Solo. Sail. Suicide?

[Taro Toporific]

Elderly solo voyager found dead in drifting yacht
MSN-Mainichi Daily News: July 7, 2005 --SHIOGAMA, Miyagi -- A dead man believed to an 81-year-old Japanese-American sailing solo to the United States was retrieved fr0m a yacht early Wednesday after the vessel was found drifting off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture... in December last year, entering Shimizu Port in Shizuoka Prefecture to lay the ashes of his deceased wife to rest. He left Miura Port in Kanagawa Prefecture on June 15 to return to the United States.....more....

[Mike Oxlong]

For some, it is life itself.

The oldest and youngest to complete a solo circumnaviagation met by chance in Cape Town, South Africa, on the way to completeling the voyages that qualified them for the records...

From Japan: Minoru Saito, 75
From USA: Zac Sunderland, 17

From Majuro, Zac reached Darwin, Australia on September 18, amid a faulty bilge pump and fuel problems forcing him to land in Papua New Guinea. Zac suffered his first pirate encounter on October 7 after leaving Darwin. Off 250 km the Indonesian coast en route to his next stop in South Africa, in the Indian Ocean toward Cocos Islands, and 4 miles away, he encountered a large 60-70' wooden fishing boat without flags. Locking himself in the bullet-proof glass of his cabin, he escaped. Zac had endured 25-knot winds and 10-foot seas for more than 24 hours on October 13. Amid continuing engine and fuel problems, snapped boom, and a broken tiller, needing repairs, Zac Sunderland reached Cocos Islands (a.k.a. Keeling Islands) in the eastern Indian Ocean on October 14. He proceeded to Mauritius, thereby completing half of his expedition. Zac turned 17 on November 29 2008, while still at sea. Zac arrived in Durban, South Africa on December 14, after a delay of around 10 days because of a lack of wind. He plans to fly home to California on December 22 for Christmas to be with his family and will return to South Africa after Christmas to continue his circumnavigation of the world.

Sunderland then sailed short hops to East London, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, then finally get to Cape Town, where he had a completely unplanned, chance meeting with Mike Perham, who is also vying for a record as the world's youngest solo-circumnavigator, and Minoru Saito who at 75 is making his eight solo-circumnavigation and holds the record as the oldest solo, non-stop circumnavigator.

After 13 months and 2 days at sea, Zac Sunderland completed his solo-circumnavigation by entering Marina Del Rey on Thursday, July 16, 2009. At 17 years old, he is the youngest person to sail around the world alone and the first person under 18 to ever set this record.

[Mock Cockpit]

Not quite Madagascar but not the worst way to go, assuming he didn't have a stroke and lay there paralysed for 2 weeks until he died of thirst as rats nibbled his nuts.

[taisaku]

Zac is most likely not going to enjoy his record for a long time. A younger guy is on his way around the world. You can find his blog here:
http://www.totallymoney.com/sailmike/