Rory McDougall

For the record as the person who has sailed the smallest catamaran (21ft LOA) round the world.

The Jester Medal, awarded to a member or non-member who has achieved a noteworthy single-handed voyage in a vessel of 30ft or less overall, goes to Rory McDougall. Rory built his own boat at a young age and made a solo circumnavigation in it. Rory’s boat, s/v Cooking Fat, a Wharram Tiki 21 design, is a very small catamaran designed for coastal trekking with minimal accommodation.

Rory McDougall holds the record as the person who has sailed the smallest catamaran (21ft LOA) round the world. He accomplished this voyage between 1991 and 1997 with a lengthy break in New Zealand. He sailed long stretches single-handed and some of it with one crew. He did a remarkable voyage, encountering very severe weather on a number of occasions. He has been an excellent contributor to the Jester Challenge, and despite the small size and slightness of his boat, only missed out on being first to Newport by a few hours in 2010.