Seb, 15, Youngest To Sail Atlantic Alone

SCHOOLBOY Seb Clover sailed into the record books yesterday - the youngest person to cross the Atlantic single-handed.

Seb, 15, arrived in Antigua in his 32ft yacht Reflection 24 days after setting out from Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Among crowds waiting to greet him were mum Dolores - and dad Ian, who arrived 12 hours earlier in an identical yacht after a father v son race.

But Seb said: "He doesn't walk away with the world record - I do."

A steel band played and a flotilla of boats sounded their horns as he sailed into English Harbour after his 2,700 mile voyage.

Welcomed ashore by Governor General Sir James Carlisle, he celebrated with ice cool lemonade - his mum firmly vetoed his request for a martini.

Seb said: "I am looking forward to a proper bed - one that does not move."

He said there were frightening times but he "still enjoyed every moment".

"The highlights were definitely seeing whales and dolphins and especially reaching Antigua.

"Seeing the whales was the best thing because they came very close and I had one which I nicknamed Willy the whale. He came up and visited me on his own, about four times in a row, on consecutive days."

The lowest point: "You can't have three meals a day on a boat - you run on snacks - so when I ran out of chocolate on Christmas Day I wasn't too pleased.

"The worst was around 2am one night and I was out on deck in lousy weather thinking, 'My friends are normal people, they're tucked up in bed. What am I doing here?' "

Seb lost ground to his dad when his rudder broke. The only real threat came when a stainless steel bolt attaching rigging to the boat sheared and he was in danger of losing his mast. He spent 20 hours repairing it.

But he was encouraged by a phone call from previous record holder David Sandeman, of St Helier, Jersey, who crossed in 1977 aged 17.

Sailing instructor dad Ian, 46, of Cowes, Isle of Wight, said: "I cannot tell you how proud I am of him."

Dolores, who lost half a stone through worry, said: "He was a boy when he left but it seems he's arrived here a man."