FORMER South Pembs physio, Jan Hannaford, has set sail aboard the Spirit of Sark on the first leg of her Global Challenge.

The round-the-world race began in Portsmouth on October 3rd with twelve, 72-foot yachts, sailing off to Buenos Aires, where hopefully they will arrive at the beginning of November.

In preparation for her once-in-a-lifetime challenge, Jan's husband, Dr Bob Hannaford, said: "The summer has been a hectic whirl of food packing - this involved vacuum packing large amounts of porridge and custard - and all the other things, which are necessary for a nine-month sailing trip."

To expand her knowledge, as the only medic on board the yacht, Jan also went on a three-day mountain rescue course in Plas y Brenin.

"She is now fully prepared should anyone fall out of a tree or get hit by an avalanche," Bob joked. "Seriously it was a really useful course."

After a rough start, encountering the tail end of Hurricane Lisa and Force 10 storms off the coast of Portugal, the yachts are currently passing the Canary Islands, where Spirit of Sark briefly led.

To follow the race and experience Jan's highs and lows, visit www.globalchallenge2004.com

The Global Challenge quilt, which Jan helped to make along with other quilters around the world, was raffled off at the NEC in August and raised over £5,000.

Jan is hoping to meet up with four of the contributors at a quilt symposium in Auckland during her race.