Yves Gelinas,
Born Jan. 17, 1939 in Montréal, Québec. Canada.
At age 42, on September 1, 1981 Yves set out from St. Malo France aboard his Alberg 30, “Jean-du-Sud” for a non-stop solo circumnavigation. Although he would dismast in the Pacific along the way and be forced to stop for repairs, a truly fantastic voyage indeed. Yves left for us a true gem. Originally an actor and filmmaker before ocean voyager,Yves documented his voyage on film. This 100 min. film shot during this voyage, With Jean-du-Sud Around the World, won 9 awards (five Gold) in 7 film festivals worldwide and 25 years later, is still considered by many the best sailing film they have seen.
His film is available for purchase on his website Cape Horn, where you can also read about his many other ventures after the circumnavigation.
Yves builds self steering gears too, you can find them HERE.
Quick Bio:
Born Jan. 17, 1939 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Studies in Montréal
1963-66, Summer cruises in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf as crew and skipper on various boats.
1967 : Purchased 24 ft fiberglass sloop. (Olympic Star, Hull no. 11), named Jean-du-Sud.
1968: Jean-du-Sud is fitted with a first self-steering system designed and built by Y. G. (with vertical axis vane and Hasler type servo-pendulum), and carried to Sept-Iles on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence as deck cargo on a freighter; cruise to Percé, then single-handed across the Gulf of St. Laurence to the Magdalen Islands, Anticosti and Natashquan, where I had the honor of meeting the real Jean-du-Sud, the father of poet Gilles Vigneault.
July 1973: Purchased present boat, named also Jean-du-Sud (Alberg 30 hull no. 399) and fitted it with a self-steering system designed and built by Y.G. (with horizontal axis vane and auxiliary rudder).
Nov. 1973: Cruised to the West Indies (offshore between Beaufort NC and St. Maarten), as far as the Grenadines.
Spring 1974: Returned to Québec via the Bahamas and US East Coast.
June 1975: Single-handed cruise to Bermuda; return to Martha's Vineyard Island. Began working on the design of a permanent self-steering system for JdS.
Single-handed passage from Martha’s Vineyard Is. to Martinique via Bermuda. First season of charter.
1976: Single-handed return from St. Thomas USVI to Norfolk VA. Cruise from Norfolk to St. Paul Québec alone with my two daughters, 6 and 8 years old.
1976: Third voyage to the W. I. Single-handed passage from Beaufort to St. Barth. Second season of charter.
1977: Sailed from St. Maarten across the Atlantic to Açores and Falmouth, England. Cruised the Cornish coast. Wintered near St. Malo, in Brittany.
1978: Cruised to the Baltic via Holland and the Kiel canal, as far as Uppsala, Sweden, to visit the new home of my daughters, who had moved there with their mother. Return to St. Malo in the Fall.
1978-81: Worked in a boatyard in Plouër-sur Rance (near St. Malo). Started to prepare my boat and myself for a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation. Worked on the preparation of a 16 mm film narrating the voyage.
1980-81: Pursued the design of a self-steering system, construction and test of a prototype. Further preparation of the voyage and the film.
Sept. 1, 1981 : Left St. Malo, France, bound for Gaspé, Québec, the long way around the world, through the Roaring Forties and around Cape Horn, alone aboard Jean-du-Sud. Financed the voyage by transmitting daily reports through Ham radio that were re-broadcast on a network of radio stations in Québec. Rounded Cape of Good-Hope Nov. 16 1981, Cape Leeuwin Jan. 1st. 1982.
Feb. 15, 1982: Jean-du-Sud was capsized through 360° and dismasted in the Pacific. Reached Chatham Islands under jury rig after 169 days at sea. Flew back to Montréal to finish the editing of the film narrating the first leg of the voyage.
Flew back to the Chatham Islands to repair and refit Jean-du-Sud. Left Dec. 23 rounded Cape Horn 39 days later and sailed into Gaspé, Québec, May 9th 1983, after 28200 miles and 282 sailing days.
