In 1971 Sir Chay Blyth became the first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. Sailing the 59ft ketch British Steel, he was awarded the CBE and voted Yachtsman of the Year.
Sir Chay Blyth is a master adventurer and motivator. Proudly Scottish, he signed up with The Parachute Regiment at the age of 18 and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a Sergeant at the age of 21 – the regiment’s youngest ever at that time.
In 1966, Blyth teamed up with John Ridgeway to row across the Atlantic in a 20ft dory from Cape Cod to the Arran Islands. They completed the distance in 92 days and were both awarded the British Empire Medal and voted Man of the Year.
A master in marketing, motivation and team management, Sir Chay provided the planning, resources, training and encouragement that led some 2,000 raw recruits taking up the challenge of sailing around the world.
He lives by the Para troop motto – ‘ready for anything’.
