THE MAN WITH A MISSION - THE LONE OPEN 50 SKIPPER SAILING THE GLOBE IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED SON HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS
“The dreams you will have as boys will be the strongest of your life, never let them fade.”
Shortly before his third birthday, Dalton's mother gave him a book on sailing and prophesied that her son would be a sailor. Fifty years later, this tall, straight-talking Kiwi continues to fulfil his mother's accurate prediction with the latest sailing exploit: entering the Velux 5 Oceans.
The Dalton family's approach to sailing instilled self-reliance at a formative age: "When I was young there was a bit of offshore training, but really you were pushed off in a boat and it was up to you." This philosophy produced impressive results and while Graham's younger brother, Grant, would find fame in the fully-crewed offshore racing and the inshore niche of America's Cup yachting, elder brother Graham followed the 1967-68 single-handed circumnavigation of Sir Francis Chichester with intense fascination and swiftly recognised where his future lay. During Chichester's voyage, a second influence and invaluable principle was indelibly engraved on the young Kiwi's character: "There was a teacher at school who said to us, and I'll never forget: 'The dreams you will have as boys will be the strongest of your life; never let them fade.' From that day on I decided that solo sailing was what I wanted to do."
54 year old Graham is entering the race in a brand new Open 50 yacht. Although he will be the only Open 50, don’t be surprised to see this Kiwi beating the bigger boats. Brother of a famous America’s Cup skipper, this will be Dalton’s second attempt at the race after he lost his mast in 2003.
On 22nd October 2006, the Kiwi skipper will cross the start line of the Velux 5 Oceans on a brand new Open 50: The yacht's name? "It's A Southern Man - AGD, Tony's initials, with his photo by the side so he can come round with me."