20 Facts About Michael Perham

Michael Perham was born on 16 March 1992 and is an English sailor and adventurer from Potters Bar.

Michael Perham was educated at Chancellor's School, a state comprehensive foundation school, in the village of Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire.

In 2007, Michael Perham became the youngest person in the world to successfully sail across the Atlantic Ocean single-handedly, when he helmed the 28 foot Cheeky Monkey between Gibraltar and Antigua with repair stops in the Canary Islands and Cape Verde between 18 November 2006 and 3 January 2007.

Michael Perham's father crossed the Atlantic at the same time in a separate boat.

At the time, Michael Perham was 14 years and 293 days old and he took the Guinness World Record from young Briton Seb Clover from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, who had crossed the Atlantic in late 2002 to early 2003, at the age of 15 years and 362 days.

On 15 November 2008, Michael Perham began his solo non-stop circumnavigation around the world from Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, England, in his chartered Open 50 yacht, totallymoney.

Michael Perham had to sell the vessel he used on his previous record attempt to raise money for the new record attempt.

Michael Perham was 16 when he began the journey, and turned 17 on 16 March 2009, while crossing the Indian Ocean making him the youngest solo round-the-world sailor.

The decision to accept assistance along the way, along with harsh winter conditions, led Michael Perham to decide to travel through the Panama Canal rather than sail around Cape Horn.

Michael Perham took the record from Zac Sunderland, an American who completed his journey in July 2009 at the age of 17 years, 7 months.

Michael Perham used a race boat, planned non-stop, but had to make stops for repairs - however, after a demasting it was announced that she would be giving up her attempt.

Michael Perham finished in Sint Maarten on 21 January 2012.

Michael Perham officially crossed the finishing line at 09:47:30 local time on 27 August 2009.

Michael Perham was escorted across the line by HMS Mersey, a Royal Naval helicopter and a flotilla of small boats, mostly carrying people from the press and media.

Shortly after landing back on shore, Michael Perham was handed his framed Guinness World Record certificate.

Michael Perham planned to take part in a challenge called the Bounty Boat Expedition, led by Don McIntyre, sailing a very small open boat without any navigational aids at all in the path of the small boat sailed by the crew from the mutiny on the Bounty in 1798.

However, on 28 March 2010 Michael Perham announced on his website that because of medical problems following a recent operation he wouldn't be fit enough to participate in the expedition.

Michael Perham took part in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2011 as a crew member with Jessica Watson as skipper.

In 2012 Michael Perham drove around the world in a camper van.

Michael Perham then drove across Australia and New Zealand before the final leg of his journey from Anchorage in Alaska to New York.