Sailor Matty Duncan vows to continue ocean challenge

Being stranded alone in the Atlantic Ocean for three days will not stop a sailor from his campaign to raise awareness about mental health, he has said.

Matty Duncan, from Stratford-upon-Avon, set sail from the UK on a voyage called the wrong way round journey across several oceans.

However, during the trip the rigging on his boat snapped, leaving him stuck.

"A lot has happened and changed within the last six months," he said.

Four weeks before Christmas, his plan to spend the festive period in Argentina swiftly blew off course after the incident.

As the rigging broke and he feared the mast would do the same, the 23-year-old was left drifting alone in the ocean for more than 36 hours, 450 miles (724km) east of the coast of Brazil.

Despite the terrifying ordeal, he says he managed to remain calm and called the coastguard who arranged for the country's navy to bring him to shore.

The challenge has been called the wrong way round journey as it is against prevailing winds, making it much longer and significantly more dangerous than travelling the opposite route, he said.

Speaking from Salvador, the 23-year-old, who has been sailing since a child, said: "It is not anywhere near what I had expected.

"I've learned it is not physical isolation that is scary, it is when things go wrong and there is no-one to answer your call."

The carpenter had struggled with his mental health for years and wanted to help others facing difficulties.

Before the trip, he sold his business, tools and truck and bought a boat.

While at sea on his solo voyage, he has passed the time by playing music, reading and writing his blog as well as a book he plans to publish to raise awareness.

"I only sleep for three hours a day, when you're on a boat alone you have to be alert so my energy levels are quite low."

Thanks to technology, when on land he can communicate with his loved ones in the same way he would at home in the UK. However, at sea he is able to send one message a week.

Despite the broken rigging, he says living in a boat is "amazing".

After publishing his book, which he hopes will "impact change", he plans to produce two films.

To lift his spirits while being stuck in Brazil waiting for his boat to be repaired, his friend and family gifted him a plane ticket to Montana in the US where he plans to spend the festive period.

By April, he is hoping to be reunited with his parents and friends in the Caribbean for his birthday with the aim of sailing back to the UK and reaching home soil in June.

Talking about his inspiration for undertaking the trip, the sailor encouraged people to "be as open and honest about feelings and experiences as possible" with the hope of creative safe spaces to discuss mental health.

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