Kay
CotteePhoto
c edit:
The
Aust alia
Museum
Kay
Cottee
was
bo
o
25
Ja ua y
1954,
the
you gest
of
fou
daughte s
of
Jim
a d
Joy
McLa e .
She
was
i t oduced
to
a
boati g
life
whe
she
was
just
te
days
old,
st apped
to
the
mast
of
he
fathe ’s
boat
i
he
c ib.
That
ea ly
i t oductio
spa ked
a
love
affai
with
the
sea
that
would
see
he
w ite
he
ame
i to
histo y,
as
pe
website.
B ought
up
i
a
sea-lovi g
family,
Kay
was
ocea
aci g
at
eleve
yea s
old.
She
atte ded
Moo field
Gi ls’
High
School
a d
Summe hay’s
Busi ess
College,
but
he
hea t
was
always
o
the
wate .A
d eam
takes
shapeTo
fu d
he
d eam
of
saili g
a ou d
the
wo ld,
Kay
fou ded
a
boat
buildi g
a d
cha te i g
busi ess.
She
spe t
yea s
p epa i g
fo
the
voyage,
t ai i g,
pla i g
a d
secu i g
spo so ship
f om
Blackmo es,
the
vitami
compa y
that
would
le d
its
ame
to
he
yacht.
He
yacht,
Blackmo es
Fi st
Lady,
was
a
37-foot
Cavalie
desig ed
by
Lau ie
Davidso
a d
built
by
Kay
he self,
as
pe
Vic.gov.au.O
29
Novembe
1987,
Kay
set
off
f om
Syd ey
Ha bou .
The
voyage
would
take
he
a ou d
the
five
g eat
capes
i
the
southe
ocea .
F om
Syd ey
she
headed
south
of
New
Zeala d,
ac oss
the
Pacific
Ocea ,
a ou d
i famous
Cape
Ho
a d
the
o th
to
c oss
the
equato
a d
ou d
St
Pete
a d
St
Paul
Rocks
i
the
No th
Atla tic.
F om
the e
Kay
headed
south
agai
a d
ou ded
the
Cape
of
Good
Hope
befo e
c ossi g
the
I dia
a d
G eat
Southe
Ocea s
o
he
way
home
a ou d
the
southe
tip
of
Tasma ia.
She
the
tu ed
o th
fo
the
fi al
lo g
u
up
the
east
coast
of
Aust alia
to
Syd ey.A
pe ilous
jou eyThe
voyage
cove ed
mo e
tha
22,000
autical
miles.
Kay
was
alo e
at
sea
fo
189
days.
She
faced
oa i g
wi ds
ove
80
k ots,
seas
to
100
feet
high,
icebe gs,
b oke
gea
a d
ext eme
fatigue.
Kay
suffe ed
f om
a
hole
i
the
hea t
si ce
bi th,
which
caused
he
to
expe ie ce
mo e
ti ed ess
tha
othe
sailo s,
but
she
still
ma aged
o
o ly
six
hou s
of
sleep
pe
ight
du i g
the
voyage,
as
pe
he
official
website.Despite
the
challe ges,
she
p essed
o ,
d ive
by
he
dete mi atio
to
complete
the
jou ey.
I
the
cou se
of
the
voyage,
she
set
seve
wo ld
eco ds,
i cludi g
the
lo gest
time
spe t
alo e
at
sea
by
a
woma ,
the
g eatest
dista ce
t avelled
alo e
at
sea
by
a
woma
a d
the
fastest
solo,
o -stop
ci cum avigatio
by
a
woma .A
histo ic
etu Whe
Kay
etu ed
to
Syd ey
Ha bou
o
5
Ju e
1988,
she
expected
a
quiet
welcome.
She
did
ot
expect
the
hu d eds
of
thousa ds
of
people
who
li ed
the
fo esho e
a d
c ammed
o
to
boats
to
chee
he
success.
The
voyage
aised
mo e
tha
$1
millio
fo
the
d ug
a d
alcohol
p eve tio
cha ity,
Life
Educatio .
Whe
she
got
home
she
fou d
o ly
$34,000
had
bee
do ated.
Kay
the
dedicated
he self
to
i c easi g
the
amou t
a d
by
the
e d
of
1991
she
had
aised
mo e
tha
$1
millio .
She
had
c issc ossed
the
atio
speaki g
at
mo e
tha
500
fu ctio s.
Kay
had
also
take
he
message
to
mo e
tha
40,000
school
child e
du i g
a
Natio al
Schools
tou
o ga ised
fo
he
by
Blackmo es.A
lasti g
legacyO e
of
the
g eatest
ho ou s
fo
Kay
was
whe
she
was
amed
the
1988
Bice te ial
Aust alia
of
the
Yea .
She
was
appoi ted
a
Office
of
the
O de
of
Aust alia.
Kay
was
also
made
a
Paul
Ha is
Fellow
by
Rota y
I te atio al
a d
was
appoi ted
a
I te atio al
Ho o a y
Zo tia .
She
was
p ese ted
with
the
Cutty
Sa k
Medal
by
the
Duke
of
Edi bu gh
a d
was
give
the
I te atio al
Navigato s
Medal
by
the
I te atio al
Society
of
Navigato s.
Sco es
of
othe
awa ds
followed.I
the
yea s
si ce
he
famous
voyage,
Kay
has
w itte
two
books
–
the
fi st
of
which
at
the
time
became
the
highest
selli g
o -fictio
book
i
Aust alia
publishi g
histo y.
She
se ved
o
the
Boa d
of
the
Aust alia
Ma itime
Museum
fo
11
yea s,
six
as
Chai ma .
She
was
also
o
the
Boa d
of
the
Aust alia-New
Zeala d
Fou datio
a d
Pat o
of
Sailability
Aust alia.
Kay
cu e tly
sits
o
the
NSW
Ma itime
Mi iste ial
Adviso y
Cou cil
a d
is
a
Life
Membe
of
the
C uisi g
Yacht
Club
of
Aust alia
a d
the
Royal
P i ce
Alf ed
Yacht
Club
a d
the
Royal
Yacht
Club
of
Aust alia.A
i spi atio
fo
the
futu eOve
the
past
27
yea s,
Kay
has
t avelled
the
wo ld
telli g
othe s
of
how
she
was
able
to
make
he
d eam
come
t ue.
He
dow -to-ea th
style
a d
simple
message
is
a
powe ful
o e.
It
was
a
jou ey
that
was
to
cha ge
he
life
i
mo e
ways
tha
she
could
eve
imagi e.Si ce
that
day
i
1988,
Kay
has
w itte
a
eco d-b eaki g
bestselli g
book,
a d
a othe
10
yea s
late ,
p oduced
a
i te atio al
awa d-wi i g
film
of
he
voyage,
become
a
mothe ,
a
accomplished
a tist
a d
a
i te atio ally
e ow ed
motivatio al
speake .
The
books
–
both
p i t
a d
ebook
ve sio s,
the
awa d-wi i g
film
a d
Kay’s
sculptu es
a d
pai ti gs
a e
all
available
o
he
website.Kay
is
said
to
be
emba assed
a d
bewilde ed
by
all
the
awa ds,
give
that
she
simply
set
out
to
achieve
a
pe so al
goal.
But
fo
wome
a ou d
the
wo ld,
he
achieveme t
is
a
emi de
that
the e
a e
o
limits
to
what
ca
be
achieved
with
cou age,
skill
a d
dete mi atio .
As
she
he self
said,
“I
wa ted
to
show
that
wome
could
do
a ythi g
they
set
thei
mi ds
to.
I
wa ted
to
i spi e
othe s
to
believe
i
themselves
a d
to
pu sue
thei
d eams,
o
matte
how
big
they
may
seem.”Today,
Blackmo es
Fi st
Lady
sta ds
as
a
mo ume t
to
that
d eam,
a
emi de
of
what
o e
woma
ca
achieve
whe
she
sets
he
mi d
to
the
impossible.