A veteran who lost both legs and his left arm serving in Afghanistan has made history after becoming the world’s first triple amputee to sail solo, non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific.
Craig Wood, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, was 18 years old when he suffered life-changing injuries from a roadside bomb in Sangin, southern Afghanistan, in 2009.
Mr Wood, now 33, has sailed 7506 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean in 90 days to raise funds for the charities who helped his recovery.
The father-of-two set off from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico on March 25 and arrived in Hiroshima in Japan on Tuesday morning.
“I’m exhausted – but so proud to complete an expedition that many thought impossible,” Mr Wood told the PA news agency from the finish line in Hiroshima.
“It has tested me and my boat, Sirius II, almost to the limit, but I tried to stay in the moment, focus on my goal and the thought of seeing my wife and children at the end spurred me on.
“We are expecting our third child so I am so excited to get back to them all and start this new chapter together.”
Mr Wood, who completed his expedition in a 41-foot custom-built aluminium catamaran called Sirius II, experienced a number of issues with his boat throughout the journey.
This included one of the engines seizing up three weeks into his sail and the boom, which is a horizontal bar that extends along the bottom edge of a sail, coming off.
“It’s been anything but straight forward,” added Mr Wood.
“Recently I broke my prosthetic arm leaving me one-handed which is nothing I haven’t had to deal with previously, but it has made things a bit more difficult while sailing.
“However, I’ve actually found the whole thing to be a spiritual experience that has made me even more appreciative of the life I have been able to create for myself after everything that happened to me.
“It’s still my hope that by achieving this world record I can change the perception of disability, and show how sailing can transform the lives of those affected by trauma.
“It’s also been a chance for me to raise awareness and money for the two amazing charities who were there for me during my rehabilitation and recovery.”
The former rifleman said he witnessed a number of beautiful moments during his expedition including seeing a lunar bow and encountering Risso’s dolphins.
“I witnessed a lunar bow, which is a rainbow that’s shown by the full moon,” he said.
“Just as the sun sets, and you have the light of the full moon that casts a rainbow on a cloud in front of you.
“I had all these amazing experiences that were truly mine and new.”
Mr Wood lost both legs and his left hand in an IED (improvised explosive device) bomb blast in Sangin.
He also suffered two collapsed lungs, lost 27 pints of blood and his face was ravaged by shrapnel.
It took eight months for him to learn to walk again and four-and-a-half years of rehabilitation work at the dedicated Headley Court facility in Surrey to improve his quality of life.
He also underwent 20 operations over four years.
Mr Wood credits “radical acceptance” as an important part of his recovery.
“You can either focus on the past that’s not the new you, or focus on how the new you can become the best you that there is,” he said.
“Surround yourself with people who want that new you to be the best you and you’ll go very far.
“I believe attacking it face on and head on, you’ll come out the victor.”
To learn more about Mr Wood’s challenge you can visit his fundraising page: https://givestar.io/gs/mexico–japan-solo-sail-world-record
