Born on 14 January 1939, Bill Hatfield grew up around Cairns and later near Sydney. He worked at a boat yard as a teenager, studied civil engineering and worked on construction projects before starting a fishing business. In 1981 his trawler was caught by Cyclone Cliff off Queensland; he, his partner and their two daughters survived over two days adrift before a coal carrier rescued them.
He made three unsuccessful non-stop westabout solo circumnavigation attempts in 2015, 2016 and 2017. On 8 June 2019 he left Brisbane aboard his 11.5 m sloop L'Eau Commotion, sailing via the Capes of Good Hope and Horn against the prevailing winds.
He returned to Brisbane on 22 February 2020, aged 81, beating the age record held by Jeanne Socrates. His time of 258 days 22 h 24 min also gave him the WSSRC record for the fastest solo westabout circumnavigation in a boat under 40 feet.
