Mike Perham

 Solo Circumnavigation
Portsmouth - Gunwharf Quays
Record sailing start and finish - South of Lizard at
49 deg. 57 minutes North & 5 deg. 00 minutes West
November 18, 2008 - August 27, 2009 - (281 days)

About 30,000 nautical miles, 157 Sailing Days, 191.08 Miles per Day
No engine on board, 50.0' ft  LWL, 50.0' ft LOA
(Average 7.96 knots), 1.126 νLWL

© Richard Konkolski

Mike Perham's dad Peter had been involved with sailing his whole life and as a result Mike have been sailing since he was very young. His dad was supportive of everything Mike wants to do and achieve. Mike’s family includes his father Peter, his mother Heather and his older sister Fiona. Michael’s family have strong maritime connections, with his father having been a merchant naval officer, his grandfather having served with the Royal Navy during World War 2, and his great grandfather as a Royal Marine in the Crimean war.

Mike started sailing at the age of seven. He has completed RYA courses in dinghy sailing and windsurfing. After sailing into Antigua in January 2007 at the age of fourteen Mike became the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic single-handed.

Mike attends the Oakland’s Sports Academy in St Albans, where he is studying for a National Diploma in Sports Performance and Excellence.  The college is supportive of Mike’s trip.  As he will be away, the college has redesigned his coursework to fit with the trip, and has organised some coursework for him to take on his journey.

Besides sailing, Mike likes all water sports including canoeing and wind surfing, as well as biking, mountaineering and camping, and skiing. To achieve his dream, Mike has chartered an Open 50 racing yacht, which he named TotallyMoney.com in honour of sponsor, TotallyMoney.com.  The yacht has spent six weeks being prepared for the trip in docks in France and the UK.

Timeline to Mike Perham's solo circumnavigation

Repeated autopilot failures forced Mike to stop for repairs in Portugal, Gran Canaria and Cape Town. After finally overcoming those problems, Mike crossed the Southern Indian Ocean in March, celebrating his 17th birthday. He was forced to stop again in Tasmania and then Auckland after serious rudder problems.

In the Southern TotallyMoney.com was knocked down and damaged forcing Mike to make emergency repairs up the mast and pushing him much farther North than he originally intended.

The boat

Mike's team has chartered a 50 ft Open racing yacht, owned by the Escoffier family for the World Challenge trip.
The boat was named TotallyMoney.com at the 2008 Southampton Boat Show in September, in honour of one of Mike’s major sponsors.
The boat, formerly named the Etoile Australe and Cray Valley, has been raced in all sorts of conditions, and comes with a proven racing record of accomplishment.

TotallyMoney.com (ex Etoile Australe & Cray Valley)
Launched: 1996
Architect: Finot Conq

Technical specifications
Builder : USA
Designer : FINOT CONQ
Type : 50 ft Open
Year : 1996
LOA : 15,24 m
Beam : 4,95 m
Draft : 3,82 m
Engine : 18 HP YANMAR

Construction
Shell: Carbon epoxy
Bridge: E glass reinforced with carbon and polyester resin
Keel: Sailing carbon bulb lead
Mast: Carbon, 2-story bar arrow 21.5 m

Racing/sailing history
Nov 96 : Record Newport / Bermuda
Nov 96 : Record Newport / Bermuda
Jun 97 : 4th Europe Race
Jul 98 : 1st Atlantic Alone/ class 2
May 99 : 1rst Around Alone/ class 2
Jul 00 : 3rd Quebec-St Malo/ class 2
Nov 01 : 2th Transat Jacques/ class 2
Nov 02 : 1st Route du Rhum/ class2
Jun 04 : The transat
Nov 05 : 3rd Transat Jacques Vabre/ class 2
May 06 : Record SNSM
Jul 06 : 1st Skippers d'Islande ( 334 milles in 24 h)

The yacht has been equipped with the latest communication equipment to ensure that Mike can keep in contact with his family for the duration of his journey.  GPS tracking will ping a position back to base every single hour of the trip so that his supporters and family can follow his progress.

The Team

Peter Perham – Project Manager
Mike’s father Peter was the project manager for is trip. He has played a vital role in boat acquisition, fundraising, and sponsorship. He is an experienced sailor.  He started sailing at the age of nine in Cadet dinghies. He also accompanied Mike in a separate boat to allow him to become the youngest person (aged 14) ever to sail across the Atlantic single-handed in 2007.

Servane Escoffier – Boat Manager
Servane is a skilled sailor, having been involved in competitive racing since her teens. She has a accomplished racing history. Servane’s role in the Sail Mike team was to prepare the boat, and to ready Mike for his trip.

Fred Dahirel & Stan Delbarre– Prepateurs
Both experienced sailors, Fred and Stan’s role in the Sail Mike team was to prepare the boat for the trip and sailing with Mike in training sessions to get him ready for the journey. Both Fred and Stan are experienced sailors, having been involved in sailing for many years.

Mike Broughton – Weather Router
Mike is an experienced weather router, having enjoyed an extensive career working with professional elite sailing teams on a variety of events and races. He is also an accomplished sailor himself. Mike’s role within the Sail Mike team was to provide Mike with weather forecasting and routing advice during his trip.

© Richard Konkolski

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Link to Mike Perham web site:

www.totallymoney.com/sailmike