Alain Gerbault facts for kids
Gerbault (right) in 1929
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| Full name | Alain Jacques Georges Marie Gerbault |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | France |
| Born | November 17, 1893 Laval, Mayenne, France |
| Died | December 16, 1941 (aged 48) Dili, Portuguese Timor |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1931) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1921) |
| US Open | 3R (1924) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WHCC | 3R (1922) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1920) |
| WHCC | F (1921) |
Alain Jacques Georges Marie Gerbault (born November 17, 1893 – died December 16, 1941) was a famous French Sailor, writer, and tennis champion. He was known for sailing alone around the world.
Later in his life, he lived in the islands of the south Pacific Ocean. There, he wrote several books about how the islanders lived. As a tennis player, he was ranked among the top five in France in 1923.
Contents
Early Life
Alain Gerbault was born on November 17, 1893, in Laval, Mayenne, France. His family was well-off. He spent a lot of his childhood in Dinard, near the old port of St. Malo.
During summers, he enjoyed playing tennis and football. He also liked hunting and fishing. For college, he studied civil engineering. He and his brother owned a factory together.
When he was 21, Gerbault joined the Flying Corps. He served as an officer during World War I. By the end of the war, he was a decorated hero.
After the war, he started playing tennis seriously. He became a French champion. He also played bridge and was ranked internationally. Even with these achievements, he felt he needed a bigger challenge. He even thought about flying across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1921, while playing tennis in England, he found a boat. It was an old British racing yacht called Firecrest. It was 39 feet long. He had already been thinking about long sailing trips. So, he bought the boat and spent about a year sailing it around Cannes in France.
Sailing Around the World
The Firecrest Boat
The boat Alain Gerbault used to sail around the world was named Firecrest. It was an English racing boat. Dixon Kemp designed it, and it was built in 1892.
The boat was 39 feet long overall. It was narrow, about 8 feet 6 inches wide. It had a deep keel and carried heavy lead for balance.
The Big Journey Begins
On June 6, 1923, Gerbault started his solo trip from Gibraltar. His goal was to sail alone around the world. Sailing the Atlantic in a small boat was very difficult and risky back then. Gerbault was not fully ready with his equipment or experience.
The trip was extremely hard, and his equipment often broke. But he reached New York after 101 days at sea. He was not the first to sail the Atlantic alone. However, he received a hero's welcome. He was also given the Blue Water Medal for his amazing achievement.
While in New York, he began writing his book, The Fight of the Firecrest. He left his boat there and went home to France. For his voyage, he was awarded the Légion d'honneur, a high French award.
Continuing the Adventure
Firecrest was repaired and updated in New York. Its sails were also changed. In September 1923, Gerbault left New York to continue his journey. He first headed to Bermuda.
He arrived in Colón, Panama, on April 1, 1924. After sailing through the Panama Canal, he entered and won the tennis championship of Panama! He sailed again on May 31, 1924. After stopping in the Galapagos islands, he reached Mangareva in French Polynesia. This part of the trip took 49 days.
He then visited the Marquesas Islands, the Tuamotus, and Tahiti. During this time, he started writing a lot about the history and people of the Pacific islands. He also spoke out against how colonial powers treated the native people.
Across Oceans and Home
After more repairs, Firecrest set sail again on May 21, 1926. He stopped in Bora Bora, Samoa, and the Wallis Islands. There, his boat was badly damaged during a strong storm. Because Gerbault was so famous by then, he got a lot of help to fix his boat.
On December 9, he sailed again. He slowly made his way to the Torres Strait. From there, he sailed into the Indian Ocean. He visited the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Mauritius, and Madagascar. He arrived in Durban, South Africa, just in time for Christmas in 1927.
Gerbault then sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and headed north. He stopped at Saint Helena, Ascension, and the Cape Verde islands. He spent ten months in Cape Verde working on another book.
Finally, on May 6, 1929, he sailed for home. He stopped at the Azores. On July 21, he sailed into Cherbourg Harbour in France. He received another hero's welcome for finishing his journey. This was the third solo trip around the world. He had spent 700 days at sea and traveled over 40,000 miles.
Gallery Firecrest
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Firecrest
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Firecrest sailplan
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Firecrest interior layout
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Gerbault in the main companionway
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Firecrest in Monaco
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Firecrest in New York
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Gerbault at the aft deck with his hand on the tiller
L'Alain Gerbault
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After returning home, Gerbault soon missed the Pacific islands. He decided to go back there. His old boat, Firecrest, was very worn out. So, he decided to build a new boat.
This new boat was like those designed by Colin Archer. Gerbault had long admired these Norwegian rescue boats. He used plans from a book and other designs to create his own version. The new boat was about 34 feet long and 10.5 feet wide. It weighed about 10 tons.
The boat was built by Paul Jouët boatyard. It was launched on June 4, 1931, and named L'Alain Gerbault.
Later Life
L'Alain Gerbault had the international call sign O.Z.Y.U. This became the title of his last book, published after his death. He sailed back to the South Pacific. He spent years traveling from island to island, away from public attention.
He wrote several books about life on the islands. He also shared his thoughts on how modern Western life was changing things.
Alain Gerbault died on December 16, 1941, in Dili, East Timor. He passed away from a tropical fever. His death was not widely known until August 22, 1944, more than three years later. Some reports suggest he might have been held by the Japanese.
In 1947, his body was found and buried on Bora Bora. A monument was built there to honor him. Alain Gerbault's tomb in Vaitape, Bora Bora, was once by the water. Now, due to new buildings, it is next to a market. Local people are planning to move his tomb to a new spot.
Works
- The fight of the Firecrest: The record of a lone-hand cruise from East to West across the Atlantic, Alain Gerbault, New York, D. Appleton and Co., 1926.
- In quest of the sun: The journal of the "Firecrest", Alain Gerbault, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1930.
- The gospel of the sun, Alain Gerbault, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1933.
- Un paradis se meurt (Le Grand dehors), Paris, Éditions Self (impr. de Le Moil et Pascaly), 1949.
- O.Z.Y.U. : "dernier journal" , Alain Gerbault, Paris, Bernard Grasset, 1952.
See also
In Spanish: Alain Gerbault para niños
