Teignmouth Electron

Many people will be familiar with the story of Donald Crowhurst and Teignmouth Electron. Crowhurst entered the Golden Globe Challenge, a single handed non stop round the world race, in 1968. He built Teignmouth Electron, a 40′ Piver designed trimaran and equiped her with electronics and safety equipment developed by his failing electronics business.

Crowhurst left on the last day permitted to start the race. He had not finished fitting equipment in the boat and, in the rush, left behind supplies and spares. Experiencing problems almost immediately Crowhurst began falsifying his position reports whilst remaining in the south Atlantic and was widely believed to be winning the race.

He realised his deception would be uncovered particularly if he won the race. Radio transmissions from Crowhurst ended in June 1969 and his abandoned boat was found adrift in July.

Salvers sold the boat to a Jamaican hotelier and it was operated by several different owners in the tourist industry there. In 1979 it was again sold and used as a dive boat on Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands.

In 1982 I spent a few weeks working on the small island of Cayman Brac for the telephone company. I remember driving past Teignmouth Electron which was just sat on the ground across the road from the beach. I recall stopping and having a look around. The boat appeared in quite reasonable condition and at that time could only have been out of the water for a year or so. Unfortunately I didn’t have much interest in sailing at the time and had never heard of Donald Crowhurst but the name Teignmouth Electron stuck in my mind. Some years later when I came across the story of the Golden Globe Challenge it reminded of the day I came across the Teignmouth Electron.

It seems the boat stayed there high and dry and deteriorating until 2006 when artist Michael Jones Mckean bought the boat. It is unclear what if anything he intends to do with her and she is still sitting on the beach in Cayman Brac.

Many thanks to Mike Barcroft and The Marl Road for the photos.

Click here to buy “A Voyage For Madmen”. The full story of the Golden Globe Challenge.