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Sir Robin Knox-Johnston loses driving licence for «drunkenness»

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A legendary yachtsman has been caught drinking and driving for the third time in his hometown of Portsmouth, for which he was legally banned from driving for a year and a half.

Police were contacted by a taxi driver who saw Sir Robin Knox-Johnston getting behind the wheel of his Suzuki Vitara drunk. Police officers stopped the yachtsman and conducted a medical examination. Breathalyzer revealed a content of 77 micrograms of alcohol in 100 ml of breath, while the permissible norm is no more than 35 micrograms.

The magistrate fined Knox-Johnston £440 and also ordered him to pay a victim surcharge (£44) and £85 in legal costs.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is the first man to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe.

In April 1969, he was the only participant in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race on his 32-foot Bermuda ketch «Swahili».

In 1994, Knox-Johnston, together with Sir Peter Blake on the yacht Enza New Zealand, took the Jules Verne trophy for the fastest voyage around the world. The skippers circumnavigated the globe in 74 days, 22 hours and 18 minutes, setting a new world record.

In 1995 he was knighted, and a year later he organized a round the world race for Clipper Round the World enthusiasts. In 2006-07, at the age of 68, he was the oldest member of the VELUX 5 Ocean Race. He successfully completed his second solo circumnavigation on the Open 60 Fila.

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