Ordinary, modest  people doing extraordinary things because they want to inspire me far more than those who take on the more artificial challenges faced by Sir Francis Chichester, Robin Knox Johnston, Chay Bligh and those that have followed them.

Its not that these sailors haven't achieved remarkable feats of seamanship, they clearly have.  But they have done so with commercial sponsorship, prize money and the huge PR razzamatazz that goes with it.

My heroes are:

Eric and Susan Hiscock

Eric and Susan Hiscock who sailed twice round the world in a 30ft wooden sloop that didn't even have self steering. They carried on sailing from the 1940s to 1980s

Hal and Margaret Roth

Hal Roth who with his wife , Margaret has also circumnavigated the world and the Pacific.  Like the Hiscocks they enjoy the remote places and the open Oceans.

Bernard Moitessier

Finally Bernard Moitessier who was in the lead during the closing stages of the first round the world race, decided he couldn't face the fuss of winning and so left the race and so sailed round the world a second time!