Randall Reeves On Track To Become First Human To Circumnavigate American, Antarctic Continents In One Season

Sept. 30, 2019 (SAN FRANCISCO) Exactly one year ago, a lone sailor departed San Francisco for a first-ever circumnavigation of both the American and Antarctic continents in one season. The route has taken him through all of the world’s oceans, approaching both poles and rounding Cape Horn twice, in a world’s-first feat known as The Figure 8 Voyage. No one has done this before—and the few previous attempts have met with failure.

By the time of his projected return on October 19, 2019, Randall Reeves will have sailed nearly 40,000 miles, or roughly twice the circumference of the globe, surviving alone for months at sea, maintaining his vessel under all conditions, often navigating by sextant and starlight and solving problems on his own. Since the route is a race against time and weather at both poles, Reeves had to provision his boat with all the food, water and fuel he would need for the year.

Reeves is no stranger to the treachery of this voyage. His first attempt, embarking in the fall of 2017, was met with a confluence of challenges– he ultimately limped into port in Tasmania, navigating with water-logged paper maps and a sextant, putting an end to his first attempt.

His vessel, which he’s named Mōli (or “Mo”), is a 45-foot aluminum sloop with no hot water or refrigeration, no powered winches or sails and very limited solar power. He’s gone for months at a time without regular phone contact and limited data uplinks— He even went more than two hundred days without changing his pants.

Reeves is unusual among solo sailors in his passion for sharing his experiences. Using recent advances in satellite technology, he communicates in real-time from the deep ocean to an engaged community of “virtual stowaways” through blogs and vlogs, Facebook and Twitter chats and voice interviews.

Media Resources

● Media seats available on the escort flotilla greeting Reeves under the Golden Gate Bridge

● Skype and phone interviews available (satellite-dependent)

● Comprehensive library of compelling video and photos available

Contact heather@elevation-strategy.com for media access.

Born and raised in Northern California, Randall Reeves, 57, grew up reading and dreaming of the sea. He learned to sail on the rivers of central California and often “borrowed” the family sailboat for solo ventures to the San Francisco Bay. These turned out to be formative escapades. While in college, Randall interviewed world-famous solo sailor, Bernard Moitessier, for his campus radio station, a meeting that changed his life.

Reeves’s blue-water sailing began in 2006 when he crewed on a 40-foot boat for a 26-day, 3,000-mile passage from Hawaii to British Columbia. He was hooked. Future adventures included crewing the Northwest passage and solo voyages from Kodiak, Alaska to Hawaii and back to his home in San Francisco.

Throughout his travels, Reeves paints the story of his adventures to a passionate community of “virtual stowaways” in the hopes of inspiring others to do more than they ever thought possible.

Prior to making adventure his full-time pursuit, Reeves served as a general manager for Millenium Restaurant and other Joi de Vivre properties in San Francisco, spent 11 years in senior leadership at OpenTable and held a C-level position at a company building tech solutions for the food service industry.

Social Media Assets

#Figure8Voyage
Twitter: @RandallReeves8
Facebook: @Figure8Voyage
Sizzle Reel
Press Room