THE SU N D A Y TI M ES , 20 JULY 1969 IA.letter from Mrs Crowhurst C.. It is my duty to clear up responsibility on the part of I believe that he has read utterly at sea and he was fan­ W a general implication on the this newspaper and I feel that every serious nautical book ever atical in his precautions. part of newspapers that The this must be made quite clear. published, Hiscock, Sir Fran· We discussed the possibility Sunday Times was in any way The enormous gesture on the cis's, Bombard they are· all on of a lethargic attitude to things part of this incredible per­ board, but I could list dozens on that last leg_.and I reminded responsible for Donald's dcl.!is­ sonality Robin Knox.Johnston of others that have passed him of it in a fnessage. I can­ ion to sail around the world. It and I cannot through his hands and been not accept that he relaxed, and was an in trinsic part of his f>t'r· at this time find words to deal absorbed. When I said Sir because of the vast increase in sonality to want to accept this with. Francis's book was too technical small boat sailing, I feel t)lat it challenge, and there were other There is a small vestige of for me he commented that it was is vital to say so. reasons. The race merely added proof that Donald would not vital that each relevant incident I am not trying to illustrate have grown careless. A few on such a trip should be some insipid, angelic person­ zest and brought it forward. weeks before he left he told recorded as people must be ality. Donald was a complete Newspapers from as far away me that he intended to increase made aware of the speed with personality, with faults like the as Australia have asked me if his life insurance considerably. which conditions changed. rest of us. .Men to whom this I feel any bitterness, but this I begged him not to, as I felt Although a lone sailor by type of terminology is alien is ludicrous. I have total trust that this might make him relax choice, I could produce a dozen have come here to cry with me in the intelligence and integrity even just a little. He agreed people who have said that on and tell me that they loved him of my brother-in-law, Tom after much argument only trips with him he not only too. This was not a man A Foulkes, regarding the fund for because he was so certain that checked but double-checked who made a silly mistake. =' my children, but my acceptance whatever else happened he everything. His easy-going Clare Crowhurst >.~ would survive. must not be t~kento imply any attitude on land changed Bridgwater , Somerset. Mrs Crow'h.urs

The ·cabin of a lost sailor THIS is the cabin of the The cabin is musty with an experienced electronics Electron, found months of confined living. engineer. was working just abandoned near the Azores In the centre is the cramped before he abandoned the on July 10. It is exactly as it bunk. Above it, the radio yacht. On the far left, a was left by Donald Crowhurst, receiver; overhead, a saw. .,oldering iron. and spotted by the cargo On the bench is the radio Crowhurst's lifejaclret is vessel Picardy which picked equipment (right, the trans­ missing but the cine-camera, the and is mitter; left the radio tele­ with which he was filming -' 91g it J phone) on which Crowhurst, for the B B C, is still aboard.