Hal Roth Succumbs to Cancer

Venerated sailor and author Hal Roth lost his 2 1/2-year battle with lung cancer on Saturday. He was 81.

In 1967, Roth and his wife Margaret quit their jobs to set off on their famous North Pacific Loop about which he wrote in Two on a Big Ocean. The couple’s later adventures — from rounding Cape Horn to sailing in the wake of Odysseus to circumnavigating — resulted in several more well-respected and very popular books. At the age of 59, Roth entered his first BOC Challenge, a singlehanded race around the world. He did it again four years later. Those voyages also yielded two very popular books. Roth’s latest book, Handling Storms at Sea, will be published later this month.

Hal Roth, who undoubtedly launched a thousand sailing dreams, was a very approachable person and will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to Margaret who shared in all his adventures.