British 17-year-old sails into the Guinness Book of Records

       A 17-year-old British sailor yesterday became the youngest person to sail around the world without assistance, completing the solo trip in nine months.
       Mike Perham grabbed the solo record after completing the 45,000-kilometre journey, crossing the finish line in Cornwall, southern England. He is now sailing to Portsmouth for a celebration tomorrow.
       He had set out from Portsmouth in southern Britain on November 15 last year. During the gruelling journey, Perham said he tackled 15 metre waves, gale force winds and technical problems.
       The Briton, who sailed across the Atlantic alone when he was 15, had originally intended to complete the 40,000-kilometre challenge without interruption. But technical problems forced him to make several stops. He never got more than 20 minutes sleep at a time.
       "It's definitely the hardest part of the trip being on your own because there is no one there to help you, and you do miss the physical contact," he told the BBC.
       Perham's team said on his website Totallymoney.com that he finished the trip in his 15-metre racing yacht mid-morning yesterday,
       The teenager set off in November 2008.
       Perham is a few months younger than Zac Sunderland, a 17-year-old from Thousand Oaks, California. He had grabbed the youngest solo crown in July when he completed a similar trip in 13 months.
       To mark his achievement, the Guinness Book of World Records created a new category for Perham ... the youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe unsupported.
       Gunness's closest record to Perham's, youngest sailor to circumnavigate the globe unsupported and without stopping, is now held by Jesse Martin of Melbourne, Australia.
       He compelted the trip when he was 18 years and 104 days old.

       Mike Perham grabbed the solo record after completing the 45,000-kilometre journey, crossing the finish line in Cornwall, England.