Tania Aebi
Encyclopedia
Tania Aebi is an American
sailor
. She completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe in a 26 foot sailboat between the ages of 18 and 21, thus making her the first American woman and the youngest person (at the time) to sail around the world. Despite many challenges, she accomplished her goal and proved to her father that she could complete something.
Aebi recounts the story of her voyage in her book Maiden Voyage. The book is a story of teenage angst, self discovery and adventure. Aebi's story is unusual because she was poorly prepared for her voyage, but prevailed through common sense and determination.
Aebi had practically no sailing or navigation experience when she departed on her journey, on 28 May 1985. Aebi did not have a GPS receiver, since the GPS system was not in operation then. Instead, Aebi had a sextant
for celestial navigation
and a radio direction finder
. She did not sea trial
her boat and was plagued by factory defects that could easily have been corrected before departure.
She completed the circumnavigation in Varuna, a Contessa 26
. Her arrival back in New York City on November 6, 1987 after a cold November transit across the Atlantic was heralded nationally by the news media.
Tarzoon, the cat who traveled more than half the world around with her survived for more than 20 years and died peacefully in its sleep just before she was to undertake a new voyage with her two teenage sons. She and her sons sailed a newly acquired steel monohull across the Caribbean and South Pacific during 2008. She traded off with the boys' father, her ex-husband Olivier, in Papeete, Tahiti. Olivier and his sons continued their cruising passage from there.
In 2005 Tania Aebi published her second book, I've Been Around.
Tania Aebi writes columns for several sailing and cruising magazines. She lives in Corinth
, Vermont
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
. She completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe in a 26 foot sailboat between the ages of 18 and 21, thus making her the first American woman and the youngest person (at the time) to sail around the world. Despite many challenges, she accomplished her goal and proved to her father that she could complete something.
Aebi recounts the story of her voyage in her book Maiden Voyage. The book is a story of teenage angst, self discovery and adventure. Aebi's story is unusual because she was poorly prepared for her voyage, but prevailed through common sense and determination.
Aebi had practically no sailing or navigation experience when she departed on her journey, on 28 May 1985. Aebi did not have a GPS receiver, since the GPS system was not in operation then. Instead, Aebi had a sextant
Sextant
A sextant is an instrument used to measure the angle between any two visible objects. Its primary use is to determine the angle between a celestial object and the horizon which is known as the altitude. Making this measurement is known as sighting the object, shooting the object, or taking a sight...
for celestial navigation
Celestial navigation
Celestial navigation, also known as astronavigation, is a position fixing technique that has evolved over several thousand years to help sailors cross oceans without having to rely on estimated calculations, or dead reckoning, to know their position...
and a radio direction finder
Radio direction finder
A radio direction finder is a device for finding the direction to a radio source. Due to low frequency propagation characteristic to travel very long distances and "over the horizon", it makes a particularly good navigation system for ships, small boats, and aircraft that might be some distance...
. She did not sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
her boat and was plagued by factory defects that could easily have been corrected before departure.
She completed the circumnavigation in Varuna, a Contessa 26
Contessa 26
The Contessa 26 is a 7.77 meter fiberglass monohull sailboat, brought about when Jeremy Rogers, with a background in traditional wooden boatbuilding along with one of his Folkboat customers, David Sadler, created a modified version of the same boat in GRP...
. Her arrival back in New York City on November 6, 1987 after a cold November transit across the Atlantic was heralded nationally by the news media.
Tarzoon, the cat who traveled more than half the world around with her survived for more than 20 years and died peacefully in its sleep just before she was to undertake a new voyage with her two teenage sons. She and her sons sailed a newly acquired steel monohull across the Caribbean and South Pacific during 2008. She traded off with the boys' father, her ex-husband Olivier, in Papeete, Tahiti. Olivier and his sons continued their cruising passage from there.
In 2005 Tania Aebi published her second book, I've Been Around.
Tania Aebi writes columns for several sailing and cruising magazines. She lives in Corinth
Corinth, Vermont
Corinth is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,461 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.5 square miles , of which 48.5 square miles is land and 0.04 square mile is water...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.