Christopher Stanmore-Major is the 182nd person to circumnavigate the globe solo. Over 325,000 nautical miles sailed. 34 Atlantic crossings as of April 2026. RYA Yachtmaster Instructor. Clipper 2009/10 skipper of Qingdao. Velux 5 Oceans 2010/11 solo competitor. He is now redirecting his machining budget into a 3D printing partnership with 3D3D.
This is how that happened.
The 1981 F-150
Ken sold CSM a truck. A 1981 Ford F-150 called Norma. 29,000 original kilometers. Immaculate condition. CSM liked that Ken liked the truck. That matters when you are looking for someone to work on your boat. Character shows in small things.
Ken told his story. CSM listened. CSM felt that Ken was the right person for the job. Not because of a resume. Because of the way he talked about a truck.
CSM left to pick up Challenger, a Whitbred 60 class racing yacht, and bring her back for a refit. Ken waited. When the vessel arrived, the work started. That was over ten years ago.
The Working Relationship
Ten years is not a contract. It is a track record. In those ten years, Ken did the six-month Challenger refit. He served as Director of Spartan Ocean Racing and Training. He fitted three vessels for Category Zero offshore racing. He sailed 20,000+ nautical miles, including an Atlantic crossing as second in command with CSM as captain.
They quit working together once. February 14, 2016. Valentine's Day, right after the hurricane. Ken could not manage himself at the time. He finished his obligations and stepped away. They worked through it. That is why the relationship is ten years and not two.
The ability to have a difficult conversation, take accountability, and come back stronger is rare. It is also the foundation of trust. CSM trusts Ken because he has seen him at his worst and watched him come back from it.
The Cherbourg Quote
S/V Osprey was in Cherbourg, France. A mainsail track gate fell overboard. Custom part. Specific to the vessel. Nobody stocks it. The local machine shop quoted over $800 and multiple weeks of lead time.
Someone offered to 3D print it for 200 euros. The file existed. The material was ASA for UV and weather resistance. Eight hours of print time. The part was done before the machine shop had even started their process.
“If I had a 3D printer, you'd take a nap and wake up to the part done.”
Christopher Stanmore-Major, after the Cherbourg incident.
That quote is the reason the Prusa Core One L is going aboard Osprey for Newport-Bermuda 2026. CSM saw the math. Machine shop: $1,200 and weeks. 3D printer: 8 hours and a fraction of the cost. Multiply that across every custom part a vessel needs over years of service and the numbers are not even close.
S/V Osprey
Osprey is a 1996 Farr Grand Mistral 80. 24.5 meters. Kevlar hull. Carbon spar. Starlink connected. She is a competitive maxi that has crossed the Atlantic multiple times and is entered in Newport-Bermuda 2026.
The vessel is the platform for the 3D3D proof of concept. A Prusa Core One L rides aboard, printing parts underway or dockside. Real conditions. Real ocean. Real parts for a real vessel. Not a demonstration on a calm day in a marina.
When CSM enters the Global Solo Challenge, a 3D printer goes on board for a solo circumnavigation. Newport-Bermuda is the test run for that deployment. If the printer works through 636 nautical miles of open Atlantic on a racing yacht, it works anywhere.
The Prusa Partnership
The original pitch to Prusa Research was sent July 20, 2025. Not a sponsorship request. A demonstration of capability and a proof of concept. Put a printer on a racing yacht. Print marine parts at sea. Document everything.
Prusa confirmed the partnership. The Core One L arrived April 8, 2026. An open race berth was offered to Josef Průša himself. This partnership was built on demonstrated capability, not marketing money.
The connection between CSM and Prusa runs through 3D3D. A solo circumnavigator with 325,000 nautical miles and a 3D printer company with millions of machines shipped. The bridge is a person who understands both worlds because he has worked in both.
What 325,000 Miles Means
When CSM endorses the 3D printing approach to marine parts, it carries weight. This is not someone who read about boats. This is someone who has sailed more nautical miles than almost anyone alive. He has broken parts in every ocean. He has waited for machine shops on every continent. He knows what works and what does not.
His conclusion: a 3D printer on board changes everything. 3D3D is building the service around that conclusion.
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