EDWARD J. HART

new Golden Circle Member reported in July 2021
Began solo circumnavigation in 1993 and completed it in 1998. He sailed in this 29 ft sloop

JOSH TAYLORnew Golden Circle Member 1999

KAREN THORNDIKE new Golden Circle Member 1999

PETER KITTEL Circumnavigated leaving Chile in December 1992, sailing west around and returning to Chile via Cape of Good Hope and the Panama Canal in April 1998.

DENNIS K. WARNER Denny circumnavigated 6/20/79 to 1/24/84 on " />Finisterre IV" leaving from New York Harbor. Today Dennis continues to be an active member/director of the J. S. S. I.

YVES GELINAS

The Golden Circle Award brought Yves and his boat, " Jean du Sud" , from Montreal. This is the same boat that he sailed away from Gaspe in 1976 to Europe where he cruised the Cornish coast and the Baltic. After working and making preparations to return to Gaspe he left Saint Maio, Brittany only to head South instead of West which took him to the latitude of the Cape of Good Hope. He headed East and sailed across the Indian Ocean, South of Australia, crossed the Pacific Oean and after rounding Cape Horn, finally turned North until he reached Gaspe, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence sailing 28,000 miles in 282 days. Yves would have done the trip non-stop but he capsized and dismasted in the Pacific Ocean and had to stop for repairs.

Today Yves operates Cape Horn Marine Products both manufacturing and marketing the Cape Horn Integrated Self-Steering System (designed & tested during circumnavigation).

GUY BERNARDIN

How exciting for the J.S.S. 1. to welcome Guy, Mitzi, and son, Briac, to the Slocum Centennial after completing their three year circumnavigation leaving Newport, RI in July 1995 and retuning June 1998 in reportedly the nearest replica to Slocum's " Spray" purchased from George & Mary Maynard and renamed, " Spray of St. Briac " . Guy became world famous as a highly competitive ocean racer and after reaching the peak of this career he turned to family cruising. James Baldwin called the Bemardin's circumnavigation, The Romantic Challenge... " This centennial voyage in the Spray is a romantic challenge for me," Guy said. I'm most happy when I am moving toward an objective in my life. It's a tribute to Slocum as well as a tribute to my grandfather. From my grandfather I learned the ways of boats and the sea. I'm sure he would have liked the idea of sailing the Spray around the world if he would have had the opportunity." Due to the worst weather in 100 years and a delay in Lagos, Portugal, the Bemardins had to forego the Cape Horn route and entered the Pacific via the Panama Canal. In the Pacific the only stop at the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia, then American Samoa for provisions, and to Cairns, Australia. The Bernardins found slow going of 37 days from Darwin to Rodrigues Island, one of their favorite stopping places.

We learned from Guy, " it's not worth it to fight against the force of wind and sea. You must seek a balance. You must prepare yourself and your boat as best you can. After that, don't worry - it's in the hands of God."

LEO WHITE

" Lucky" Leo White was born Leopold Zeigfreid Schlichtinger but later dropped the Zeigfreid and changed the unpronounceable Schlichtinger to White, his mother's maiden name.

Leo lost two brothers during the war and another who was just 51 ... so when Leo hit 51 his better judgement told him to see everything, get a boat and just go. So Leo quit his job of 20 years as a crane operator at Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center and bought a 12.5 metre Gulfstream yacht, " Lucky Leo III." After seven years of day sailing and dive charters in the Virgin Islands in 1983 he launched a 45,000 km two and a half year (27,000 mile) adventure of " singlehanded sailing alone around the world."

Leo has completed three circumnavigations, the last in 1994 - 1998 in " Valkyrie," a 29' Cascade after losing " Lucky Leo III" on a reef near Papua, New Guinea.

It didn't surprise the Joshua Slocum Society one little bit when Leo arrived in Newport to honor Slocum having sailed in from Florida. After all, that's only a short hop after having stacked up 100,000 miles of Blue Water Sailing.

Leo White died in 1999. R.I.P.

Leo had a Lucky Leo Fan Club. It was headquartered out of his home at 995 Sarazen Dr. Rockledge, FL 32955-2606.

Click here for a photo of Leo White.

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