Doncaster amputee's Pacific Ocean sail is a "dream"
Craig Wood is currently sailing across the Pacific Ocean for charities close to him
Last updated 16th Apr 2025
An ex-army veteran and triple amputee from Doncaster says that his record-breaking charity sail has been a dream of his for seven years.
Craig Wood is currently sailing from Mexico to Japan. He set off on the 25th of March from La Paz and hopes to reach Osaka in Japan in 80 days.
He's aiming to raise money sailing solo - and is the first triple amputee to do it.
"The expedition so far is going really well. I'm covering around 120 miles a day", Craig says.
He's expecting to reach Japan in the first week of June.
33-year-old Craig lost both of his legs and his left hand in an IED blast whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2009. He was 18 years old.
It took eight months for him to learn to walk again and over four years of rehabilitation work to improve his quality of life.
That didn't stop his love for sailing though he says: "Sailing has been such a massive part of my recovery and it's such a huge part of my life so it just makes sense to do a sailing challenge
"When I first got injured I sort of took to my teenage hobbies again - wind surfing and sailing - and I had a desire to sail around the world
"I had no idea if it was even possible as a triple amputee. I did a bit of googling and no other triple amputee was doing it".
Craig says one moment so far in his voyage really stuck out to him:
"I was on watch one night and a flying fish hit me on the shoulder - it scared the life out of me".
He's raising money for two charities, Blesma, a charity for limbless veterans, and Turn to Starboard, a sailing charity that supports veterans.
Speaking about Blesma, he says "I wanted to give back because they've helped me so much and it's my turn to help them
"They never wish for any thank yous, it's just support. It's like unconditional love, it's just there and they've really helped me".
Whilst the sailing charity Turn to Starboard helped him start sailing again after his amputations: "I wanted to give back to them as well because I know how much they've impacted my life and my happiness".
"It's made me a lot more aware of trying harder to achieve your dreams. Too many of us settle for only dreaming"
"I think we should all strive to achieve our dreams and further ourselves - as little or as big as they may be".
You can donate to Craig's voyage here and track his daily progress on his website.