Alan Priddy

[4] Boats he has sailed and raced include Fireballs, Finns, Shearwater catamarans, Enterprises, Wayfarers, Toppers and yachts.

[5] On Sunday 22 June 1997, Alan Priddy, Vic Palmer, Jan Falkowski and Steve Lloyd set out to cross the Atlantic in Spirit of Portsmouth—a four-year-old 7.4 m (24 ft) Ribtec rigid inflatable with a single 165 hp Yamaha inboard diesel engine.

The 2,100-mile route went down the Thames Estuary, along the length of the Channel to Guernsey, across the Bay of Biscay to Spain, into the Mediterranean and past Gibraltar to Monaco.

Priddy, Clive Tully, Alan Carter and Steve Lloyd attempted to circumnavigate the world in the custom-built RIB Spirit of Cardiff which was specifically designed for endurance.

[8] The voyage ran into difficulties[9] and was prematurely concluded[10] when Lloyd suffered heart problems 350 miles from Newfoundland and required a helicopter airlift to Canada.

At 1342 local, 1512 GMT on 27 July 2003 Priddy, Jan Falkowski, Clive Tully and Canadian Egbert Walters embarked.

[2] In 2004, Priddy attempted to return the Jolly Sailor to Newfoundland (Canada) to be used by charitable organisations but the boat was hit by a large wave and sank.

[16] Priddy continued the project as the charity "Around and Around" with graduates serving as mentors for new crew participants on future world circumnavigations.

[19] In April 2015 Priddy announced plans to offer places on the project to Blesma, a group of wounded service personnel who have formed a powerboat racing team.

[26] In 2008, Priddy received a We Can Do It Special Achievement Award[27] and was made a Paul Harris Fellow for his work with disadvantaged young adults.