Good Samaritan sailor, Pete Goss MBE has thrown another lifeline to a struggling yachtsman…this time on land.

Sail-maker Alan Harris-Guerrero, 24, is hoping to make his name in the old Fowey loft where he once served as an apprentice with Andy Mitchell of Mitchell’s Sails. He has crossed the Atlantic twice in a Sadler 25, so he knows a thing or two about heavy weather stitching.

Now he has returned, bought the business and employed his old boss. Mr Goss turned up to open the new loft – now called Sail Shape – and offer his support.

‘I love new beginnings. I first came across Alan when I read about his extraordinary trip across the Atlantic and always hoped I would meet him one day. When he called me and all this enthusiasm came down the phone, I just knew I had to support this little loft with big ideas. Alan’s challenges when crossing the Atlantic will actually help him face the tasks ahead as he ventures into the world of business and I wish him well.’

Pete Goss MBE, who in June of this year took part in the GORE-TEX Arctic Challenge taking two 6-metre RIBs from Scotland to the Arctic Circle, officially launched the new business then invited guests to raise their glasses to ‘fair winds for the future and to lofty ideas’.