A Skelmorlie man is on the verge of an amazing round the world sail this weekend.

Stuart MacDonald set off on his sailing yacht ‘Beyond’ in May 2010 and over the past four years has sailed around the globe. He left Capetown in February this year, and was in Wales on Monday, before sailing out to Dublin, then Largs, where he hopes to arrive at the weekend.

Stuart said: “I didn’t really intend to go round the world, I was just heading to the Caribbean, but I had just turned 64, and I thought if I go back, I will never get the same opportunity again as I would never come back.

So I decided to carry on, and even managed to get to Auckland to see Scotland play England in the Rugby World Cup!” Stuart MacDonald, an experienced sailor, set out on the River Clyde in his 38ft boat Beyond in May 2010, undertaking the vast majority of the trip single-handed.

His motivation, since he navigated the Panama Canal in 2010, was to get to Auckland in time for the Scotland v England Rugby World Cup match after his friend managed to secure a ticket.

Stuart duly arrived in Auckland and was congratulated on his voyage in person by Scotland captain Alastair Kellock.

Due to deteriorating weather, Stuart was anticipating to arrive at Largs Yacht Haven on Sunday, and we hope to have a full feature on Stuart’s amazing adventure in the coming weeks.