14-year-old becomes youngest to sail Atlantic solo

by The Guardian 2007/01/05

14-year-old becomes youngest to sail Atlantic solo

People: Perham, Michael

Abstract (Document Summary)

[Michael Perham] was escorted into the calm waters of English Harbour in Antigua by a flotilla of small boats after finishing his 5,600-km trip. Immaculately turned out in white T-shirt and white cap, he punched the air and a steel band struck up a jaunty tune as he tied up.

Though it was early in the morning when he arrived in Antigua, Michael was already thinking about having a "scrumptious" lunch he has survived on ready meals and tinned food and later on a lovely, soft, unsoggy bed which did not rock from side to side.

British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, himself a former merchant seaman, was one of the first to congratulate the teenager's "remarkable" feat. "Michael has proved himself another hugely successful sailor in the great British maritime tradition," he said.
Full Text (421 words)
Copyright China Daily Jan 5, 2007

He braved towering waves, teeth-jarring squalls and endured the loneliness of the long distance sailor, all the while trying to keep up with his school coursework.

On Wednesday, Michael Perham, a 14-year-old schoolboy from land- locked Hertfordshire, just north of London, became the youngest person to cross the Atlantic singlehanded.

Michael was escorted into the calm waters of English Harbour in Antigua by a flotilla of small boats after finishing his 5,600-km trip. Immaculately turned out in white T-shirt and white cap, he punched the air and a steel band struck up a jaunty tune as he tied up.

Setting foot on dry land for the first time in more than six weeks, he said: "It feels absolutely fantastic. Absolutely brilliant." He hugged his father, Peter, who arrived a few minutes later having shadowed his son across the Atlantic in another yacht, always staying a mile or so away.

Though it was early in the morning when he arrived in Antigua, Michael was already thinking about having a "scrumptious" lunch he has survived on ready meals and tinned food and later on a lovely, soft, unsoggy bed which did not rock from side to side.

He said he had missed his PlayStation and his bike. The teenager insisted he had not felt in danger. "The worst bit was being away from my family and people generally," he said. "It was really a fantastic trip. I enjoyed almost every minute of it."

British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, himself a former merchant seaman, was one of the first to congratulate the teenager's "remarkable" feat. "Michael has proved himself another hugely successful sailor in the great British maritime tradition," he said.

Dame Ellen MacArthur called it a "huge achievement," adding: "He's done incredibly well to spend six weeks on his own at 14."

Despite Michael's insouciance on reaching land, he suffered his fair share of trials and tribulations, vividly recounted in a blog.

"Experienced my first experience of squalls, they really do knock your teeth out," he wrote on November 25.

Michael went on to describe how on December 15 he had to tie a rope around his waist and jump overboard to cut free his steering gear.

In the blog he also expressed boyish joy at seeing dolphins skimming alongside his boat, sunbathing, blue skies 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 celebrated Christmas by setting off a flare.

The Guardian