Fund-raising for Brit-turned-Charlestonian Robin Davie is on schedule in what will be his fourth solo voyage in the Around Alone. Davie has begun early preparation for the 2002 Around Alone with a series of talks and slide shows highlighting his 1998-99 circumnavigation. He hopes to raise $700,000 for the next race to cover the costs of outfitting and inevitable repair bills which arise along the grueling course.

Davie was no stranger to gear failure in the 1994 BOC Challenge when his mast toppled in the Southern Ocean, leaving him to complete that leg under jury rig. He suffered multiple gear failures on his last attempt in 1998, which eventually caused him to miss the deadline for the Punta del Este, Uruguay checkpoint, disqualifying him from the race. Soon after leaving Charleston, the rudder on Davie?s South Carolina broke, and he was forced to jury-rig a steering system by dragging lines behind the boat. When he got a replacement rudder in Cape Town, South Africa, it didn?t work effectively with the autopilot. The autopilot eventually failed altogether, leaving Davie to hand-steer for the next 22 days. Davie finished last on the South Carolina, though last-minute repairs on the boat and financial difficulties left him feeling lucky to have sailed at all.