Ian Worley was chosen to crew on Great Britain II in the 1977/78 Whitbread Round the World Race as one of the three Watch Leaders on board. Later, in the depths of the Southern Ocean, he took over as temporary skipper, following a nasty accident during sail-handling in a storm, which injured the skipper, and seriously injured another crew member.
Great Britain II completed her circumnavigation, via the notorious Cape Horn, racing at breakneck speeds of up to 35 knots, often amongst icebergs. She was damaged several times, once when knocked on her side in a ferocious storm and later, whilst passing the Falkland Islands, struck by lightning. There were several other critical moments on board.
Born in Chichester Ian's father bought him his first sailing boat when he was eight. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1968. He continued to race regularly. Whilst crewing on the Round the Word race he filmed for Grandstand, then with a colleague made a film of his experiences which he sold to United Artists. The film was released with the Jame Bond film Moonraker. He retired in 2023 and after a successful talk to the East India Club he re-established his speaking engagements.