A JERSEY adventurer has set sail for the Arctic in a bid to achieve a world polar first.
Former Island Games captain Raoul Surcouf (40) and his expedition partner Richard Spink (32), a physiotherapist from Bristol, are hoping to become the first people to complete a carbon neutral crossing of the Greenland ice cap.
That means they are planning to get from the UK to Greenland and across the ice cap using just the elements and their own muscle power.
After three years of meticulous planning, the pair set sail on their 5,000 mile trip on Sunday.
They are currently sailing north to Greenland on a small yacht and that 2,200-mile leg of their journey is expected to take 18 days.
The North Atlantic odyssey began in Plymouth and the boat, which is skippered by UK resident Ben Stoddart, berthed at Falmouth yesterday before the journey continued later the same day.
• The pair are also hoping to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust and donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/greenland2009
• Picture: Mr Surcouf flying the Jersey flag on a previous polar expedition
