Storm forces sailor to change his world record attempt

A sailor believes he has set a new world record on the water - but not the one he was hoping for. Sigi Solly had planned to sail a dinghy as far as possible around Rutland Water in eight hours to raise money for charity, but a thunderstorm thwarted his plans. The 64-year-old clocked up six hours on the water before the storm hit and his safety crew called him to shore.

Despite the challenge being cut short Sigi believes he can still claim a record for the furthest distance sailed single-handedly across a lake in six hours for charity. He has submitted his evidence to the Guinness World Records but faces up to a five-month wait for his attempt to be verified. Sigi, a retired physiotherapist from Uffington , said: “When I set off at 8am the wind was really soft but by 1pm it had died completely and there was a torrential downpour.



Lightning isn’t ideal when you’re in a dinghy with a five-metre mast but as a sailor you get used to the weather dominating and you just have to get on with it.” The 64-year-old covered 18.4 miles in the six hours and seven minutes he was on the water.

He said: “The big thing for me wasn’t so much setting a record but raising money for charity. The support I’ve received has been amazing. This wasn’t just a bloke on a lake in a boat, it was a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without the people who helped me.

” Sigi has raised £2,290 for PSC Support. The charity helps people with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a condition which causes the bile ducts inside and outside of the liver to become inflamed and scarred, and eventually narrowed or blocked. Sigi’s cousin lives with the disease and there is currently no cure.

Donations can still be made online at www.justgiving.com/page/sigi-solly Sigi plans to visit a resrearch centre in Birmingham to present a cheque.

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