I SAILED SINGLEHANDED AROUND THE WORLD
12 June 2026 · 34 min · 87K views · Western Approaches, off the West Country of England
Lifeboat 17-35 escorts sailboat into Plymouth harbor
What this video covers
Barry Perrins completes a nine-year solo circumnavigation aboard his boat White Shadow, arriving in Plymouth, England, to close the loop he opened when he departed single-handed from Falmouth.11:19 The route crossed the Atlantic three times: south through Europe to Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde Islands, then across to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific to the French Marquesas, COVID-delayed in New Zealand, north through Australia's barrier reef, across the Indian Ocean south of Madagascar to Cape Town, out to St Helena, back to the Caribbean, and finally home.13:48 The final approach through the Western Approaches and English Channel takes several days of hard beating into headwinds at roughly two knots, with a loose 27-kilogram anchor banging on the foredeck in rough North Atlantic conditions requiring a solo foredeck repair.3:02 A hurricane remnant tracking across the Atlantic forces a four-to-five-day wait in the Channel before motoring clear.5:55 Sail damage — a torn mainsail and a failing genoa — accumulates in the final miles.11:51 White Shadow enters Plymouth Harbour escorted by Plymouth Lifeboats, moors in front of the Mayflower Steps, and Perrins claims the distinction of the first YouTube sailing channel to complete a single-handed circumnavigation.21:44
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