It is with emotions of reverence that we share the passing of John Guzzwell, who at the age of 29 completed an unprecedented round-the-world voyage in 1955 aboard his self-built 21-foot wooden yawl, Trekka. Guzzwell documented his extraordinary 4-year voyage in his book Trekka Round the World, a great classic of seafaring literature, which continues to inspire generations of sailors today. John Guzzwell passed away in late August 2024 at the age of 94. He died peacefully at his home near Seattle, Washington, with his wife Dorothy by his side.
When John set out in 1955 from British Columbia, Canada, he was 25 years old and had completed constructing his 21-foot yawl designed for him by Laurent Giles. Four years later, John sailed into Victoria Harbour, BC with the smallest boat to have sailed around the world. His amazing voyage took place before there were marine electronics, oceanic weather forecasts, and many areas of the sea had not yet been accurately charted. When John wrote to boat designer Giles, he asked that the design include more heft and a yawl rig to balance the sails more easily since he would be sailing solo. Trekka was built with fine dovetail joints, sporting a beautiful interior.
John Guzzwell the Sailor. Initially, John had not intended to circumnavigate the world. He had set out to sail to Hawaii. After leaving Canada, John met Miles and Beryl Smeeton and their daughter Chloe, who were in Hawaii aboard their ketch Tzu Hang. Miles and Beryl were early cruising pioneers and John decided to sail in company (buddy-boat) with Tzu Hang to Australia. After arriving in Sydney, the Smeeton’s wanted to sail back to England via Cape Horn. Needing another pair of hands (Chloe had flown home to attend school), John accepted their invitation to be crew. The three of them sailed across the South Pacific to Chile before heading south for the Horn. Not far from the cape, they encountered a major storm, Tzu Hang pitchpoled and dismasted. John, knowledgeable in construction, repaired the broken hatches, the damaged cockpit, and rebuilt or jury rigged a replacement mast. After this initial adventure, John returned to Australia and continued his trip around the world aboard Trekka. When John finished his 33,000 mile-circumnavigation back to Canada on September 12, 1959, he was given a triumphant reception by more than 3,000 people. His boat remained the smallest to ever circumnavigate the world until 1987, when Serge Testa broke the record.
John’s Younger Years. John was born and raised on Britain’s Channel Islands and grew up around boats. He was the son of a sea captain. At the age of three his family cruised from England to South Africa aboard his father’s 52-foot ketch. Soon after the Second WW began, the family was interned in a Nazi POW camp. To help pass the time, his father taught him celestial navigation and John dreamed of sailing free. Repatriated after the war, John apprenticed as a joiner for five years and then emigrated to British Columbia at age 25 where his sailing adventures began.
John’s Later Years. After his solo voyage around the world, he published Trekka Round the World in 1963, recounting his many adventures. John’s account of his voyage sparked dreams by other big names to follow, including Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who was the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world; Sir Robin won the Golden Globe Race in 1969. Sir Robin knew John Guzzwell and paid tribute to his passing.
In later years, John became a pioneer in cold-molded construction, a method he advocated at annual workshops at Port Townsend, Washington. During his career, he lent his expertise to various projects ranging from the 65-foot Farr the Lively, to the 158-foot topsail schooner Tole Mour. Between projects, John cruised with his family, and in 1994 did the Pan Pacific Yacht Race from L.A. to Osaka, returning via the Aleutians and mainland Alaska. In both 1998 and 2002 (then 71) he raced to Hawaii in the Singlehanded TransPac aboard Endangered Species, on a 30-foot, half-sized Open 60 that he designed and built himself. John Guzzwell last lived near Poulsbo/Seattle and taught boatbuilding skills at Seattle’s Center for Wooden Boats.
John Guzzwell is said to have been the refreshingly humble hero without the ego, who inspired so many. The Waggoner Team would like to add their condolences and tribute to this very special man. He led a full and meaningful life, leaving an indelible legacy of seamanship.
Photos: Maritime Museum of BC
