A British sailor has completed his epic 100,000 mile
journey to claim the new record for the fastest around-the-world
circumnavigation in a yacht.
Brian Thompson admitted he was "quite emotional" after crossing
the finish line following his record-breaking journey.
The sailor, who was the only British crew member on the Banque
Populaire V, completed the challenge in 45 days, 13 hours, 42
minutes and 53 seconds.
The crew beat the previous record of 48 days, seven hours, 44
minutes and 52 seconds by nearly three days when they arrived at
the Jules Verne Trophy finish line at Brest, France, at 10.14pm on
Friday.
Mr Thompson blogged about his sailing experiences in the
40-metre maxi-trimaran with its 14-member crew from his phone.
His blogs attracted thousands of Twitter followers and the
adventurer is now considering turning his posts into a book.
The 49-year-old Southampton-based sailor, said: "Sometimes I
think it would be cool to write a book about a trip like this and
you could use the blog as a basis for it.
"There are so many more things that happened, like conversations
with people, that you want to remember."
He also admitted that after his around-the-world challenge he
would miss the crew he travelled with, including American
adventurer Steve Fossett.
He added: "It was quite emotional crossing the line and
realising what a bond you made with the guys and especially the
three others you're on watch with because you tend to see those
people the most.
"You spend two thirds of 45 days together with them so that's a
lot of time. You have to rely on them for your safety."
Alongside this, Brian and other long-distance sailors would need
to rely on yacht insurance to ensure the boat is protected.
Copyright Press Association 2012 Gemma Roberts
