Mike Perham Becomes the World’s Youngest Solo Circumnavigator

Mike Perham has claimed the title of the world’s youngest solo circumnavigator, a distinction held for a short time by California teenager Zac Sunderland. Perham crossed the finish line between Lizard Point and Ushant, France, at 10 a.m. on Aug. 27, completing a 30,000-mile journey that began on Nov. 18, 2008. Because he is 108 days younger than Sunderland, Perham assumed the record as soon as he completed the voyage aboard the chartered Open 50 racing yacht TotallyMoney.com.

The rivalry between Perham and Sunderland has been friendly and public since Perham departed his hometown of Portsmouth, England, last November. Their differing approaches to circumnavigation underline the variety of routes and challenges a solo global voyage can present. Perham chose an eastward, racing-style passage that took him through some of the planet’s most demanding seas, while Sunderland followed a westward cruising route more suited to a smaller, traditionally cruiser-designed boat.

Perham’s route kept him much of the time in the Southern Ocean, where he experienced heavy seas and powerful weather systems, and he rounded both the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin. He also transited the Panama Canal. He had planned to round Cape Horn but ultimately decided against it because of prevailing conditions. Sunderland, by contrast, sailed a 36-foot Islander and favored a westward itinerary: California to Hawaii, onwards to the Marshall Islands and Australia, then to South Africa and Grenada, back through the Panama Canal and home to Marina Del Rey, California.

“It feels fantastic,” Perham said in a phone interview shortly after finishing. He described encountering several gales on the final legs back toward Portsmouth but otherwise relished being home. The psychological and physical adjustments of returning to family life were apparent: after months alone at sea, it takes time for the reality of being ashore to settle in.

The Open 50 TotallyMoney.com proved fast and generally dependable, though Perham encountered some early equipment troubles. Problems with the autopilot and the generator at the start of the voyage forced an unscheduled stop in Cascais, Portugal, for repairs. The boat also survived a severe knockdown in the Southern Ocean, rolling well past 90 degrees; Perham described TotallyMoney as a solid, trustworthy vessel he came to rely on. Despite the boat’s performance, the hardest aspect of the trip was not the gear but the solitude.

“Being alone, having no one to help you or anyone to ask to reach for this or help with that — it was a great mental challenge to cope with that,” Perham said. Long, uninterrupted stretches of solo sailing demand constant vigilance and mental resilience. Perham had some prior single-handed experience: at age 14 he sailed a Tide 28 solo from Gibraltar to Antigua in 6-1/2 weeks, completing that voyage in January 2007. Still, an around-the-world passage is an entirely different scale of endurance and self-reliance.

Perham’s father, Peter, chartered the Open 50 for his son and has been closely involved in the campaign. He described the family’s relief at Mike’s safe return and the quick resumption of normal life at home. “It’s basically a huge relief to have him back. It’s like he never left, including the untidy bedroom,” he said, adding that sailing equipment and boat-related items have taken over much of the house as the family settles back in.

Far from retiring from adventure, Perham already has another demanding project on the calendar. In April 2010 he will join Australian adventurer Don McIntyre in a re-creation of the 4,000-mile journey of Captain William Bligh and his supporting crew, who were set adrift from the HMS Bounty 221 years earlier. The re-creation will sail from Tonga to Timor in a 25-foot open boat and will deliberately limit supplies and modern conveniences to echo the historical ordeal; emergency safety equipment will be carried.

The story of Perham’s achievement also fits into a broader pattern of record-setting youth voyages. Abigail Sunderland, sister of Zac Sunderland, is planning a non-stop solo circumnavigation of her own, possibly beginning in November after she turns 16. Interest in teenage solo sailing continues to draw attention, debate and admiration for the seamanship and mental strength such voyages require.

This account originally appeared in the November 2009 issue. Related coverage has documented other young sailors who have faced difficulties and delays while attempting ambitious solo passages, underlining how unpredictable and demanding global solo sailing can be even for well-prepared, skilled young skippers.

Perham’s successful circumnavigation underscores both the advances in modern yacht design and equipment that make long solo passages possible and the timeless personal qualities—stamina, seamanship, and psychological fortitude—required to complete them. For now, the youngest circumnavigator is back on land, recovering and reflecting, while already looking ahead to another historic and challenging voyage.