Mike Perham is 600 miles south-east of Newfoundland, doing 11.4 kts. He has 1,520 nautical miles to the
Ushant/Falmouth finish line.
Light winds last week delayed 17 year-old Mike Perham’s record bid to become the youngest solo circumnavigator. He now expects to reach the Lizard line marking the start and finish point of his 30,000 mile record-setting odyssey sometime on Thursday August 27, still two months inside the current record. He now plans return to Gunwharf Quay, Portsmouth to be reunited with family and friends at 11:00am on Saturday August 29. Mike, who set out from England last November, was 600 miles south-east of Newfoundland early today, his yacht Totallymoney.com speeding on at 11.4knots, after closing to within 2,000 miles of the finish early on Monday.
Mike said on BBC Radio Solent today that he was coping well with being on his own, but is really looking forward to getting home.
Yesterday about 50 dolphins and 6 pilot whales came to visit him. Mike reported: “I was standing up by the mast this afternoon checking a few things and snapping photographs when all of a sudden I heard a great splash. There was this great long line of dolphins all jumping up in the air. There must have been fifty of them. It was an amazing sight! Later, I glanced across the water and spotted six pilot whales having a good look at Totallymoney.com.
Then, while I was sitting on the beanbag, two dolphins suddenly jumped up just a metre away from Totallymoney.com’s stern. They looked really impressive, spray flying everywhere. I guess the sealife around here is used to seeing a lot of yachts! The temperature on board is getting cooler with the influence of the Labrador Current from the north. The winds have gone around to the north as well. Today I had to put my sea boots on; a strange feeling since I have not worn anything on my feet for ages.
A small low-pressure system currently over Newfoundland, should give me some great running conditions by Wednesday. Once this has passed over it looks as if I might be able to hook into one of the big bad-boy low’s trucking it’s way across the Atlantic to the north of us. I’m looking forward to some more “vroom-vroom” moments!”