SOLO sailor Steve White is returning to the high seas in a record-breaking attempt to sail non-stop ‘the wrong way’ around the globe.

The professional skipper from Charlton Down, near Dorchester hopes to beat the current world record for circumnavigating single-handedly, non-stop against the prevailing winds and currents.

Father-of-four Steve, 37, will embark on the voyage this winter in a Volvo Open 70, which would usually be crewed by 10 people.

The attempt will mark the 40th anniversary of the original record set by Sir Chay Blyth on ‘British Steel’, a journey described by The Times in 1970 as the ‘Impossible Voyage’.

The current record holder, Frenchman Jean Luc Van Den Heede, completed the 22,000-mile course is 122 days, 14 hours and four minutes.

Round-the-world sailor White, who finished eighth in the 2008/09 Vendee Globe Race, said he had thought about this record attempt ‘for a long time’ and aimed to fit it in before the next Vendée Globe in 2012.

White said: “The record is acknowledged as probably the hardest and certainly the most gruelling record in sailing.

“I am under no illusions about the enormity of the task in hand, both of sailing upwind and against the current in the southern ocean, and about the power and size of the boat we have chosen. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede is a legend and his record will be tough to beat, but I think it is achievable.”

With his Vendee experience and White Ocean Racing team behind him, White is confident he ‘can do this record justice’.

He added: “I am very much looking forward to crossing the start line.”

Sir Chay Blyth said: “It’s wonderful that Steve is planning to attempt what many regard as the ultimate sailing challenge.

“Hundreds have completed the voyage following the classic east-about route but doing this in reverse is a quantum leap removed, which is why only five people including Mike Golding and Dee Caffari have tried it.

“It takes a special character to tackle the trip and Steve is an extremely experienced yachtsman who I believe has the right skills to set a new world record.”

Chay added that there was ‘not a hope in hell’ that he would re-trace his footsteps.

White will embark on the voyage between October and December this year. To find out more visit www.whiteoceanracing.com