The Skipper 

Name - Tom Webb

I am Tom Webb, aged 17 and have been on and around boats all of my life. I got used to sailing around the Solent on the catamaran my parents had as I grew up. These experiences inspired me to try my hand at dinghy sailing.

My first dingy was a bright yellow wooden Mirror dinghy, a piece of history as it had previously been owned by Sir Peter Blake. I then moved to toppers where I took part in club racing. Most recently I started racing frequently on a 420. I revelled in the technical aspects and the fast sailing. Over the last couple of years I have been really lucky to have worked with the Even Keel Project and have taken part in some demonstration as well as racing events, including the fantastic Artemis Even Keel Challenge at Cowes 2010.

During this time I was becoming motivated to push my single handed sailing and keel boat racing ambitions, a begun to explore the idea of sailing around Britain. Through some luck, and the sale of the family Iroquois catamaran in 2009, Danera was bought as a yacht on which I could get experience of single handed keel boat sailing and keeping the sail around Britain in the Summer of 2011 in mind. It went in the water in June 2010 and since then I have sailed it frequently with friends and family as well as on my own.

Qualifications RYA Yachtmaster ShorebasedRYA Day SkipperRYA Dinghy InsturctorRYA First Aid VHF Course

Boat - 'Danera' - Beneteau First 211

‘Danera’ is a 21’ drop keel monohull, and falls within Design Category B which means it is designed to withstand safely up to 4 metre waves and up so Beaufort Scale 8 which is about 46 mph! I’ve sailed the boat hard for over a year throughout the summer and winter and every time I go on a longer passage I feel more confident about her abilities. She is a light displacement fast boat that has topped at 13 knots so she is good fun to handle as well as a safe place in heavier weather.

The Trip

The trip is a 1500NM sail around the UK starting in Portsmouth, I will sail anti-clockwise stopping at 28 ports along the way and cutting through the Caledonian canals opposed to sailing around the top of Scotland, this is due to time restrictions but a challenge none the less! I will be sailing on average 8 hours a day and hope to complete the trip in one and a half months maximum. I am sailing in-between my transition from college into University during the Summer break so will have to be home in order to pack!