Why Wait Until 16 To Circumnavigate?

One of the reasons Kiwis are such good sailors is that they start young in life. Take these little guys, who are the grandchildren of New Zealander Ken Beashel. The oldest is 18-months-old.

The photo of the kids comes to us via Warwick ‘Commodore’ Tompkins of the Mill Valley-based Wylie 38+ Flashgirl. Tompkins used to compete against Beashel in the ’60s and ’70s. Beashel then started Beashel Boatworks in Pittwater, specializing in wooden boats. He built the skiff in this photo, which features a bulb keel. Colin, one of Beashel’s sons and dad to the two boys, now runs the boatyard but was seen at the helm of a number of Australian America’s Cup challengers in his day. Beashel’s other son, Adam, has been with Team New Zealand and other high-end campaigns.

Jessica Watson and Abby Sunderland, who are both hoping to complete non-stop singlehanded circumnavigations, better start looking over their shoulder, because there is a much younger generation hoping to go after the record they hope to set.