Polar sailor nears journey's end

Adrian Flanagan is 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from home

A sailor who set off two years ago to become the first person to sail around the world solo via the polar regions is just 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from home.

Adrian Flanagan, 47, from near Bicester in Oxfordshire, set off from Hamble, Hampshire, in October 2005.

He was forced to postpone his bid twice during his quest. He resumed his trip in April, setting off from Norway, and is heading for the Shetland Islands.

He has already sailed more than 29,700 miles (47,797 km).

The last part of Mr Flanagan's voyage is a 1,600 mile (2,574 km) stretch from Mehamn, in northern Norway, to The Royal Southern Yacht Club, in Hamble, near Southampton.

In September 2006, he was forced to quit the journey after 25,000 miles (40,234km), when the Russian Arctic began to freeze over.

He resumed his journey in June 2007, but icy seas forced him to quit again during the winter. He left his boat, Barrabas, in Mehamn until he was recently able to re-start the trip.

I sleep as much as possible and try not to let my excitement get the better of me Adrian Flanagan

"At the outset of the expedition, I figured Barrabas would have sailed 30,000 miles to circumnavigate the earth via Cape Horn and the Russian Arctic," he wrote in his blog.

"As I write, the log has just clicked over to 29,700 miles. I am now less than 1,000 miles from home. It seems like an eternity.

"Despite over-wintering the boat, time compresses. As I stepped back on board and prepared her for this last leg, it was like I had never been away.

"The strain returned, the fatigue - a remnant of the past come to life. I sleep as much as possible and try not to let my excitement get the better of me."

Mr Flanagan is raising money for Oxford Children's Hospital and Save the Children.