| Name |
Adrienne Cahalan |
| Date of Birth |
23646 |
| Place of Birth |
Sydney, Australia |
| Profession |
Yachting and Meteorology |
| Website |
http://www.rdg.ac.uk/~swp02amc |
| Age started sailing |
14 |
| First boat sailed |
Hobie 16 |
| Age started racing |
17 |
| First boat raced |
Laser & windsurfer |
| What inspired you to take up sailing? |
I grew up on Sydney Harbour as such my friends were involved in sailing. |
| How did you buy your first boat? |
At 17 I bought a laser with money saved from waiting tables part time while I was as school. |
| Which was your first sailing club? |
Lane Cove 12ft Skiff Sailing Club |
| First Event competed in and Year |
Club Championship Races and Australian Laser Nationals in 1983 |
| First Event won and Year |
Sydney Harbour 12ft Skiff Championship in 1986 |
| Principle achievements |
Round the World Record - April 2004 (navigator) - 58d, 9h - first and only woman to ever break this record |
| Principle achievements |
24 hour record (co-skipper and navigator) June 2002 - 695nm |
| Principle achievements |
18ft Skiff Grand Prix Champion 1992-1993 (skipper) - first woman to win a major title |
| Principle achievements |
Admirals Cup win - 2003 (navigator) |
| Detail the personal highlights of your sailing career to date |
4 times nominated for the Female World Sailor of the Year Award (1998, 2002, 2003 and 2004) |
| Detail the personal highlights of your sailing career to date |
Australian Yachtswoman of the Year 2002-2003 and nominated 2003-2004 |
| Detail the personal highlights of your sailing career to date |
8 World Sailing Speed Records, including Round the World (2004), Cross Channel (twice 1997 nd 2002), 24 hour (2002) and Transatlantic (1997) |
| What are your future sailing aspirations? |
To compete in and win the America's Cup |
| What are your future sailing aspirations? |
To win the 18ft Skiff World Championship |
| What are your future sailing aspirations? |
To break the Round the World Record in a shorter time than 58 days |
| What are your future sailing aspirations? |
I would also like to compete in the Olympic classes again one day |
| Briefly state what sailing means to you |
It is my life, my friendships, my work and the sailing community is like an extended family to me. It is a great source of enjoyment, satisfaction and inspiration but it also means being wet and cold sometimes in the Southern Ocean which is not so great! |
| Who has had the greatest impact or inspiration in your sailing career and why? |
The crew of Australia 2 for winning the America's Cup and the early circumnavigators such as Francis Chichester, Naomi Jones and Joshua Slocum for their sense of adventure, freedom, bravery and their desire to cross the oceans of the world. |
| Who do you consider to be your sailing hero? |
Iain MURRAY: 6 times 18 foot skiff champion and America's Cup helmsman. |
| What other sports do you participate in outside of sailing? |
Golf and Tennis |
| Who do you consider to be the greatest sailor in the World and why? |
The early navigating and racing explorers such as Magellan, Cook, Baudin and Flinders who raced around the world in the 1700s in their ships and navigated and charted the coastlines of Australasia and the world in very difficult conditions. They are true sailing heroes! |
| Briefly state what being nominated for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award 2004 means to you |
It is truly an honour and very humbling to be nominated for this award and I regard it as a great achievement. It is also a tribute to the teams that I sail with who are a very integral part of any successes I have had. |
| If voted as the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2004, briefly say what will this mean to you? |
It will be the absolute highlight of my career and a great reward not only for myself but for each team I have sailed with and my friends and famly who always offer incredible support and good advice. Hopefully it is something I can give back to them, because when it comes to sailing the real pressure is being part of a team both on and off the water. |
Adrienne CAHALAN's reputation as a top class navigator and meteorologist is second to none. The crowning glory to her nomination is the phenomenal Round the World, Non-Stop Record achieved as part of the crew on the maxi-catamaran Cheyenne. Adrienne joined the team as navigator and successfully guided the 12 crew members around the world in 58 days, 9 hours, 32 minutes and 45 seconds, shaving nearly six days off the record. Not only is she the fastest Australian to circumnavigate the globe she is also the fastest woman, and the only woman to ever be part of a crew to break the non-stop Round the World Record.
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