They had no maps, compass or instruments and nobody knew they were missing. Their fight for survival had begun. MLA style: "The Last Voyage of the Lucette.." The Free Library. 2005 Midwest Book Review 25 Nov. 2023 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Last+Voyage+of+the+Lucette.-a0144438111 During their transit of the Panama Canal, the family members took aboard an inexperienced crew member named Robin Williams, who accompanied them on the next stage of their voyage to the Galápagos Islands and beyond to the islands of the South Pacific. José Salvador Alvarenga, who spent 438 days drifting in a small open top boat from Mexico to the Marshall Islands. Douglas believes, most fervently, that this frustration was behind his father's violent outbursts. It certainly made him disposed to want to begin again. So when Neil, then nine, asked why they couldn't sail around the world like the yachtsman Robin Knox-Johnston, Dougal leapt at the idea. As did Douglas. "I wanted to go to university and be a geologist, but sailing around the world seemed a much better option," he recalls. The only person with reservations was his mother. "She was aware of the dangers. She considered the risk. For Dad it was an escape, so he didn't consider the risk. They argued about it. Mum probably hoped it would be a passing phase, but then we sold the farm."

It all started when Neil Robertson said one day: "Daddy’s a sailor. Why don’t we sail around the world?” And, so, Lyn and Dougal Robertson and their children - Anne, 18, Dougal, 16 and Neil and his twin brother Sandy, nine - decided to do exactly that in their modest sailing yacht Lucette. A bit of Zen and two hands work magic Gordon Ketelbey's Zen and Mistral, sail two-handed by Rupert Henry and Greg O'Shea, were the beneficiaries of wins on Day 1 of Middle Harbour Yacht Club's (MHYC) 2023 Nautilus Marine Insurance Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship, sailed offshore today.For many years after the rescue the Edmamair had been in the care of Edna, but later was brought to Falmouth where she had begun her voyage and was donated to National Maritime Museum Cornwall. On 26 November 2008, Douglas Robertson gave a lecture entitled ‘The Last Voyage of the Lucette’ which was held at the museum. Once on the raft, he and his father came up with the plan that saved their lives: rather than aiming for land, they decided to aim for water – which meant sailing 400 miles north to the Doldrums.

Day 33 – Eat or be eaten was the law of survival at sea. Three large dorado were caught, giving much needed fluids, helping to relieve the severe thirst of all. Turtle became the mainstay of their diet. They ate the meat and eggs and drank the blood. The raft was leaking and they were all sitting in water up to their chests, giving them saltwater boils. They set up a makeshift fishing line but wily sharks stole any fish which were caught. Dad always felt guilty,' concludes Douglas. 'He always said, 'I don't know why I did it. I could have taken you to the Mediterranean – that would have done. I didn't have to take you around the world.' But we would say, 'Dad, we survived! You helped us! We did it!'The Volvo Ocean Race broke with tradition by starting outside the UK In 2005-06, the Volvo Ocean Race broke with tradition by starting outside the UK, from Vigo, Spain, to Cape Town, South Africa. Introducing the Volvo Open 70 boat class added excitement but posed challenges on the 31,000 nautical mile global route. Day 6 – A huge 35lb Dorado landed in the dinghy so there was raw fish for breakfast, and plenty left to cut into strips to dry.