In 1975, when Adrian Flanagan was 15, he read Sir Francis Chichester's account of his record-breaking circumnavigation, and a dream began to form. Thirty years later, on October 28, 2005, Adrian set sail from the south coast of England on his quest to voyage vertically around the earth by the most difficult route imaginable, via Cape Horn and the icebound waters of the Russian Arctic. He mortgaged his house and bought a unique stainless steel boat with the unlikely name of Barrabas. With limited funds and no means of paying a professional support team, he persuaded his ex-wife to manage the expedition. Adrian faced death when a rogue wave swept him from the deck. He was chased by pirates off Brazil, dislocated both wrists, and, at Cape Horn, Barrabas capsized in a hurricane. He also swam in water 10 miles deep, sailed in the company of whales, hunted with a spear gun, and came to appreciate the fragile balance of the natural world from a perspective that few have ever seen. After 30,825 miles, Adrian arrived home on May 21, 2008, with a Royal Navy escort. Here is his inspirational, epic story.
