Gerry Hughes (sailor)

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Gerry Hughes is a British sailor who became the first profoundly deaf man to sail single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean. He crossed the finishing line off Castle Hill, Newport at 11:30 am local time (4:30 pm UTC) on Saturday 3 July 2005 after 35 days of sailing.[1] Hughes also became the world's first deaf yachtsman to sail single-handed around the world [2] to pass the five great capes. He departed Troon, Scotland on 1 September 2012 and returned to Troon on 8 May 2013.[3] Dr Hughes was added as number 202 on Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's list of elite solo circumnavigators [4]- In 2019 Gerry Hughes published a book about his life called 'Bridging Our Differences'.[5]

Biography

Gerry Hughes was born in

skipper to sail around the British Isles, in 1981.[6]

Gerry was a research associate for the

Moray House College of Education working with Mary Brennan and Martin Colville.[7]

Gerry went on to found a school for hearing and deaf people called ‘Quest for Language’

Donaldson's School for the Deaf in Edinburgh.[10] Gerry later went on to teach at St Roch's Secondary School in Glasgow.[11][12]

Single-handed trans-Atlantic race

In August 2004, Hughes bought a 23-year-old, 34-foot yacht. He named the yacht Quest II.[13][14]

Hughes set off from Portsmouth in Quest II, but was forced to call at Cork in Ireland for repairs due to a failure of battery power. Out in the Atlantic, a few days later, the battery power failed again, resulting is the loss of use of his navigation lights, generator, laptop computer and mobile phone. He continued, making use of an oil lamp.

When he eventually reached USA waters he was able to ask directions from a passing speed-boat encountered in fog. He reached Newport successfully when the fog had cleared.[15]

Sailing around the world

On 1 September 2012 Hughes left Troon, Scotland to start his eight-month journey across the world. Hughes travel around the world solo, sailed 32,000 miles and became the first deaf yachtsman to passed all five southernmost capes - Cape Agulhas, Cape Leeuwin, South East Cape, South West Cape and Cape Horn.[3]

References

  1. ^ "BBC See Hear". Vimeo. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Gerry Hughes becomes first deaf person to sail round the world". BBC News. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Disability News: Gerry Hughes Becomes First Deaf Person to Sail Round the World". Able News. BBC News. Retrieved 4 December 2015. His solo-circumnavigation lasted eight months and covered more than 32,000 miles, during which time he endured a capsize and equipment problems.
  4. ^ "SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATORS". www.robinknox-johnston.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  5. ^ Bridging Our Differences by Gerry S M Hughes. ASIN 1789557720.
  6. ^ "Gerry's Life". gerryhughes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  7. ^ "In Memoriam: Mary Brennan, 1944-2005". researchgate.net. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  8. ISBN 978-1-78955-773-2
    .
  9. ^ "Fireball Signs into Science". Compute Scotland. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Tessa Padden meets the first Deaf person to sail solo round the world". BSLZone.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  11. ^ "Update from Gerry's wife Kay at St Roch's School". gerrysmhughes.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  12. ^ "St Roch's Secondary teacher Gerry Hughes circumnavigated the earth in his vessel Quest III". Kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Tessa Padden meets the first Deaf person to sail solo round the world. Part 2". BSLzone.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  14. ^ "I felt that for the first time I had got through the barriers". The Herald. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  15. ^ Burnside, Anna (2005-08-21). "A Question of Sink or Sail". The Sunday Times.

External links


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