UK man becomes first triple amputee to sail solo and unsupported across Pacific Ocean
The former British soldier, who suffered life-changing injuries in Afghanistan, sailed 7,506 nautical miles to raise funds for his charities
A British veteran who lost both legs and his left arm serving in Afghanistan has made history after becoming the world’s first triple amputee to sail solo, non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific.
Craig Wood, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was 18 years old when he suffered life-changing injuries from a roadside bomb in Sangin, southern Afghanistan, in 2009.
Wood, now 33, has sailed 7,506 nautical miles (13,900 kilometres) across the Pacific Ocean in 90 days to raise funds for the charities that helped his recovery.
The father of set off from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico on March 25 and arrived in Hiroshima in Japan on Tuesday morning.
“I’m exhausted, but so proud to complete an expedition that many thought impossible,” Wood said at the finish line in Hiroshima.
“It has tested me and my boat, Sirius II, almost to the limit, but I tried to stay in the moment, focus on my goal and the thought of seeing my wife and children at the end spurred me on.