John Guzzwell passed away this August at age 94. His book Trekka Round the World describes the extraordinary single-handed circumnavigation he made aboard Trekka, a wooden yawl measuring only 20’6″ which he built in Victoria. For many years Trekka was the smallest boat to have completed such a voyage.
His story has inspired many sailors, and continues to do so to this day. Just this year, he became a race patron for the McIntyre Mini Globe Race 2025 [1], in which 5.8m home built plywood boats will be following in the footsteps of his solo voyage around the globe. Practical Boat Owner has a good article [2] with interesting details about John’s life and some tributes from other well-known sailors.
Mr. Guzzwell was made an honorary member of BCA [3] in 1979, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the annals of bluewater cruising.