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Peter Freeman – Victoria–based Record Setting Circumnavigator

by John MacFarlane 2021

Peter Freeman

Peter Freeman (Photo from the Peter Freeman collection.)

When I was researching the voyages of Captain John Voss in the very early 1900s I repeatedly found references to a Canadian named John Hughes who was credited with making the first solo circumnavigation by a Canadian aboard the Joseph Young in 1986–1987.

Very recently I was tipped off about a book published by Peter Freeman, a resident of Saltspring Island, which recounts his 1984 voyage in the 32 foot sloop Laivina from west to east (to and from Victoria) and passed the two great Capes using only celestial navigation, with no GPS. The book contains a fascinating account, day by day, of the voyage. But several appendices will be of interest and use to anyone contemplating a circumnavigation. Even these make fascinating reading. The book was only published in 2018 (by Seaworthy Publications Inc. Melbourne FL USA. Paper bound 337 pages. ISBN 9781948494045) so it is easily available on Amazon.

Peter Freeman is an unassuming man who lives on Saltspring Island. Originally from Noosa Heads, QLD Australia, he became a Canadian citizen in the 1990s. He was and is a computer programmer whose methodical and structured mindset was ideal for the planning and execution of the voyage. His book contains some of the knowledge that he gained from the voyage as an aid to readers contemplating a similar voyage. The late appearance of the book is a welcome addition to the canon of British Columbia nautical titles.

Book Cover

Cape Horn Birthday: Record–Breaking Solo Non–Stop Circumnavigation (Photo from the Peter Freeman collection.)

The Joshua Slocum Society has been tracking these records of solo circumnavigations for many years. They list neither Hughes nor Freeman in their records which appear to have ended in 2008. For many years, Latitude 38 magazine has kept the official roster of West Coast Circumnavigators. They do not list Peter Freeman either – nor John Hughes who was based in eastern Canada. A recent Wikipedia List of Circumnavigations credits Peter Freeman with a voyage October 14, 1984 – July 14, 1985; when he skippered a Hartley 32 ferro–cement sloop Laiviņa, from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 236 days setting a new Guinness World Record. They do not list the Canadian John Hughes at all. So there is disagreement between some of the major record keepers. I am determined to shine a light on these Canadian achievements. While researching this matter I also came across Victoria sailor Bert terHart who has made his mark in history in 2020 as the first North American to sail solo, non–stop, west to east, around the five great Capes, using only celestial navigation, with no GPS.

Nautical historian DH ‘Nobby’ Clarke, of the The World Sailing Speed Record Council acknowledged Freeman’s record by correspondence at the time. There was a great deal of attention paid to this record accomplishment at the time in the press and in a series of articles in Pacific Yachting magazine. As time passed this was all eclipsed by other world events and by subsequent voyagers who picked up other threads of public attention.

NAME

Laivina Arriving Back in Victoria BC (Photo from the Ed Buscall photo from Pacific Yachting.)

Freeman blends a nice collection of memories of the run up to the voyage to the years following. His candid reflections are a fascinating look into the motivations for making such a voyage and the unintended consequences of having completed it. I do not intend to recount the details of the voyage here. Interested readers should buy a copy of the book and read it for themselves. Whether or not you contemplate such a voyage or are an armchair sailor it is a really good read!

Rainbow

A rainbow experienced at sea by the Laivina An interesting side note was the fact that Freeman took very little film with him and sadly only a handful of images taken on the voyage exist. But then on reflection perhaps there were not that many subjects to capture on a non–stop voyage! (Photo from the Peter Freeman collection.)

Laivina Arriving

Laivina arriving back in Victoria BC at the end of the voyage (Photo from the Peter Freeman collection.)

The Laivina is still owned by Peter Freeman. His interests now are diverse and he says he is still interested in sailing and the sea. He shared some detailed information which had to be cut from the published version. This is some of the information that would be most valuable for anyone planning a long bluewater voyage.

Most noteworthy to me is the fact that the voyage was completed without modern communications, navigational or other electronic aids. Unlike modern voyages who boast of daily satellite telephone calls home to boost morale. Without GPS and depending on celestial navigation computed by hand and trip planning based on then existing knowledge for yachtsmen Freeman’s voyage takes on an air of modern pioneering.

Freeman on Laivina

Laivina arriving back in Victoria BC at the end of the voyage (Photo from the Peter Freeman collection.)

I am always surprised by non–stop sailors. They must truly like the solitary life at sea. They are sailors first and travellers second.I could not have passed the remote and fascinating places Freeman encountered without stopping and making a thorough visit. But as a challenging feat, as a personal test, Freeman’s voyage was completely successful and a noteworthy achievement that deserves continuing recognition. He is part of the British Columbia tradition of small craft sailors setting personal and world records.


To quote from this article please cite:

MacFarlane, John (2021) Peter Freeman – Record Setting Circumnavigator. Nauticapedia.ca 2020. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Freeman_Peter.php

Nauticapedia

Site News: December 21, 2024

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 94,824 vessel histories (with 16,274 images and 13,929 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters).

Vessel records are currently being reviewed and updated with more than 45,000 processed so far this year (2024).

The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,599 entries (with 3996 images).

Thanks to Ray Warren who is beginning a long process of filling gaps in the photo record of vessel histories in the database. Ray has been documenting the ships of Vancouver Harbour for more than 60 years.

Thanks to contributor Mike Rydqvist McCammon for the hundreds of photos he has contributed to illustrate British Columbia’s floating heritage.

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