What is the Perie Banou?

Perie Banou was launched and named at the Royal Perth Yacht Club on 9 November 1973. The name came from Sanders’ mother Dorothy who suggested naming the yacht after an Arabian princess from the book Tales of the Arabian Nights. The Perie Banou became the first WA yacht to circumnavigate the world. During this circumnavigation, from 1975 to 1977, Sanders also competed in the Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro Race and finished seventh in a field of 128 yachts.

Sanders became the first person to sail single-handedly twice around the world, non-stop and unassisted, sailing the Perie Banou from Fremantle on 6 September 1981 and arriving home again at Fremantle on 31 October 1982. The double circumnavigation broke records for the longest single-handed voyage at 48,510 miles, and the longest period alone on board a yacht at 419 days, 22 hours and 10 minutes.

Sanders bought the yacht Perie Banou with his younger brother, Colin. The yacht is a 34 foot fibreglass sloop and designated a SS34. It was designed by New York yachting architects Sparkman and Stephens. The Perie Banou is owned by the Western Australian Museum. (Source Project Endeavour)