Solo sailor Mike Perham is planning a 24-hour test sail from Gran Canaria, once his autopilot gremlins have been sorted out, before getting back on track for his circumnavigation.

The 16-year-old has also tried out his ‘rock-climbing’ system for getting to the top of the rig. Another wrinkle he has ironed out is his lazy jacks. ‘It was only after sailing 1,500miles-odd that I realised that one of my lazy jack lines just caught very slightly when we have our third reef in.’

Perham, who left Falmouth on 18 November, is hoping to become the youngest, solo, non-stop circumnavigator aboard Totallymoney.com his Open 50.
Round the world