Team Forces is excited to be supporting 33-year-old former British soldier Craig Wood who is now over half way on his world first maritime expedition to become the world’s first triple amputee to sail solo, non-stop and unsupported 7,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean!
Despite experiencing a number of technical issues with his boat, Craig has well over 4,000 nautical miles under his belt and is feeling positive about reaching the finish line at Osaka in Japan in just over a months’ time. Craig has had to resolve many issues over the last few weeks: a rope breaking on his Gennaker sail which was affecting his speed; another sail tearing; a second reef line snapping and having to be re-rigged; and having to fix a broken rudder by improvising a new mount after it started pointing 30 degrees in the wrong direction!
Craig said:
“I’m still moving with enough speed to miss the Japanese cyclone season, but it will be tighter than planned but I’m more determined than ever. It’s been a really challenging few weeks where I’ve felt a lot of different emotions and wondered if I’d see the finish line, but then I dug deep and got cracking with some repairs and realised that what I set out to achieve was still very much possible.
I’d be surprised if any boat sailed over 3,000 nautical miles and didn’t have a breakage of some sort, but the amount I’ve had to deal with has been a lot. However, I’ve been repairing things and it’s all part of my daily routine – to run checks and make repairs. Another issue I have is that water has got into my starboard engine and it’s seized. This isn’t a concern at the moment, as I am sailing, but I will need the engine once I arrive in Japan to enter the harbour so I have spent some time working on it and will hopefully get it sorted before I arrive.
I’ve seen many rainbows, lots and lots of flying fish and a Booby that seems to have made my boat its home is keeping me company and has helped to restore my faith in what I’m doing and made me appreciate what I’m capable of out here in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.
Other than missing my family, I have generally been really at peace out on the water despite the obvious dangers such as hidden coral reefs, upcoming tropical storms and then fishing fleets as I get closer to Japan, but as I’m still making headway, I’m hopeful that my flurry of issues are now under control and will remain that way.”
CRAIG WOOD’S STORY
Having gone through basic training as a rifleman in the British Army, Craig, who hails from Doncaster, was posted to Afghanistan shortly after his 18th birthday. It was just three months into his first tour when his life was to change forever. Craig lost both legs and his left hand in an IED (improvised explosive device) bomb blast on July 30th, 2009. He also suffered two collapsed lungs, lost 27 pints of blood and his face was ravaged by shrapnel.
It took eight months for Craig to learn to walk again and four-and-a-half years of rehabilitation work at the dedicated Headley Court facility in Surrey to improve his quality of life. His recovery was long, slow and painful – with over 20 operations over four years. It was a mental and physical battle.
Fifteen years on, Craig lives on his boat, Sirius II, with his wife, Renata, and their two young children for much of the year. It’s a nomadic lifestyle true to the character he has become and one which the whole family embraces.
‘A huge thank you to my sponsors for helping me to take on this massive challenge.’
CRAIG WOOD
