Local man embarks on global sail

May set record for oldest, fastest to ever sail around the world alone

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A St. Augustine man finally set sail for his record-breaking sail around the world Monday morning.

Dr. Stanley Paris has tried to set sail since Saturday but high seas kept delaying the voyage.

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Monday morning, Paris will get underway with his hope to set a record as the oldest and fastest to ever make the trip alone.

76-year-old New Zealander, Dr. Stanley Paris has done this before, only this time, he'll be doing it solo.

IMAGES: Dr. Stanley Paris and the Kiwi Spirit set sail

Paris has been preparing for this trip for four years now.. he even designed his vessel-the Kiwi Spirit, which will hopefully be his home for the next 130 days.

After a two-day weather delay, Paris will board his 63-foot sailboat and take off Monday morning, in hopes of establishing a new record: St. Augustine to St. Augustine around the world solo, unassisted and non-stop.

"Being alone with somebody else for 130 days that could be worse than being by yourself for that period of time. when you have a house guest, how many days do you really want them, 3, 4," Dr. Paris said jokingly.

Dr. Paris had been preparing for this trip for four years and designed his own boat. It has one less watertight bulkhead than the titanic and a life raft on deck.

"Pretty much everything you see in this area, I hope never to use," said Dr. Paris.
Down below are medical supplies, survival suits, reserve pumps and dive gear. He has enough food to get him through the trip and can have two drinks per day, which he said will help him get home on time.

"You get 30 drinks out of one scotch bottle, 18 out of a bottle of rum and only 4 out of wine. So yes, considering weight and volume for a return, it's mainly scotch and rum," said Dr. Paris.

Dr. Paris also plans on doing it green. Throughout his trip he won't turn on the engine or the generator. He'll shower about once a week and sleep for just 45 minutes at a time because he'll have to trim the sails to make sure he doesn't get off course or hit anything.

"I could strike an iceberg, a small one you wouldn't see, the size of a living room, only a foot and a half would be above the water, a log or a container," said Dr. Paris.

Dr. Paris recently retired. He said this trip will give him a lot of time to think about what he'll do with the rest of his life. He has a bucket list and this is one thing on it, but there are about nine other things he still wants to scratch off. That's in addition to what he's already accomplished, like an Ironman in Hawaii, a swim across the English Channel and a sail around the world already once with friends.

"Fear of failure stops you from doing so many things in life and i don't have that fear," said Dr. Paris.

You can track Dr. Paris online while he's sailing. Just go to stanleyparis.com it tells you exactly where he is and how fast he's going.