Life at Sea

When Chance wasn't working in the lab he could usually be found on a boat. Yacthing was a passion of his ever since he was a young man aboard his family's yacht. As with science, Chance excelled at yacthing, winning many titles, including a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

Click on the images below to learn more about Chance's life at sea.

1. Complex II racing to victory in Helsinki.

2. To the victor, the spoils.

3. Medal Ceremony, 1952.

5. A letter to his wife written on the bottom and back of a daily score sheet.

6. In 1961, Chance was invited by the Soviet Union to travel to Tallinn, Estonia to compete in the 13th Baltic Regatta.

7. Always up for a good challenge, Chance built his team and set out for the Baltic Sea with his new yacht, Complex III.

8. Chance and his crew were a hit and took home the top honors.

9. Read the whole exciting story in the digital library!

10. Chance's passion for life at sea took him all around the world and he met many interesting people along the way. Here is a photograph of famed naturalist and explorer William Beebe aboard the Chance family Yacht, Antares, in the early 1930s.

11. As a young man in Key West, Florida, Chance met American novelist Ernest Hemingway.

12. Chance being formally introduced to Grace Kelly and her husband Prince Rainier III of Monaco.