Quiet achiever sets sailing record straight at last

Left, A lifetime in the making – Tony Armit with his book. Right, Armit en route, aboard the Marco Polo.

Martins Bay resident Tony Armit may be approaching his 90th birthday, but that’s not all he’s celebrating, as this month also marks the publication of his first book.

What many people may find surprising is that it’s a book recording an incredible, but largely unrecognised and unknown achievement from his youth – the time when he and a mate became the first New Zealanders to sail around the world.

Speaking from his clifftop home overlooking the Hauraki Gulf waters he’s sailed all ...