Schoolboy 'on course' to break record for Atlantic sail crossing

13 April 2012

Schoolboy Michael Perham is on course to cruise into the record books as the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic single handed.

The 14 year old is due to arrive in Antigua at Nelson's Dockyard at 10am local time (2pm GMT) where he will be met by a welcoming party of local dignitaries from the island's sailing community and government.

He had hoped to arrive 24 hours earlier, but was slightly delayed by a problem with one of his sails.

Michael's father, Peter Perham, 47, a chartered surveyor and experienced yachtsman, is also making the voyage in another yacht close to his son's and keeps regular radio contact with him.

Last night his mother Heather Perham, 50, who has remained on dry land in the UK during the voyage with Michael's sister Fiona, 16, said: "I have spoken with Michael by satellite phone today and he is really, really excited - and really, really tired.

"He cannot wait to arrive and says the first thing he wants to do is eat some normal food. He's been living out of tins for weeks.

"I don't think he has any idea of the celebrations that await him when he arrives. It will be a huge surprise to him, he will be gobsmacked." The teenager, from land-locked Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, set off from Gibraltar on the 3,500-mile voyage in his 28ft yacht Cheeky Monkey on November 18.

In the latest entry, for December 31, on his internet diary Michael said: "We were sailing along really well when suddenly my two jibs went slack and I realised that the halliard, which is the rope that pulls them up and holds them tight had chaffed through. "So I pulled down both jibs with the idea that I could actually put them on another halliard, however the track is really to small for the jibs and I couldn't get the jibs back up. So I am now sailing with my mainsail all the way to Antigua. "Looks like our ETA in Antigua will now be Wednesday 3rd January, around 10am Antigua time! Happy New Year!!!!"

The trip was originally scheduled to be completed before Christmas but, as the Daily Mail reported on Saturday, had to be extended after satellite equipment on his boat failed and he was forced to make a diversion to Lanzarote and the Cape Verde islands. But that has done nothing to diminish Michael's enjoyment of his adventure, during which he has sailed alongside dolphins, whales and sharks, and experienced the forces of nature and the weather at their most exhilarating.

In his diary entry for December 28, Michael said: "It's rather strange but almost every morning now I find the odd flying fish on the deck that obviously flew the wrong way!"

Michael, a pupil at Chancellor's School in Brookmans Park, took three weeks off school to complete the voyage during which he used the trade winds that have carried sailors from Europe to the Americas for centuries. He is being sponsored by local companies.

The previous record for the youngest person to cross the Atlantic was set by 15-year-old Sebastian Clover from the Isle of Wight in January 2003.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in