A yachtsman who navigated the globe ‘vertically’ via the polar regions has written a book about his two-and-a-half year voyage.
Adrian Flanagan, from Ludgershall, near Bicester, penned Over The Top with the help of more than a million words from logs, diaries and emails he wrote during his time at sea between October 2005 and May this year.
The 47-year-old successfully completed the epic trip but was denied an official world record by the World Sailing Speed Record Council because he had to hitch a lift from an ice-breaking ship in the Russian Arctic.
His record attempt also took him to Hawaii, Alaska and Norway, and involved numerous memorable mo- ents, including being chased by pirates off the Brazilian coast, dislocating both wrists and capsizing his boat Barrabas during a hurricane at Cape Horn.
Mr Flanagan was also swept across the boat’s deck by a wave on only his fifth day afloat.
The father-of-two, whose book was published on Thursday, said: “I had two ambitions — I wanted to sail around the world and I wanted to go vertically because no-one had ever done that — but writing is also very important to me. I describe myself as a writer who sails, not a sailor who writes.”
The former business development manager added: “First of all, the book was needed because I did the trip without any sponsorship, but secondly, I wanted to share my experiences.
“In many ways it was a selfish thing to do, because I have two children, so I felt I need to share the experience. I was inspired by reading about Sir Francis Chichester’s circumnavigation of the world when I was 15. Who knows, maybe I will inspire some young person to actually execute their aspirations.”
Mr Flanagan said he found traditional diary-based travelogues “excruciatingly dull” and added: “I’ve written it not as a sailing book but as a thriller.”
The adventurer said he wanted to explore the three parts of the earth — water, land and air — and would soon be trying to fly a microlight around the coast of Australia before undertaking a land-based trip, such as walking across Africa.
Over The Top is out now, priced £16.99. Mr Flanagan will be appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Midweek on Wednesday, from 9am.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here