Bernard Moitessier Biography

Bernard Moitessier (April 10, 1925 – June 16, 1994) was a sailor, most notable for his participation in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, the first round the world yacht race. With the fastest circumnavigation time towards the end of the race, Moitessier was the likely winner for the fastest voyage, but he elected to continue on to Tahiti and not return to the start line in England, rejecting the idea of the commercialization of long distance sailing. He was a French national born and raised in Vietnam, then part of French Indochina.