Jure Šterk

Jure Šterk
Born(1937-01-06)6 January 1937
Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (today Croatia)
DisappearedJanuary 2009
Indian Ocean
StatusLost at sea
NationalitySlovene
Call signS52YS

Jure Šterk (6 January 1937 – January 2009) was a Slovenian long-distance sailor, member of the Ocean Cruising Club, circumnavigator and author who disappeared during a sailing trip around the world and is presumed dead.

During his sailing career he crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Between 1991 and 1994 he sailed around the world single-handedly.

Biography

Early life

Šterk was born in Zagreb, which was then part of Yugoslavia. He grew up in Vinica in White Carniola and attended a high school in Črnomelj. He lived in Ljubljana for some time, and received his captain's licence in 1977.[citation needed]

Sailing achievements

He competed in the Minitransat transatlantic race (Transat 6,50) three times, crossed the Atlantic Ocean eight times, the Indian Ocean twice, and the Pacific Ocean once. Between 1991 and 1994, he single-handedly sailed around the world, in his own 6.5 meter-long boat. He made most of his boats himself.

Last journey

In December 2007, at age 70, Šterk left Tauranga in New Zealand to sail around the world on his boat Lunatic. He had removed the engine from the boat while living in Tauranga and said he intended to become the oldest sailor to circumnavigate the world non-stop, and in the smallest boat.

He was last heard from by radio on 1 January 2009. He was on his last leg to Tauranga to complete his circumnavigation, and had been 379 days alone at sea. Lunatic was spotted on 26 January, approximately 1,000 nmi (1,900 km) off the coast of Australia. The boat was damaged and there was no sign of Šterk.[1]

Three months later, on 30 April 2009, Lunatic was found adrift by the crew of the science research vessel RV Roger Revelle, 500 miles (800 km) south-eastern on position: 32°18′0″S 91°07′0″E / 32.30000°S 91.11667°E / -32.30000; 91.11667. The sails were torn and there was no one on board. After boarding, it was found that the last log entry was made on 2 January 2009.[2][3]

Bibliography

  • Roulette on Atlantic (1985)
  • Dangerous Game (1989)
  • Transat 6,50 1989: The Most Dangerous Regatta Across the Big Pond (1990)
  • In Wind's Embrace (1996)
  • In Blue Infinity (2004)
  • The Log of the Last Voyage (2011), in Slov., ed. Igor Šterk, Irena Šterk, publ Jadralni Klub Open sea, ISBN 978-961-269-545-3[4]

Personal life

His son is the Slovenian film director Igor Šterk.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Hope lost for round-the-world sailor". Stuff.co.nz. NZPA. 4 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  2. ^ Tragedy at Sea Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2009-4-30
  3. ^ Knudsen, Nancy (22 November 2009). "Modern Sea Mysteries: Solving the mystery of Jure Sterk". Sail-World.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  4. ^ "dnevnik zadnje plovbe". Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2022.