.

In 2016, Sanders set out from Carnarvon, Western Australia on his tenth circumnavigation, which he completed on 20 December 2017.
On the 31 January 2021 Sanders completed his eleventh circumnavigation, which makes the 81 year old one of the oldest persons to sail singlehanded around the world.

Sanders was made an Officer in the Order of the British Empire in 1983 was and inducted into the Single-Handed Sailor’s Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA in 1991.

In 2018 Sanders was inducted to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.

Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ4aUm-r2Q0