Sailing schoolboy Mike Perham, 16, who hopes to become the youngest person to sail solo – and maybe non-stop – around the world is still held up in Gran Canaria.

Today NKE sent out an engineer from Spain to sort out the auto-pilot problems once and for all. Mike’s father Peter, said: ‘Speaking to Mike on the phone is hard work whilst he feels so frustrated with a situation that is beyond his control. Mike set out to ‘live the dream’ that he has worked so hard on and until he gets going again that dream seems out of his reach.

‘As a family there are mounting pressures emotionally and financially to get him going as soon as possible but we look ahead to the dream Mike wants to live and as parents will do all that we can to make that happen.

‘Sorry there has been a bit of a news lull, this has been due to the low ebb Mike is experiencing and the shortage of anything positive to say.

‘Just heard from NKE that we need two more bits to be flown out aaarrrrrggggghhhh!’