Dafydd Hughes sailed Bendigedig, a Sparkman’s and Stephens 34, the smallest and slowest boat in the fleet that he had rescued from abandonment in a shed and lovingly refitted with his own hands, attracting a large following and inspiring many with his campaign. After more than 13,000 miles and over 100 days at sea, he was forced to divert to Hobart due to the failure of a key component of his autopilot; there he made the difficult decision to retire, rather than restart after the stop. Dafydd felt he had achieved what he had personally set out to do and did not think it was the right thing to do to attempt continuing his circumnavigation. Despite stopping in Hobart many look up to Dafydd for his incredible journey which started years before the start line and we would like to recognise his contribution with the “Inspirational Campaign Award”.
GSC 2023-2024 – Dafydd Hughes – Bendigedig
