William Willis (sailor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Willis
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| Born | September 8, 1893 Hamburg, Germany
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| Died | July 1968 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Writer, sailor |
William Willis (born September 8, 1893 – died July 1968) was an American sailor and writer. He became famous for his amazing solo trips across oceans on rafts.
Contents
William Willis's Early Life and Adventures
Willis started his life at sea very young. When he was just 15, he left his home in Hamburg, Germany. He became a sailor and sailed all the way around Cape Horn. This is a very dangerous tip of South America.
First Ocean Raft Journey
In 1954, Willis began his first big solo adventure. He was 61 years old at the time. He sailed from South America to American Samoa. This trip covered an incredible 6,700 miles. This was much farther than Thor Heyerdahl's famous Kon-Tiki raft journey.
Willis built his raft from seven large balsa tree trunks. He named it "Seven Little Sisters." His crew for this long voyage was just himself, his parrot, and his cat. His wife said goodbye to him in Callao, Peru. Willis even started the trip with a hernia, but he still set sail as planned!
Second Epic Raft Voyage
Ten years later, Willis was 71 years old. He decided to make another huge journey. This time, he sailed 10,000 miles from South America to Australia. His new raft was 34 feet long and called Age Unlimited.
He left Callao on July 5, 1963. He stopped for a while in Apia. After 204 days at sea, he reached Tully Heads, Queensland. He finished this amazing trip on September 9, 1964.
William Willis's Final Journey and Legacy
At 74, Willis tried his third solo ocean crossing. He wanted to cross the North Atlantic in a small sailboat. He left Montauk Point, Long Island, on May 2, 1968. His boat was named Little One.
On September 24, 1968, a Soviet trawler found his boat. It was half-sunk about 400 miles west of Ireland. Willis was not on board. His logbook was found, and its last entry was from July 21, 1968.
Novelist T. R. Pearson wrote a book about Willis's adventures. It is called Seaworthy: Adrift with William Willis in the Golden Age of Rafting (2006).
See also
- Adventurers' Club of New York
- Pre-Columbian rafts
