Unit Two

At sixty-five Francis Chichester set out to sail
single-handed round the world. This is the story of
that adventure.

　

　

SAILING ROUND THE WORLD


　

Before he sailed round the world single-handed, Francis Chichester had
already surprised his friends several times. He had tried to fly round the
world but failed. That was in 1931.

The years passed. He gave up flying and began sailing. He enjoyed it
greatly. Chichester was already 58 years old when he won the first solo
transatlantic sailing race. His old dream of going round the world came
back, but this time he would sail. His friends and doctors did not think he
could do it, as he had lung cancer. But Chichester was determined to carry
out his plan. In August, 1966, at the age of nearly sixty-five, an age when
many men retire, he began the greatest voyage of his life. Soon, he was away in
his new 16-metre boat, Gips Moth.

Chichester followed the route of the great nineteenth century clipper ships.
But the clippers had had plenty of crew. Chichester did it all by himself,
even after the main steering device had been damaged by gales. Chichester
covered 14,100miles before stopping in Sydney, Australia. This was more
than twice the distance anyone had previously sailed alone.

He arrived in Australia on 12 December, just 107 days out from Eng-
land. He received a warm welcome from the Australians and from his family
who had flown there to meet him. On shore, Chichester could not walk
without help. Everybody said the same thing: he had done enough; he
must not go any further. But he did not listen.

After resting in Sydney for a few weeks, Chichester set off once more
in spite of his friends'attempts to dissuade him. The second half of his voy-
age was by far the more dangerous part, during which he sailed round the
treacherous Cape Horn.

On 29 January he left Australia. The next night, the blackest he had
35 ever known, the sea became so rough that the boat almost turned over.
Food, clothes, and broken glass were all mixed together. Fortunately, the
damage to the boat was not too serious. Chichester calmly got into bed and
went to sleep. When he woke up, the sea had become calm again. Still, he
could. not help thinking that if anything should happen, the nearest person
he could contact by radio, unless there was a ship nearby, would be on an
island 885 miles away.

After succeeding in sailing round Cape Horn, Chichester sent the following
radio message to London: -I feel as if I had wakened from a night
mare. Wild horses could not drag me down to Cape Horn and that sinister
45 Southern Ocean again. -

Just before 9 0'clock on Sunday evening 28 May, 1967 , he arrived
back in England, where a quarter of a million people were waiting to wel-
come him. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him with the very sword that
Queen Elizabeth I had used almost 400 years earlier to knight Sir Francis
Drake after he had sailed round the world for the first time. The whole voy-
age from England and back had covered 28,500 miles. It had taken him
nine months, of which the sailing time was 226 days. He had done what he
wanted to accomplish.

Like many other adventurers, Chichester had experienced fear and
amquered it. In doing so, he had undoubtedly learnt something about him-
self . Moreover, in the moderri age when human beings depend so much on
machines, he had given men throughout the world new pride.

　
　

New Words

　

single-handed a.
(done) by one person alone 单独的 ( 地 )

& ad.

adventure n.
冒险（活动）

solo a.
single-handed 单独的

transatlantic a.
crossing the Atlantic Ocean 横渡大西洋的

lung n.
part of the body with which one breathes 肺

cancer n.
癌

determined a.
with one's mind firmly made up 下定了决心的

determine v.

determination n.

retire vi.
stop working at one's job (because of age) 退休

voyage n.
sea journey 航海 ; 航行

route n.
way from one place to another 路线

clipper n.
快速帆船

crew n.
group of people who work together on a ship or


aeroplane 全体船员 ; 全体乘务员

steer vt.
make (esp.a boat or road vehicle) go in a par-


ticular direction 为 ... 掌舵 ; 驾驶

device n.
a piece of equipment 设备 ; 装备

steering device n.
操舵装置

damage vt.
cause harm or injury to 损坏

n.
harm, injury 损坏

gale n.
very strong wind 大风

cover vt.
travel (a certain distance) 行过 ( 一段距离 )

previously ad.
before 以前

previous a.

attempt v. & n.
try 试图 , 尝试

dissuade vt.
prevent (sb.)from doing sth. by reasoning 劝阻

treacherous a.
more dangerous than it seems


暗藏危险的 ; 奸诈的

cape n.
海角

rough a.
(of weather or the sea) stormy;not calm ( 气候 )


有暴风雨的 ;( 海 ) 波涛汹涌的

fortunately ad.
luckily 幸运地 ; 幸亏

fortunate a.

contact vt.
get in touch with 联系 , 接触

nearby i ad.
close by 在附近

following a. next;
to be mentioned immediately 接着的 ; 下列的

waken v.
(cause to ) wake 唤醒 ; 醒来

nightmare n.
terrible dream 恶梦

drag vt.
pull along with great effort 拖 , 拉

sinister a.
凶恶的 , 邪恶的

knight n.
爵士

vt.
封 ... 为爵士

sword n.
剑 , 刀

accomplish vt.
finish successfully 完成

conquer vt.
overcome 征服

undoubtedly ad.
certainly 无疑地

moreover ad.
in addition 此外 , 而且

human a.
of or concerning people 人们

being n.
a living thing, esp. a person 生物 ; 人



　

　

Phrases & Expressions

　

set out begin a course of action
着手 , 开始

give up stop doing
放弃

be determined to (do)
have a strong will to ( do) 决心 ( 做 )

(all) by oneself
(completely) alone

in spite of
not taking notice of; not caring about


尽管 ; 虽然

by far
by a large amount or degree ... 得多

turn over
(cause to) fall over, upset


( 使 )翻倒 ,( 使 ) 倾覆

can not help
can not keep oneself from 禁不住



　

Proper Names
　

Francis Chichester
弗朗西斯 . 奇切斯特

Gipsy Moth
吉普赛 . 莫斯

Sydney
悉尼( 澳大利亚城市 )

Cape Horn
合恩角 ( 智利 )

London
伦顿

Elizabeth
伊丽莎白 ( 女子名 )

Drake
德雷克 ( 姓氏 )