Solo Sailor Completes Record Breaking Voyage Of 40,000 Miles Across The World

On Saturday, Randall Reeves navigated his 45-feet aluminum sailboat, Moli, under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Sausalito Yacht Club, after completing what he calls the ‘Figure-8’ sail across the world.

Reeves, 57, spent 307 days at sea as he completed the 40,000-mile journey, sailing through the five oceans and going around the globe twice in a record breaking feat. Reeves is the first person in the world to have completed this difficult route solo.

He began his Figure-8 voyage by sailing past South America, down the Pacific Ocean. He took a hard left above Antarctica and kept his boat on course to complete one round of the globe. He then reached the Arctic Ocean, sailing through the Atlantic Ocean before completing a second round of the globe.

Based in Oakland, California, Reeves spent 200 days on his yacht without human voice contact and slept in stretches of 90-minute, which he figured by trial and error was the minimum duration of sleep necessary to avoid hallucinations. With the brief periods of rest, he was able to remain on the planned course to complete the voyage.

Reeves did not have power sails and even water purification on the 40,000-mile journey. He carried 365 Clif Bars, 35 pounds of coffee, 36 pounds of powdered milk, 84 cans of stewed tomatoes and enough water to sustain him through the voyage.

According to him, being able to deal with the precarious situations that nature dished out while on his journey made him feel privileged.

"No one's going to come to pick you up if you have problems. You have to figure it out on your own. To put yourself into a part of the world that is absolutely and utterly wild, to be in a place where humans simply aren't, to deal with what nature dishes you, it's a huge privilege."

As he completed the journey and returned on Saturday, Reeves, wearing overalls and glasses, asked for champagne to the supporters who had come to see him. He was awarded a plaque by the Ocean Cruising Club, an international community of sailors, upon his landing.

This is the second time that he attempted a Figure-8 sail, with Reeves failing his first attempt. He intends to undertake the daunting voyage once more, but by taking five years instead of one to complete it.

"It would be grand to just explore the route. There are a great number of islands spread out between Antarctica and the continents that I didn't get to see. I didn't get to stop where the seals and walruses and penguins live. But that's a big commitment. We'll see how that flies when I get home," he told CNN Travel.