"Bash crash bang all of a dead dark night into 25 to 35 knots. That's measured. It seemed worse."

After walking away from a sailplane crash in 2014, a QLD man has decided to fill in the time while his aircraft gets repaired, by sailing around the world. He's doing it solo, unassisted, and the wrong way around. Oh, and did we mention he's 76 years old? Bill Hatfield is a legend in Australian Sailplane racing, and having already completed a round the world voyage earlier in life, he's decided to go around the other way this time. Westerly, against the trade winds! No stranger to tough tactical decisions in the air, Bill wasn't too phased about beating upwind the entire way, saying; "As at this time no one has completed this journey in a vessel under 40 feet so it should present something of a challenge." In fact only five people have ever made a circumnavigation in a westerly direction, all of which in much larger, faster boats. Taking Bill around the world in a westerly direction, 22,445nm to be exact, is the sturdy and capable Katherine Ann, and Adams 33 from Hobart. "Bash crash bang all of a dead dark night into 25 to 35 knots. That's measured. It seemed worse. A good look around this morning and all was as I'd left it." After breaking the auto-pilot rudder on his weather vane, a quick stop in Sydney was required after setting sail from Southport, QLD. A reconfigure of the distances, some new parts from Germany and a re-validation of his record attempt, and Bill was off again, quickly rounding Tasmania and turning right. Currently, he's in MH370 territory, just south of Reunion Island off the eastern coast of Africa. There's no time frame, or limit to his adventure, so we'll check back every now and again to see how OBH (Old Bill Hatfield, as he's known in a sailplane) is travelling.