In the summer of 1968, an English newspaper, The Sunday Times, proposed a contest - The Golden Globe Yacht Race - which challenged all comers to attempt the first single handed non-stop circumnavigation of the world. Many entered, but only one man, Robin Knox-Johnson, completed the sail, securing the Golden Globe Trophy and a cash prize of 5000 pounds.

This caught the attention of Dougal Robertson (a former sailor in his late forties) along with his wife Lyn and their children - 18 year old Anne, 16 year old Douglas, and 12 year old twin boys Neil and Sandy, who together, followed the Golden Globe race from their dairy farm in rural Staffordshire, England. While watching a news report of the race, Neil, one of the twins, blurted out “Daddy’s a sailor, why don’t we sail around the world?” And this was how it started.

Please share Marooned with your friends and co-workers. If not, Jack and Aaron may have to make do on an island somewhere with too few coconuts and too many Komodo dragons. Thank you.

Sources:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/14/how-a-12-year-old-boy-survived-38-days-adrift-in-ocean/

https://nmmc.co.uk/2022/05/the-50th-anniversary-of-the-robertson-family-rescue/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W6R0x8RK6Q&ab_channel=LADbibleTV