Take two

Geoff Holt's lifejacket issues resolved and disabled sailor looks to set off next week

Quadriplegic sailor, Geoff Holt, is to resume his attempt to be the first disabled person to sail around Great Britain.

Geoff, aged 41 from Hampshire, started from Southampton on Monday, after a farewell reception at the Royal Southern Yacht Club at Hamble, attended by hundreds of well-wishers. A flotilla of boats followed Geoff in his 15 foot trimaran, Freethinker, down the Hamble River and out in to the Solent. But his passage was cut short just a few minutes after the start, when the wash from spectator boats caused Geoff’s boat to broach and he was thrown into the sea and floated face-down in the water.

Geoff was quickly rescued by his highly trained support team, but there was some concern that he was unable to deploy his Lifejacket. Geoff and his team today met with his safety equipment suppliers, Crewsaver, to determine the problem. After examining all his clothing and equipment it transpired that there were some immediate issues which have now been resolved.

“Monday morning was manic”, says Geoff. “There was so much press interest in my departure and after doing lots of media interviews and my farewell reception with my sponsors and friends, I was a bit rushed because I was keen to get away on time. I put on a pair of thick quilted trousers that were specially made for wearing in my wheelchair and, it appears, these gave me so much buoyancy in the water that my lifejackets integral buoyancy could not turn me face up. “In hindsight I should have been wearing my normal and less buoyant clothing but I’ve learned a valuable lesson.

“I’m very grateful to Crewsaver Sales Manager, Guy Page, who kindly spent several hours yesterday helping us solve our problem. Our entire team were present as we pool tested a variety of options. Guy identified a different product in Crewsaver’s range which is far more suitable for my needs and worked perfectly in turning me over on each occasion that we tried. I am lucky that this accident happened now and not later in my passage on one of the more treacherous parts of the coast. The good news is that the rescue plan, which my team have practised rigorously, worked perfectly and I was rescued instantly.”

Ian Clover, Geoff’s Project Manager comments: ”It boosted the crew’s morale to know that we can rescue Geoff quickly in an emergency and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to try out a variety of clothing and lifejacket combinations in the pool today and am completely satisfied that we have found the best solution for Geoff. It gives me and the entire crew confidence. Now our only concern is the weather and with no suitable weather window on the horizon, our restart is unlikely to happen until next week at the earliest."

Geoff’s Personal Everest Project has been made possible by sponsorship from law firm Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons, who are providing the funds to ensure that Geoff has the necessary back-up team and equipment to make his Personal Everest attempt safe and efficient.