Mike Plant

Mike Plant (November 21, 1950 – 1992) was an American single-handed yachtsman. He competed in the BOC Challenge and the Vendée Globe, a single-handed non-stop race around the world. After five years of single-handed sailing, he logged over 100,000 miles at sea and set the record for the fastest solo circumnavigation by an American, with a time of 135 days. In 1992, Plant was preparing to compete in his second Vendée Globe and fourth single-handed circumnavigation aboard ''Coyote'', a powerful Open 60 sloop, and was lost at sea while delivering ''Coyote'' from New York Harbor to Les Sables-d'Olonne, France for the starting line. ''Coyote'' was found 32 days later, turtled, without the 8,400 lb lead bulb that should have been attached to the keel. At the time of his death, Plant was one of only six people to have completed three solo circumnavigations, joining Bertie Reed, Guy Bernardin, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede and Philippe Jeantot. and Jon Sanders. On September 6, 2002, Plant was inducted into The Single-Handed Sailing Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

Mike Plant was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 21, 1950, the third of Frank Plant Jr. and Mary Kennedy's five children. He spent his childhood in the Minneapolis suburb of Deephaven on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. At the age of 9, Plant began sailing X Boats at Minnetonka Yacht Club, and by the age of 14, aboard ''Lucky Strike'', had twice won the Interlake Regatta, the biggest regatta in the area, in which the top five boats from each of the large lakes in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin competed at the end of the summer. After many adventures in his 20s, including trekking the length of South America (12,000 miles), Plant moved to Jamestown, Rhode Island, where he would later find his passion for single-handed sailing. Provided by Wikipedia