Mike Plant

He was interested in sailing from childhood. He began racing boat in his teens, winning a national competition in X Class one-design. After the end of the first BOC Challenge1982/83, he sold his sailing boat and was able to start building a racer for the next BOC. Finding sponsorship, he entered and won Class II of the BOC Challenge 1986/87 with his boat Airco Distributors with time of 129 days 10 hours 34 minute 22 seconds.

Then he built a new boat called Duracell.

First, he entered her in the solo nonstop around the world race the Global Challenge 1989, which began and ended in France. Despite a forced four day stop at Campbell Island, south of New Zealand, due to rigging failure, Plant raced Duracell around the world in just under 135 days, setting a new American record.

He refitted the boat as much as he could, and only four months after finishing the Globe Challenge he went around the world solo in the third BOC Challenge 1990/91. The boat was only one year old, but already one generation older than the new boats specially designed and build for the third BOC Race. He was the only American to compete in Class I and he finished fourth by 132 days 20 hours 01 minutes 02 seconds. It was his third solo circumnavigation.

Soon after the finish of the BOC, he immediately started building a new boat for a new adventure. His new Hi-Tech 60 foot long boat was launched early in 1993. After some testing Mike took her over the Atlantic to France for the start of the second Globe Challenge 1993/94 - solo nonstop around the world race. This time tragedy struck Mike Plant at its worst. His boat lost ballast and capsized in the middle of the Atlantic. The Gulf Current brought the boat close to Europe and she was recovered. Unfortunately, Mike was lost at sea.

Copyright  Richard Konkolski 

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