John Guzzwell - A Sailing Legend

Remembering John Guzzwell

John Guzzwell, the legendary sailor, boat builder, and author of Trekka Round the World, passed away in August 2024 at the age of 94. His life and achievements, particularly his remarkable solo circumnavigation aboard the 21-foot yawl Trekka, have inspired generations of sailors. Guzzwell's voyage, completed between 1955 and 1959, was groundbreaking, as Trekka was the smallest vessel to have circumnavigated the globe at the time. His adventures, chronicled in his book, are considered a classic in maritime literature.

Born in the Channel Islands in 1930, Guzzwell moved to British Columbia, where he built Trekka and embarked on his voyage. His contributions to sailing extended beyond his circumnavigation; he also became a pioneer in cold-molded construction and lent his expertise to numerous boatbuilding projects, including large schooners and racing yachts. Guzzwell's story is marked by humble yet heroic achievements, from repairing storm-damaged boats at sea to racing across the Pacific in his later years.

John later became a pioneer in cold-molded construction, a method he would teach at annual workshops at Port Townsend. During his distinguished career as a custom boat builder, he has lent his expertise to a diversity of projects ranging from the 65-ft Farr-designed Lively to the 158-ft topsail schooner Tole Mour.

In both 1998 and 2002 (then in his early 70s) he raced to Hawaii in the Singlehanded TransPac aboard a cold-molded 30-footer called Endangered Species, a half-sized Open 60 that he designed and built himself. The boat is now owned by Todd Feinroth and is entered in the upcoming Round The County Race in San Juan County Washington.

“I feel there is something almost sacred about building a boat ... It is almost like creating a living being, a boat seems to have a soul and character all her own ... It requires more thought to give a boat a good name than it does a child.” ― John Guzzwell, Trekka Round the World

John's Guzzwell talks about his life, sailing and boat building on Furledsails Podcast. Part 1 and part 2

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