IT WILL be fourth time lucky for old seadog Trevor Wilson whose exploits would make any seafarer think twice about a life on the ocean wave.

It has long been Trevor’s dream to sail single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean to North America, ever since he read a book about a dramatic bid for freedom at the end of the Second World War.

The trouble is, the last three times he has tried, it has ended in disaster for the pensioner.

Trevor was in the Merchant Navy and has years of sailing experience but a series of unfortunate events which nearly cost him his life have hampered his previous attempts.

Preparing his yacht at Osprey Quay on Portland for the fourth try which will begin next year, Trevor, 68, seems more determined than ever.

“I don’t feel I’m unlucky, in fact I feel very lucky indeed because I’m still here,” said Trevor, who wrote a book about his adventures.

He added: “I’ve always thought the greatest risk in life is not to take one.”

Trevor has just bought a yacht from Cove Yacht Brokerage in Weymouth, and had a survey carried out by Portland Boat Surveys.

President of the Weymouth and Portland Cruising Association Jim Long heard about Trevor’s story and invited him to the group’s ‘fitting out’ dinner.

Father-of-five Trevor, who lives in North Wales and is married to Janet, was in his 20s when he read the book that inspired his adventure but was only able to commit time to the project after his retirement from his job at the Vauxhall plant in Cheshire in 2000.

He first set sail from Barcelona in 2000 but lost his rudder in the middle of the Atlantic.

He was picked up by a Cypriot ore carrier but his yacht Ozama smashed into the side of the ship during the rescue process and sank. Trevor tried again in 2002, sailing from Plymouth. Everything was going well until he encountered a hurricane west of Cape Finisterre.

He broke three ribs as the boat was tossed about and was forced to pump out water to stop it sinking. He was eventually rescued by an Irish lifeboat from Courtmacsherry, County Cork, but his boat was lost during a tow.

The insurance payout from the loss enabled him to buy another yacht and in 2005 he left from North Wales.

This was more successful as Trevor made it across to Brazil after a leisurely trip that took him to the Azores, Porto Santo and the Cape Verde Islands.

But disaster struck when his vessel was struck by lightning. He soldiered on but sailed into a storm off Devil’s Island in French Guyana. The mast was lost and the boat was washed on to rocks, sinking within 10 minutes. Trevor escaped into a liferaft and was later picked up by a lifeboat.

Lack of funds and a determination to complete the mission prompted Trevor to write his book which came out last summer.

He said: “I still want to finish and will do it one day.

“For me the journey is much more important than the destination.”