Ocean Cruising Club - Two legendary sailors elected honorary members

During his solo triple circumnavigation of the globe in 1987, Jon Sanders pauses off Fremantle to receive fan mail Brian Jenkins

Les Powles on his boat Solitaire of Hamble © Andy Beharrell

Jon Sanders was born in Western Australia in 1939, first learning to sail in the Sea Scouts and then as a teenager in the Australian Naval Reserve Cadets.

His first solo circumnavigation was from 1975-77 in the first PerieBanou, an S&S 34. In 1981-82 Jon then completed a double circumnavigation west to the east via the Southern Ocean. This voyage was recognised in the Guinness Book of Records and in 1983 he was awarded an OBE and the Chichester Award amongst many other accolades.

In 1986 Jon set off again in the Parry Endeavour, a 14m sloop, completing a triple solo circumnavigation of the world in just under two years, spending 658 days at sea and covering 71,022 nautical miles. Jon’s only contact with the outside world was via electronic communication and a couple of parcels of mail thrown to him from another vessel.

In 1988 he acquired his current yacht PerieBanou II, an S&S 39 built in 1971, extensively refurbished to handle severe conditions, and has since completed a further three circumnavigations, finishing his ninth only a few weeks ago in Fremantle at the age of 75.

Les Powles, an OCC member since 1997 and now aged 90, has sailed the world on the proverbial shoestring, learning as he went. After completing his third solo circumnavigation and returning to the UK, he has lived in Lymington aboard his boat Solitaire, the only home he has known for the past 40 years. A quiet modest man, with no airs and graces – but a huge amount of history and knowledge to share!

It was fear, as well as a crazy kind of courage that inspired Les to sail around the globe three times. He had no desire to be one of 'tomorrow's people' – whom he characterised as 'we're off tomorrow ... when we've ... a list of tasks still to be done.' He still sees himself as an amateur sailor, and still has that knowing twinkle in his eye. Above all else, he stills remains an inspiration.

A former engineer, his life changed in his ‘50s when he began to crave the freedom of the sea. Les spent his savings building Solitaire in Liverpool in 1975. A determined and slightly reckless amateur, with only eight hours sailing experience, he set off that year into the Atlantic. Famously, he headed for the Caribbean, but his poor navigational skills meant he accidently landed in Brazil. He went on to complete a 34,000 mile circumnavigation via Panama, Darwin and Cape Town arriving back in Lymington having been given up for dead.

Towards the end of his second, non-stop 28,500 mile voyage in 1980-81, Les struggled with hunger and survived on rainwater, a few spoonfuls of rice and quarter of a tin of meat per day. He always sailed on a shoestring and never had sufficient money to buy adequate provisions. Following this voyage Les received the YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award in 1981.

On his third, epic, eight-year voyage in the late 1980s he was again given up for dead, but surprised everyone by his return four months after he set sail from New Zealand, aged 70. He had lost five stone and hardly had the strength to lift the sail.

Commodore John Franklin expressed his sincere congratulations on the night, “Since the Club has not elected an honorary member for many years the General Committee felt that our 60th Anniversary year would be an appropriate occasion to nominate others for election. The OCC is most honoured to welcome Jon Sanders and Les Powles to the rank of Honorary Members.”

Until this election, the Club had four Honorary Members:
• Sir Robin Knox-Johnson
• Geraldine Wright
• Alfredo Lagos
• João Carlos Fraga