Father and son Tim and James Mitchell are planning to sail around the UK in their Sadler 26, Elle. Weather permitting they will cast off from their Hamble River mooring on 29th June on the start of the 2,000 mile voyage in a Westabout direction. They expect to take about three months to complete the circumnavigation; time permitting sailing via Dublin and Douglas, Isle of Man before going ‘over the top’ via Cape Wrath and Pentland Firth.

Tim has been sailing for nearly 40 years but has never attempted anything on this scale before. ‘It has always been a dream to undertake a major voyage like this but until now I’ve never had enough time off work for anything more than a two week cruise. So when this opportunity came along, I thought it was time to live the dream!’ For James it will be an ideal start to his gap year, having just completed his A level exams.

‘The main objectives are, of course, to have some fun and to improve our seamanship skills. However, spending three months together on a small yacht, we are bound to get to know each other very well.’ The family want to use the trip to raise money for the cancer research charity, Myeloma UK. Tim’s mother Susan died of the disease last year. If you would like to keep track of Elle’s progress, please visit the blog at www.sailblogs.com/member/elle/ and all donations to Myeloma UK via www.justgiving.com/timmitchell1 .