Alone Over the Tasman Sea

Sir Francis Chichester was an aviator and sailor renowned for his solo circumnavigation of the globe in 1967 aboard the Gipsy Moth IV, a feat that made him the first and fastest person to achieve such a journey. His subsequent writings and films documented his sailing adventures.

Born in Devon and educated at Marlborough College, Chichester moved to New Zealand at 18. He spent a decade in forestry, mining, and property development before returning to England. There, he learned to fly and, in the original Gipsy Moth seaplane, became the first person to complete a solo East-West flight across the Tasman Sea. This accomplishment earned him the inaugural Amy Johnson Memorial Trophy.

Chichester authored numerous popular books detailing his aerial exploits. During World War II, he developed the navigation manual used by single-man fighter pilots for flights across Europe. In 1964, he published his bestselling autobiography, The Lonely Sea and the Sky. He was knighted three years later in recognition of his “individual achievement and sustained endeavour in the navigation and seamanship of small craft.”

Leveraging his navigation expertise, Chichester established a successful map-making company, Francis Chichester Ltd. This company continues to publish pocket guides and maps that are distributed globally.