The Spy thought it best to simply share Ken Court’s own description on his presentation about his epic cruise from Hawaii to the Chesapeake Bay:
“This is the story about my cruise 1965-68 from Hawaii to the Chesapeake by way of the Red Sea & the Mediterranean. Four years and about 28,000 miles.
The voyage started from Honolulu and went thru the islands of French Polynesia to Tahiti. After some time there I went by ship to New Zealand where I settled in Auckland, travelled to see both the North & South islands, worked on a trawler as a Commercial Fisherman, and bought Mamari a 28’-10” ketch built of kauri an excellent New Zealand boat building wood. She was 9 years old. My friend a broker asked the boat’s name, and exclaimed “Mamari, why she’s one of the best built boats in New Zealand.”
In April I set sail for Tonga, we were two aboard. In the Tongas we were joined by Sefo a local captain. From Tonga I single handed to Fiji and sailed there with a Fijian, Veilawa, and then with a young Brit to New Caledonia where a Frenchman joined me. We sailed together to Australia, up the Barrier Reef and north coast to Darwin. We then left Australia to cross the Indian Ocean to the Seychelles off the coast of Africa. We stayed two months in the Seychelles, sailing away in January. Mamari had been mine for a year.
4)After the Seychelles where did you go? We then sailed to the Somali Coast (there were no pirates in those days) then Aden where the British were under attack by terrorists (some things never change). Up the Red Sea, and thru the Suez Canal. Single-handed to Greece, leaving Egypt two weeks before the Six Day War with Israel. It was now June.
A humorous aside in Egypt, my dad sent word via the US Consul that I should get out of the Med forthwith as far as Italy. I said, “thanks, I would take it under advisement.” That evening I asked the Consul to wire, “Sorry we missed your son… he is last reported to have left for Tel Aviv with a load of guns and his mistress.” The guns to give my dad cause to worry, the mistress my mother. I had no guns, no mistress. Neither of my two replies were sent, diplomacy being what it is.
And then what happened in Greece? In Greece my luck changed, I put out my sign, “Crew wanted, one or two girls…” It worked. 6 girls sailed with me at different times; Maria, a Greek joined me to sail away to Italy, and eventually to Gibraltar and the Canary Islands.
Made the Atlantic crossing with two guys, one American the other French. Neither could speak the other’s language so they couldn’t mutiny. For comedy hour I’d send them up on deck to change sails. Bang, crash, “merde”… After laughing my fill I’d go on deck, have one of them trim a sail, the other adjust the tiller and all was calm. We crossed the Ocean in 25 ½ days, a respectable 100 miles per day.
You said there was more humor to come will you tell about it? in the middle of the night at anchorage in Barbados, bang, an unfendered boat along side. Then clunk, a hard suitcase on deck and click, click, high heels. After these three no-no’s it was all I could manage, “Maria welcome aboard.” In the morning she made us breakfast and kicked my two crew off the boat. Two days later we were married. Some guy’s never learn.
From there you sailed home how long did that take? That was February 12th. By August we were home after a six month honeymoon cruising the islands. A month later I was at work at Westinghouse just south of the Bay Bridge. In the fullness of time we had two daughters.”
The show will be at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Easton, on Rte 50 across from the High School playing fields. 7401 Ocean Gateway, Easton. Thursday August 27th at 7 pm and will run about one hour.
Ken Court is a naval architect and yacht designer who now lives in Talbot County.
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