Blondie Hasler's self-steering yacht and solo Atlantic races

Blondie Hasler developed practical self-steering gear for yachts and conceived the first Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race. His yacht Jester used a Nordic Folkboat design with an enclosed deck and circular hatches instead of a conventional cockpit. A Chinese-style junk rig let him handle the sails from a central hatch, reducing the dangerous deck work involved in sailing alone. Jester also provided a working platform for developing his self-steering system. Hasler finished second to Francis Chichester in 1960, crossing in 48 days, and fifth in 1964 despite improving his time to 37 days and 22 hours. He withdrew from the race as sponsorship and increasingly large, expensive yachts displaced the emphasis he wanted on individual sailing ability. His name also survives in Britain's Hasler series of marathon canoe races.