Man spends month at sea to raise funds for charity

Mark Perkins, from Tilstock, spent 30 days at sea, sailing from China to the US

A Shropshire man who spent a month at sea in a gruelling boat race while raising money for charity has told of the time it took to readjust to life on dry land.

Mark Perkins, from Tilstock, joined the Zuhai team for the sixth leg of the Clipper Round the World challenge, which saw them sail from China to Seattle.

The 55 year-old raised about £500 for Lingen Davies, which supports those living with cancer in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

"It was a lot harder than I expected," said Mr Perkins, "I've wanted to do it for a long time - it's taken me about 20 years to get round to doing it." he added.

Mr Perkins joined the crew aboard the Zhuhai, for leg six of eight in the race

The Clipper Round the World race is a 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht.

The route is divided into eight legs, and includes six ocean crossings.

He said the the boat was angled at 45 degrees for 12 days while tacking - the manoeuvre used to change the direction of a boat through oncoming wind.

"I was on the high side, so I had to adjust my bunk," said Mr Perkins.

"I had about six inches of head room," he continued.

"You were never, ever still, there was always noise. It was not a good place to sleep."

The sailor was seasick for the first four days on board, and it took some days to adjust to life back on land after his return at the end of April.

"I was still swaying for three days after I got off the boat. I actually fell over and whacked my head because I forgot what I was doing," he said.

Despite the tough conditions, Mr Perkins said he was proud to have completed the challenge.

"It's not for everyone. Do the training and decide whether you're up for it," he added.