Gerry Hughes
Encyclopedia
Gerry Hughes is the first profoundly deaf man to sail
single-handed
across the Atlantic Ocean
. He crossed the finishing line off Castle Hill, Newport at 1130hrs (1630hrs GMT) local time on Saturday 3 July 2005 after 35 days of sailing.
, Rhu
and Inverkip
. In his teenage years he was involved with a group of deaf sailors in the south of England
and sailed across the English Channel
.
Hughes graduated with a degree in Mathematics from the Open University
. In 1995 he qualified as a teacher. He later became acting head of Donaldson's School for the Deaf in Edinburgh
.
Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race
In August 2004, Hughes bought a 23 year old, 34 foot yacht. He named the yacht Quest II.
Hughes set off from Portsmouth
in Quest II, but was forced to call at Cork (city)
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.
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. He crossed the finishing line off Castle Hill, Newport at 1130hrs (1630hrs GMT) local time on Saturday 3 July 2005 after 35 days of sailing.
Biography
Hughes was profoundly deaf from birth. He had experience of boats since he was about 2 years old in LargsLargs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
, Rhu
Rhu
Rhu is a village and historic parish on the east shore of the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.The traditional spelling of its name was Row, but it was changed in the 1920s so that outsiders would pronounce it correctly...
and Inverkip
Inverkip
Inverkip is a village and parish falling within the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies about southwest of Greenock on the A78 trunk road...
. In his teenage years he was involved with a group of deaf sailors in the south of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and sailed across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
.
Hughes graduated with a degree in Mathematics from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
. In 1995 he qualified as a teacher. He later became acting head of Donaldson's School for the Deaf in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic RaceSingle-Handed Trans-Atlantic RaceThe Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or STAR, is an east-to-west yacht race across the North Atlantic. When inaugurated in 1960, it was the first single-handed ocean yacht race; it is run from Plymouth to the USA, and is held every four years....
In August 2004, Hughes bought a 23 year old, 34 foot yacht. He named the yacht Quest II.Hughes set off from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in Quest II, but was forced to call at Cork (city)
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
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.