Alec Rose

Sir Alec Rose (13 July 1908 – 11 January 1991) was a nursery owner and fruit merchant in England who after serving in the Royal Navy during World War II developed a passion for amateur single-handed sailing. He took part in the second single-handed Atlantic race in 1964 and circumnavigated the globe single-handedly in 1967-68, for which he was knighted. His boat Lively Lady is still seaworthy and is used for sail training by a charity.

Alec Rose was born in Canterbury. During World War II he served in the Royal Navy as a diesel mechanic on a convoy escort, HMS Leith.

After the war, Rose learned to sail in a former ship's lifeboat before buying the 36-foot cutter Lively Lady second-hand.Lively Lady was built of paduak by S. J. P. Cambridge, the previous owner, in Calcutta, with the help of two Indian cabinetmakers. Cambridge had studied boat design during the war, and Lively Lady was basic, but sturdy and stable.Lively Lady is currently (2015) undergoing restoration in Boathouse 4 in the Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth which is adjacent to the Naval Base.

Rose converted Lively Lady to a ketch by adding a mizzenmast and in 1964 participated in the second single-handed transatlantic race, finishing in fourth place. Not having any means of communication on board, he did not know of his success until after he crossed the finish line. The race started at Plymouth, where Rose was photographed onboard by Eileen Ramsay, the chronicler of sailing in post-war Britain.

When Rose heard that Francis Chichester intended to sail single-handedly around the world, he was keen to compete. He attempted to start his journey at approximately the same time as Chichester (sailing Gypsy Moth IV) in 1966, but mechanical failures and a collision off Ushant meant he had to postpone the event until the following year.

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