Morning:
6°c
He has spent 157 days at sea overcoming 50ft waves with just his iPod, an autopilot and the occasional dolphin for company.
Now 17-year-old Mike Perham faces one last challenge before he becomes the youngest person to sail solo around the globe - a hurricane named Bill.
The sports student is due to cross the finishing line tomorrow between Lizard Point in Cornwall and the island of Ushant, Brittany, after a 30,000-mile trip.
At 11am today he aimed to be 150 miles from the end, sailing past the south of Ireland, but he was growing concerned about the weather system that could block his entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Speaking via satellite phone from his 50ft racing yacht, TotallyMoney.com, Mike, from Potters Bar, said: "When Hurricane Bill comes overhead there will be a lot of wind and a lot of waves - a really ding-dong moment.
"Potentially it could be the most difficult storm - only time will tell. It really does pack a punch. I've reduced the sail area on the boat and the speed, and made sure everything is lashed down. I'm always a bit apprehensive."
When he sails past the line he will be three months younger than 17-year-old American Zac Sunderland, who completed his voyage last month and met Mike as they docked in Cape Town in February. It would be Mike's second world record - in January 2007, aged 14, he became the youngest person to sail solo across the Atlantic.
The trip has been beset by difficulties. Nine days after sailing from Portsmouth on 15 November last year, aged 16, he had to stop at Cascais, Portugal, for repairs to his autopilot. He was forced to dock again to fix the device, as well as his rudders, in the Canary Islands, Cape Town, Hobart and Auckland.
He said: "There are times when you think, 'What the hell am I doing here?'. But once you fix whatever the problem is you are on such a high that when it's over you think, 'Bring on the next one'.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back home, sleeping in my own bed in my own room. My parents will breathe a huge sigh of relief when I get back."
Mike, who put his sports diploma studies at Oaklands college in St Albans on hold, has entertained himself by listening to his iPod - with songs by artists such as U2 and Black Eyed Peas - and admiring the ocean.
"I saw about 50 dolphins gliding through the waves a few days ago. They only stayed a short while but it was absolutely brilliant. It's like having company for a few minutes."
He started sailing aged seven, encouraged by parents Heather, 52, and Peter, 49. Mr Perham said: "This voyage is just incredible. So many times we have thought, 'How does he handle it?'." Mike will dock in Portsmouth on Saturday.
