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Michael William Dugdale Mills Richey

マイケル・ウィリアム・ダグデイル・ミルズ・リッチー

Michael Richey

Aliases: Mike Richey

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1917-07-06 （Eastbourne, East Sussex, England）
Died
2009-12-22 （Brighton, East Sussex, England） age 92
Nationality
United Kingdom
Languages
English
Religion
Catholic (Roman Catholic)

Career

Occupations
sailor, navigator, editor, author
Active Years
1941-1997
Affiliations
Royal Institute of Navigation, Journal of Navigation (editor)
Influenced By
Eric Gill, Herbert "Blondie" Hasler
Influenced
British solo sailing community and enthusiasts of the yacht Jester

Education

Downside School
Period: 〜1935
Year of Graduation: 1935
Country: United Kingdom
After leaving school he briefly considered becoming a monk, spent time at a Trappist monastery and lived in Eric Gill's artist community.
HMS Dryad (Royal Navy navigation training)
navigation training
Period: 1940年代（第二次大戦中）
Year of Graduation: 1943
Country: United Kingdom
Completed specialist navigation training with the Royal Navy.

Awards

John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
1942
Work: Sunk by a Mine. A Survivor's Story.
Organization: John Llewellyn Rhys Prize organisers
Result: 受賞
Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of Navigation
1979
Organization: Royal Institute of Navigation
Result: 受賞
Seamanship Medal
1986
Organization: Royal Cruising Club
Result: 受賞
Award of Merit of the Ocean Cruising Club
1993
Organization: Ocean Cruising Club
Result: 受賞
Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Navigation (ION)
2000
Organization: Institute of Navigation (ION)
Result: 受勲 / 指定
Necho Award of the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN)
2003
Organization: International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sunk by a Mine. A Survivor's Story.

1941 short story / non-fiction (survival account)

An account of surviving the sinking of HMS Goodwill during World War II. Published in a magazine and awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1942.

war experiencesurvivalsea

The Geometrical Seaman. A book of early nautical instruments.

1962 navigation / technical history

A study of early nautical instruments, co-authored with E. G. R. Taylor.

navigationhistory of instruments

The Shell Encyclopedia of Sailing (editor)

1980 encyclopedia (sailing)

Edited encyclopedia covering sailing and seamanship topics.

sailingpractical seamanship

A taste of the Antarctic

1997 travel memoir / records

Travel records from 1943 when he served as a navigation assistant in the South Atlantic; privately printed in 1997 in a limited edition.

sailingexplorationmemoir

Bibliography

  • Sunk by a Mine. A Survivor's Story. (magazine publication, 1941)
  • The Geometrical Seaman. A book of early nautical instruments. (co-authored, 1962)
  • The Shell Encyclopedia of Sailing (editor, 1980)
  • A taste of the Antarctic (privately printed, 1997)
  • Numerous articles for the Journal of Navigation (e.g. Jester's Ultimate Storm, 1987)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, documentary styletechnical and practical exposition
Recurring Motifs
the seanavigationsolitude and endurancesurvival

Health

  • heart attack (cause of death)
    2009-12
    Died of a heart attack in 2009. No widely reported long-term chronic illnesses.

Legacy

As founding director of the Royal Institute of Navigation and long-time editor of the Journal of Navigation, he made significant contributions to navigation and seamanship. As a devoted solo sailor of the small yacht Jester he became an iconic figure in British sailing and is recorded in the Guinness World Records as the oldest man to cross the Atlantic single-handed.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Institute of Navigation

Archives

  • Georgetown University Library (The Michael Richey Papers)

In Popular Culture

  • The small yacht Jester is sometimes cited as a British sailing symbol.

Quotes

  • "For me, it was an occasion of immeasurable sadness which I found great difficulty getting over."
    Source: Comment on the loss of Jester (quoted in articles/retrospectives) (1988)

Trivia

  • Participated in the OSTAR regattas consecutively from 1968 to 1996, totaling eight appearances with Jester.
  • Entered in the Guinness World Records after crossing the Atlantic single-handed at age 80 (certificate/recognition).
  • Had briefly considered monastic life in youth before pursuing a career in navigation and sailing.