An intrepid brain injury survivor from north Norfolk has just completed the fourth leg of the Clipper 17/18 Round the World Yacht Race.
David Greer, 65, from Mundesley, who survived a brain injury in 2012 which left him unable to walk, is nearing the midway point of the 11-month race, which is between 12 identical 70ft ocean racing yachts and covers 40,000 nautical miles.
The race set out from Liverpool on August 20 last year and is expected back there on July 28, 2018.
The leg was made up of three races - Fremantle in western Australia to Sydney, 2,500 nautical miles, Sydney to Hobart, 650 nautical miles, and Hobart to Airlie Beach in eastern Australia, 1,600 nautical miles.
It brought Mr Greer and his team PSP logistics mixed results in terms of finishing, but he was still wowed by the sights on offer.
He said: 'We enjoyed several races with dolphin pods which made our 70 racing yachts look slow. It is a real privilege to see such sights first-hand. We experienced almost every weather condition on the spectrum including the most spectacular storms.'
He wrote in his diary on January 15: 'Just finished the second watch and it was a wonder to behold, huge banks of dark ominous cloud with great jagged tears of lightning rending the clouds.
'Lightning strikes so repeatedly that the pearly blue glow lit up the boat. Continuous crashes of thunder and then solid torrential rain that soaked the boat and crew in minutes all driven by gale force winds that damaged the staysail.
'The climate - hot and humid, the heat is fine but everything - crew, day clothes, work clothes and foulies - our foul weather gear - are permanently damp and clammy and nothing dries so you are forced to wear damp clothing for days.'
The start of the next race on January 29 marks the half-way point of his journey and the return to Mundesley, the long way. The remaining races will take him via Sanya and Qingdao in China, Seattle and New York in the USA, passing through the Panama Canal, Londonderry and Liverpool.
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