Photo of Team Hafren sailing their Wayfarer dinghy with Peel Castle in the background.
Photo by Charlene Howard.
Team Hafren is made up of two sailors, Phillip Kirk and Jeremy Warren, from Thornbury Sailing Club in Gloucestershire, UK. The team set sail on Saturday May 31st with the aim to sail an open boat around mainland Britain in record time. The current best is 76 days and the target is 60 days. They intend to demonstrate self-sufficiency and good seamanship, and in the spirit of sailing adventurer Frank Dye (1928-2010), reaffirm that a Wayfarer dinghy can undertake extended offshore passages safely. Phil and Jeremy seek to foster good will between sailing clubs and leave a trail of TSC pennants in clubhouses around Britain.
The direct distance is 1500 miles and the plan is for approximately ten hops of 200 miles. Each “hop” is three days, with two nights spent at sea. Going clockwise from Weymouth, up the Irish Sea, west of the Isle of Man, they’ll drop into Northern Ireland (mission accomplished) then off up the west coast of Scotland (they're currently sailing in the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland). This will take in the formidable headlands of Cape Wrath and Duncansby Head, sandbanks of the Thames Estuary, and the familiar headlands of the south coast.
To learn more about the challenge and to follow Team Hafren's progress go to their website or facebook page.