On March 5, 1949, Robin Lee Graham was born in California. Though his childhood resembled most others, he took the world by surprise when, at age 16, he began a multi-year journey to circumnavigate the world in a 24-foot boat. His age was not the only element of note; Robin also committed to sailing alone, save for the company of two cats.
Who was Robin Lee Graham?
Robin Lee Graham, by all accounts, was no conformist. Struggling with the rigidity of school life and the expectations of what would come after, Graham sought freedom to forge his own path, even from an early age. When his father purchased a sailboat for him in 1965, Graham saw his opportunity.
Why Circumnavigate, and How?
According to his own words, Graham simply sought freedom when he made the decision to depart. He wanted to find himself and see what the world had to offer. So, upon claiming the Dove, a 24-foot sailboat, he set out for his first stop: Hawaii.
This first westward leg of his journey was far from the longest he would face and served merely as a shakedown to test the performance of the boat, but he brought company: two cats named Joliette and Suzette. They proved invaluable as he experienced the isolation of the sea for the first time.
Over the course of Graham’s journey around the world, he recruited many more cats as companions, and while the total number is not known, at least six named animals joined him on the trip at varying points. Various accounts report other numbers, but never less than six.
His 24-foot ship, the Dove, faced minimal challenges on this first cruise given its short duration, and conditions remained largely favorable (or at least tolerable) until his approach on the Indian Ocean. Then, the situation began to worsen quickly.
Challenges Along the Way
The reaches around Indonesia and Australia heading into the Indian Ocean are notorious for their rougher weather, and Graham was not excepted from such developments. Graham turned southward for supplies rather than thread between North Australia and Indonesia.
After suffering his first dismasting en route to Pago Pago in American Samoa, where the cat Suzette would choose to stay behind, the sailor was forced to jury rig the ship and proceed through storms until he could find a port to repair.
Using only the materials at his disposal, he crafted sufficient sail area and patched the ship enough to make progress toward Apia, the most viable nearby port. During this time, Graham was also thrown overboard, barely climbing back onto his ship before it left him in the waves.
However, another, even more life-changing event took Graham by surprise during these months. While briefly docked at Fiji, he met Patti Ratterree. Like Graham, Ratterree had left home to explore the world in freedom and “live by her wits.”
The two took a liking to each other, spending a significant amount of time together, but Graham remained committed to his task and departed after five weeks despite his intense affection for Patti. Unfortunately, Joliette the cat did not come with him. Whether he sailed the next leg cat-less is not known.
Months later, having skirted past Indonesia and into the open Indian Ocean toward Madagascar, a brief and unexpected storm once again toppled the Dove’s mast. For more than 2,000 nautical miles, Graham persisted with a hand-crafted emergency rig until he reached Mauritius for repairs.
When the Dove was once again ship-shape, Graham proceeded on course to conquer the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. He stopped briefly at Durban, and to his delight, Patti reunited with him during his visits to the South African ports.
They married, and Graham proceeded on his journey, though with Ratterree’s full support. She followed his course, flying when necessary, as he progressed.
The voyage across the Atlantic passed as largely uneventful, and when Graham made port in Paramaribo on the northeastern coast of South America, the Dove had seen enough. Her journey through intense conditions and multiple dismastings led Graham to sell her for the Return of Dove, a 33-foot sloop. However, after Graham departed, the original Dove remained to sail the British Virgin Islands, finally succumbing to Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Onward as the captain of Return of Dove, and now accompanied by Patti, Graham passed through the Panama Canal, homeward bound once again to California. Joining him as he reached his final dock were the cats Kili, Pooh, and Piglet, welcomed aboard along the way.
Though reports vary on just how many cats came and went during the middle stages of his trip, Graham notes that he was rarely lacking in furry companions.
What Graham Is Doing Now
It did not take long for people to ask Graham’s opinion of his voyage. He stated with certainty that he would never do such a thing again after discovering the intensity and sometimes near-insanity of isolation for such long stretches.
Choosing instead to live a calm life, Robin and his wife moved to a mountain home near Kalispell, Montana. Two months after the voyage ended, the two welcomed their daughter, Quimby.
Graham’s quick learning under pressure during his voyage taught him essential skills, such as woodworking, that served him later. He took up employment as a builder with a knack for making furniture, and after settling into this new life and line of work, the couple went on to have a son named Ben.
Graham later wrote numerous books about his experience. Today, Robin and Patti continue to live a happy life together on the shore of a lake in the mountains. As for the Return of Dove, she was restored in 2001, and though she was sold again three years later, it is believed that she has still found her home in Hawaii, the very port from which Graham’s circumnavigation began in earnest.
