10th Circumnavigation

Jon Sanders Swan Song Voyage Fundraising Dinner

Yachting legend Jon Sanders and his faithful SV Perie Banou II are taking one last circumnavigation of the world. This will be yet another record-breaking feat, his 10th voyage around planet earth.

Jon Sanders and SV Perie Banou II, a Sparkman & Stephens 39 designed yacht, are icons in the international sailing community. Jon is a solo yachting legend and holds a number of single-handed sailing records and awards. He has circumnavigated the world nine times, five solos, covering thousands of nautical miles.

A Western Australian yachtsman and long-time member of the Royal Perth Yacht Club, Jon is best known for completing the first solo non-stop triple circumnavigation in 1988 on board SV Parry Endeavour. This 71,000 nautical mile journey took 658 days to complete – the longest distance sailed continuously by any person or vessel. SV Parry Endeavour takes pride of place next to the 1983 America’s Cup-winning Australia II in the Fremantle Maritime Museum, Western Australia.

Jon will be setting sail on this historic voyage from Fremantle, Western Australia during October 2016. He plans to return to Fremantle one year later after circumnavigating the world. This circumnavigation will include two formal races. The Dirk Hartog Island Race, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the landing by Dutch voyagers on Australian shores, commences 15th October 2016. The 2017 Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro Race, a 3,600 nautical mile race across the South Atlantic, commences January 2017. A crew will be supporting Jon in these two races. Jon will sail solo for the majority of the voyage.

Jon, born 1939 in Perth, Western Australia, is, this year, 77 years old. Last year Jon had open heart surgery. He is back in good health and good spirit, ready to embark on this record-breaking voyage.