This is a great story!

You may have heard people comment that Hunters are not “blue water” boats, not capable of handling offshore sailing. This is an odd comment right off the bat since Hunter keelboats 31 feet and larger are all CE rated “A”, which means they are capable of ocean sailing with winds in excess of 40 kts and seas in excess of 4 meters.

OK, but what about ACTUAL ocean sailing experience? I’m glad you asked. Meet Mike Harker. Mike recently completed an around-the-world trip on a production Hunter 49. Oh, and did I mention that he did most of it singlehanded? And that he is paralyzed from the knees down? And that he suffered no serious failures? Is that proof enough for you?

Mike’s trip has been chronicled by Lattitude 38, Yacht World Magazine, TheSailingChannel.com, and in this month’s issue of Sailing Magazine. I got the chance to meet Mike at the recent Newport International Boat Show, where he was in attendance with his Hunter 49, Wanderlust 3.

Of course, after all those miles, Mike did find some flaws — the shower needs a better drain, the drawers under the settee could be better, and the lights in the forward head should be stainless. Hmm, not bad.

Congrats on your trip, Mike. Now what?For his next trick he will circumnavigate again, this time going the “wrong way” (against the wind).