Stubborn, Ambitious and Perseverant

A 12-year-old French boy has broken the record for crossing the English Channel in an Optimist dinghy.

Tom Goron set sail from the Isle of Wight at 05:00 local time on June 27 and arrived in France 14 hours and 20 minutes later.

He broke the previous record set by 15-year-old Violette Dorange in 2016 by 36 minutes.

“I’m proud of him,” his mother said after he completed the feat. “He is stubborn, ambitious and perseverant.”

The schoolboy made the 60-mile (96km) crossing at an average speed of more than four knots. He was followed closely by his father who was on hand in case anything went wrong.

He suffered from seasickness during the attempt and wanted to give up after five hours but his father persuaded him to keep going, according to the Le Figaro newspaper.

On arrival, he said that he hoped to one day emulate the French yacht racer François Gabart, who last year set a new world record for the fastest solo round-the-world navigation.

Tom Goron suffered from seasickness during the record-breaking crossing. © AFP

Source: BBC News