Sussex man raises £20,000 for prostate cancer charity by sailing laser around UK

Neil Peters, who goes by the name of Stick Daring when he is at sea, lives in Eastbourne and set off from the pier in his hometown on July 17th to sail anti-clockwise in his laser sailing dinghy.

According to the Eastbourne Herald (read the full story online), Neil had to travel light and took his tent, a small amount of food, one pair of trousers, a t-shirt, a spare pair of shoes, a micro towel, a radio and some mobile phones to keep in touch.

Neil’s wife drove some of the route which meant he was able to sleep in the van overnight but for much of the journey he was camping out or finding shelter in some interesting places.

He says: “One night in Wales I slept in a cave, I slept in a public toilet in Southend, Scotland and a laundry room in Cape Roth.”

It took Neil 76 days, six hours and 15 minutes to make it back home to Eastbourne after navigating the Irish Sea and the Thames Estuary, which is 23 miles wide.

He sailed for 56 of those days, due to the weather. He says: “It was the worst summer for years. It was so wet. I think the south coast had good weather, but Scotland had its wettest summer since 1983.”

Source: Eastbourne Herald