Man becomes only human in history to conquer world by land, sea and air as he sails into Gosport
The adventurer sailed into the world records again
An adventurer became the only human in history to conquer the world combining land, sea and air as he sailed into Gosport and the history books with his latest world record.
James Ketchell, one of Britain’s most accomplished adventurers, was welcomed back on Saturday by loved ones after completing a sail around the world.
His fiancé Lisa Bulmer, who last saw him in Cape Town six months ago, was among the party to greet him. The couple, who have been together for three years, are getting married next year.
James, who sailed his final leg of his circumnavigation from Cape Town to Gosport in 45 days, was also welcomed home by his mum and dad Trisha and John, as well as his brother Jeremy and nephew Max. One of the first to welcome James was the mayor of Gosport Cllr Kirsten Bradley.
James, 43, was born and bred in Basingstoke, and as well as being a professional adventurer uses his experiences as a motivational speaker.
He has been on the voyage of a lifetime covering the world’s biggest and most dangerous oceans posing weather conditions both good and bad passing the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn.
The expedition was as much about sharing hope with children throughout the journey as it was achieving the World Record. Ketchell’s words of inspiration were presented to youngsters from his stops in Lanzarote, Cape Verde, Brazil, South Africa, Tasmania, Argentina then back to South Africa where he had emergency repairs – before the longest leg home at sea to the United Kingdom crossing 14,000 km of ocean.
Author of two books — ‘The Ultimate Triathlon’ and ‘It’s All Mental’ — Ketchell has built a global reputation not only through adventure, but through motivating young people in schools, Scout groups and communities across multiple countries to pursue ambitious goals of their own. The name of the 40-foot boat is Mindset.
Speaking to The News after his return to Haslar Marina, James said: “It sounds crazy to say but I’ve now become the first person to circumnavigate the globe by air, sea and land having already cycled around the world in 2013 and flown around the world in a gyrocopter in 2019.
“All of these projects revolve around inspiring young people to pursue their own dreams. Every country I have travelled through I have visited and spoken in schools.”
Speaking of the incredible achievement, James said: “It hasn’t really sunk in yet to be honest. If someone else had been the first person to go round the world by air, sea and land then I would be the first person to shake their hand. I guess it’s just luck that I am the first person to do that - that’s pretty cool.
“I think it’s going to take a while for it to sink in but I’m very happy. I’m pleased to be back, it’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever worked on.”
He added: “Every country, every school and every young person I have ever met reminds me that adventure means nothing unless it inspires somebody else to believe in themselves - more is always possible if you put your mind to it.
“After rowing oceans, climbing Everest, cycling, flying and sailing around the world, I’m not sure what challenge is left on this planet — maybe Next Stop Mars @ElonMusk.”
Throughout his journeys, James has worked to connect adventure with education and inspiration. In his book The Ultimate Triathlon, he states that one of his goals while cycling around the world was to speak in a school in every country he passed through, documenting school and youth engagements in places including India and the United States, as well as his long-standing Ambassadorial Scout movement work inspiring groups internationally.
On the voyage, James, who is an Ambassador of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), took part in multiple ocean science missions including deploying a satellite-connected ‘Argo’ float. This autonomous ocean robot moves between surface and mid-water depths collecting and transmitting data in real-time to a global ocean monitoring network used by scientists worldwide.
His second mission was collecting microplastic samples for a collaborative research project between NOC and SeaKeepers, a non-profit organisation that partners with private vessels for scientific research, funded by Beyondly.
His third scientific contribution was for a United Nations ‘Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’ backed project scanning oceans to create a 3D global map of the world’s seabed. James’ return marks the end of the internationally recognised ‘World Ocean Week’.
James’s homecoming marks the latest chapter in a career defined by resilience, firsts and public inspiration. From surviving a serious motorbike accident that doctors warned could leave him with a permanent walking impairment, to setting world-class adventure records across land, sea and air, the serial adventurer has consistently turned adversity into momentum.
With this latest historical record of triple circumnavigation soon added as his major achievement, other international challenge highlights include flying a gyrocopter 44,450 km around the world (a Guinness World Record) in 2019. He also cycled 29,000 km around the world in 2013, climbed to the summit of Mount Everest and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.
This current campaign recognises the organisations that have supported James including The Scouts, with whom he has served as a Hampshire Scouting Ambassador, alongside raising awareness and private donations for two UK charities, Kindled Spirit (supporting young female victim of exploitation and human trafficking) and Baton of Hope (supporting suicide prevention), notable sponsors of the circumnavigation World Record challenge include Barratt Redrow, Rentokil Initial, R3 Corda Blockchain, Farmfoods, Kutchenhaus and Premier Marina.