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| Britain |
| British teen youngest to sail Atlantic solo |
| 2007-01-04 |
| A 14-year-old British boy sailed into the record books Wednesday as the youngest person to make a solo voyage across the Atlantic. Michael Perham, who skipped school to make the 47-day trip, cruised into Nelson's Dockyard in the Caribbean island Antigua at 2 p.m. British time after crossing 3,500 miles (5,600 km) of open water from Gibraltar, followed by his father, Peter. Steel bands greeted the teen, and onlookers waved from atop an old fort as he entered the channel leading to the dockyard. "The best part of the journey has got to be finishing here. It's fantastic. It's a lovely area, lovely place. Just like to say thanks again to everyone who has supported me for this trip," he said after landing. Perham said his voyage was "great fun" but occasionally lonely. "Sometimes you felt a little bit down when you miss friends and family." he said. Peter Perham, 47, sailed close by and was in radio contact. But under the rules of solo yachting was not allowed to make physical contact with his son during the voyage. He praised the boy's tenacity and urged other parents to support their children's dreams. "At home in England you can't even climb a tree without a safety certificate ... so I hope it will ignite a little spark in some families' fires," the elder Perham said. Michael started sailing when he was 7. In a modified 28-foot (8.5-metre) yacht named Cheeky Monkey, he had hoped to complete the trip following the trade winds in about four weeks, but had to divert to Lanzarote and the Cape Verde islands when his navigation equipment failed. The trip was hampered by bad weather and equipment damage, including the rudder on his father Peter's boat and the sea anchor on the Cheeky Monkey. In his diary blog, Michael, who is described on his www.sailmike.com Web site as cheerful and determined with a love of outdoor sports and chocolate, describes the ups and downs of the epic voyage. "Experienced my first experience of squalls, they really do knock your teeth out," he wrote on November 25. He described how on December 15 he had to tie a rope around his waist and jump overboard to cut free his steering gear. He expressed joy at seeing dolphins skimming alongside his boat and flying fish landing in his lap. "It is an amazingly good feeling when you are on the open sea and no land in sight," he wrote. He even said he managed to do a bit of homework. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 The Fox News article said he had daily e-mail contact with friends to fight loneliness. Is that really possible? Binny could be floating around on his yacht, checking in with Omar and keeping an eye on the WoT from sea! |
| Posted by: Danielle 2007-01-04 11:04 |