A poignant journey as Commander Bill King, Tarka King, and Alec Finn sail Gipsy Moth III on Galway Bay in this short reflective program from 2002. Join Commander Bill King as he shares memories and reflects on his remarkable life aboard Francis Chichester's iconic yacht - Gipsy Moth III.
Built by Tyrrell's of Arklow, Co Wicklow in 1959, Gipsy Moth III made history when skippered by Francis Chichester, winning the first solo trans-Atlantic race in 1960. Chichester, a dear friend of Bill and Anita Leslie, was immortalized in biography she wrote in 1975. This program offers a moving tribute to adventure, friendship, and the enduring legacy of sailing history.
William Donald Aelian King was the last surviving submarine commander in the Second World War - in charge of the British Navy's T-class Telemachus that sank a Japanese sub in the Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia and Sumatra, in 1944.
Decorated many times for his service by the end of the war, King became a trailblazing solo sailor.
At the age of 58, he was the oldest participant in The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race sailing Galway Blazer II, a junk-rigged schooner he designed himself.
After a number of abortive attempts, including an incident with "a large sea creature", he finally completed his solo circumnavigation of the globe in 1973.
Beyond his aquatic escapades, King settled with his wife Anita (who died in 1984, aged 70) at Oranmore Castle outside Galway after the war, where he later developed a pioneering organic farm and garden to help tackle his wife's asthma.
The round-the-world sailor and Galway native Bill King died on Friday, 21 September, 2012, aged 102.