Gosport sailor Alex Alley continues to pull ahead in world record attempt

Alex Alley, from Alverstoke, is hoping to beat the record currently held by Guo Chuan, which stands at 137 days, 20 hours, one minute and 57 seconds.

Speaking to The News, Alex confirmed that he is currently two and a half days ahead of schedule, having already crossed the equator.

He said: ‘I crossed the equator at 3.15am on January 19, ahead of schedule and very much on record pace.

‘The weather so far has been very good to me, just the odd thunderstorm and squall to deal with at the moment.

‘It's not all been plain sailing though as there have been a few issues to deal with onboard.

‘The main one is the loss of my primary autopilot, which after several days trying to get working was finally decommissioned. This means that I am now reliant on my back-up autopilot to get me all the way around the world.

‘But nothing is ever easy in life and it is what you make of it, so we are continuing on – fingers crossed that it all stays together.’

Alex is racing around the world is his crowdfunded vessel Pixel Flyer, and must cross the finish line by May 11 to beat the record.