Award-winning skipper Phil Sharp set sail shortly after 6:30 this morning, after working with a meteorologist to pinpoint the ideal weather conditions to break the current Cowes-Dinard world record, standing at 12 hours and one minute.

According to meteorologist Jure Jerman, today’s forecasted gale force 8 winds of 30-35 knots will be, “right on the upper limit for a clean attempt.”

Mr Sharp added: “The Channel will be absolutely howling, potentially leading to some rough conditions in the Alderney Races, but it would be a very fast passage, ideal for setting a new record.”

Although he is travelling as a solo skipper, a team of experts will support him from land, updating him on favourable wind and wave conditions. 

The team received a ‘Code Green’ notice yesterday afternoon, after waiting on amber alert since Saturday when Mr Sharp moved his boat ‘Imerys’ from Jersey to Cowes in preparation.

Mr Sharp commented that the record attempt will be, “…a fine balance between performance and risk”.

He had already run into difficulty, having reported issues with his onboard electronics on Tuesday. 

But Mr Sharp is no stranger to a challenge – in April he secured third place in the Transat Bakerly despite having to finish with a torn sail.

Mr Sharp’s progress can be followed on Twitter or via his online Channel Record Tracker.