Friends get ready to sail around the world from Whitehaven Marina

Alex Brannan, 26, Robert Middleton, 26, Samuel Middleton, 23, Tom Ramsdale, 22, and Henry James Jones, 19, were due to begin their epic journey yesterday.

About four years ago, Alex and his friends started a YouTube channel called ‘Outside Your Zone’ to encourage people to get out of their comfort zone.

The group with mayor of Whitehaven, Chris Hayes (Image: Submitted)

Alex, from Silloth, said he was inspired to start pushing himself to try new things after losing a family friend at the age of 50.

He said: “Our retirement age is 67 and it made me think that isn’t guaranteed at all. We are trying to get the experience now rather than later on in life.

“Over the last three years, we have been saving our money and the idea was to sail around the world.

“We bought a boat last year and we’ve been doing it up over the last six months. Whitehaven was the closest port and easiest for us to access.”

The group of friends bought a boat last year to sail around the world in (Image: Submitted)

Alex, an accountancy consultant and Robert, a Parcelforce manager, decided to quit their jobs and sell the house they had bought in Carlisle when they were 21.

They moved on to the boat in Whitehaven Marina full time six weeks ago, ready for the trip.  

Alex said: “Only two of us have really sailed. We’ve used the last year when we bought the boat to practice. We’ve all got skills in sailing now.

“We have got the next two years planned, to get to New Zealand. It could take up to five years.

“We are going to lots of different countries and are stopping off to explore. That’s why it’s going to take us so long.

“I’m most looking forward to going to Italy.”

The group were due to set off from Whitehaven to the Isle of Man, then down to the Isles of Scilly.

They will then split up into two teams after picking up another boat and will do the rest of the journey in convoy, travelling to the Channel Islands and then on to Spain, then to Gibraltar.