Veteran set for solo sail 16 years after injury

A veteran who lost both legs and his left arm in Afghanistan is set to begin his mission to become the first triple amputee to sail solo across the Pacific Ocean.

Craig Wood, from Doncaster, was 18 when he suffered life-changing injuries from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2009.

Now 33, Mr Wood, is preparing to travel 6,000 nautical miles (11,112km) from Mexico to Japan to raise funds for the charities who helped him during his recovery.

He is due to begin the journey, which is expected to last around 80 days, this week.

Mr Wood will sail his 41ft (12m) custom-built aluminium boat called Sirius II, while living off rations of tinned and dried foods

The father-of-two said: "I've been sailing around the world for eight years and every single sail that I've done has been a collective experience to this goal.

"I'm hoping the impact of seeing me do such an amazing challenge shows other disabled people what can be achieved."

He usually lives on the boat with his wife and two young children, travelling the world.

Although they won't be joining him on this challenge, he will have access to a streaming connection so he can stay in touch with them as he tackles potentially high and stormy seas.

"I have to be prepared for really anything because I'm at sea for so long that any type of weather system can occur," Mr Wood added.

"From Hawaii to Japan I have to start getting higher in the latitudes, so I enter a variable wind step so I could have hurricane force, or I could have zero winds."

Mr Wood suffered a collapsed lung, lost 27 pints of blood and underwent 20 operations after he was seriously injured while on duty in Afghanistan.

Sailing has played a crucial role in both his physical and mental recovery.

"When I got injured at 18 I went from being the healthiest I had ever been to being bed bound," he said.

"The psychological problems all sort of hit you at once.

"I focused quite heavily on my recovery and without having remorse.

"I would say I wish I had my legs back but instead of focusing on what could have been, I focused on what is and accepting the change."

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