Royal Southampton honorary member, Geoff Holt arrived in Lanzarote yesterday to make final preparations for his bid to become the first quadriplegic yachtsman to take on an Atlantic crossing.
He is planning to sail 3,000 miles on the 60ft catamaran Impossible Dream from Lanzarote to the British Virgin Islands, and hopes to set out in the second week of December.
Geoff, aged 43, has been paralysed from the chest down since a swimming accident in the British Virgin Islands 25 years ago, and has been confined to a wheelchair since.
The yacht on which he plans to make the voyage is owned by Royal Southampton member Mike Browne's charity Sporting Activities for the Disabled, and is designed to be sailed by someone in a wheelchair. The yacht is already in Lanzarote.
Last week, Geoff who is a long time champion of RYA Sailability, as well as a friend of the Royal Southampton for many years, received the RYA's Francis Elkin Award which recognises an individual who has made a significant contribution, in time, effort and personal endeavour in enabling people with disabilities to become involved in sailing. The award was made at a ceremony in London by the Princess Royal.
On his voyage across the Atlantic, Geoff will be accompanied by a professional carer, New Zealander Susana Scott, 28, and a cameraman, but insists they will not assist in the actual sailing.
He will be at sea over Christmas, but if all goes well he expects to reach Tortola in the British Virgin Islands about December 27, and it should prove an emotional return for him. It was in Tortola that he suffered the accident which paralysed him 25 years ago.
Two years ago, he became the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail single handed around Great Britain.
Before he left, Geoff staged a farewell party at the King & Queen pub in Hamble.
More than 20 years after the accident, Geoff Holt became the first disabled person to sail single-handed around Great Britain in an expedition he called Personal Everest.
"Sailing has given me so much in my life. It was my livelihood before my accident and it was to be my saviour after it. The freedom I experience on the sea is like no other; I am free of my wheelchair and free of my disability. When I am on the water, it makes me feel alive and any sailor, regardless of their ability, will know exactly that same feeling. Sailing is my life," he said