Holidays over for another summer?oh well. Not that I’m complaining about going back to my job, mark you.

This morning before 9 am, I called the Perham household and was told that our youngest ever solo circumnavigator, 17-year-old Mike Perham, was still abed. Good for him, having a richly deserved and properly teenaged lie-in. He’s got a lot of lost sleep to catch up on.

All credit to Mike, and his Dad Peter for many sacrifices made in the last few years to make this voyage and record happen. It’s a fantastic achievement to sail round the world alone, particularly in such as demanding as an Open 50 – and this particular Open 50, which top pro Nick Moloney found such a handful when he raced it alone across the Atlantic.

It’s just a thought, but the Big Mac, Ellen herself, was a year older when she sailed round Britain alone in her Corribee 21. So Mike has quite a head start, as it were.

More on Mike later. I’m looking forward to meeting him tomorrow.