A 21 year-old from Falmouth has arrived in the Caribbean following a single handed Atlantic crossing despite an onboard fire just hours from reaching port.

Max Campbell arrived in Grenada after sailing the ocean in his 22 foot wooden sloop Flying Cloud.

He set out from Mylor in July 2016 with his best friend Harry Scott, crossing the English Channel in search of adventure with a pair of surfboards, a foldaway bicycle, a guitar and a small workshop. Max's mother, Jo Clarkson, said: "They island hopped down the west coast of France, scouring the coastline for new waves, French girls and cheap wine. In September they arrived in Spain, and by October they had made it to Portugal. It was in Portugal in November that Harry left to work the ski season in France and Max made the brave decision to sail solo to the Caribbean."

Max began sailing at the age of five and graduated last year from Southampton University with a first class honours degree in oceanography, while Harry, a geologist, left Falmouth with little sailing experience, but quickly learned the ropes. Friends since they were ten, the former Penryn College and Truro College pupils are very keen surfers, and have surfed Cornwall's south coast since they were very young.

In Portugal Max's stepdad Dave Cockwell helped him design and built a bespoke self steering gear, an essential piece of equipment for a single-handed yachtsman.

In January 2017 Max arrived in the Canary Islands after an eight day passage, where he surfed the famous waves at Los Lobos on Fuerteventura and El Confital on Gran Canaria. Another eight day journey took him to Sal in the Cape Verde islands off North Africa, home to one of the world's best known breaks at Ponta Preta.

Max spent a week preparing Flying Cloud at Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, before setting off on his solo passage across the Atlantic Ocean.

He said: “It was an unbelievable experience. I convoyed with pods of dolphins and danced with whales bigger than my boat. I saw incredible sunrises and sunsets, caught tuna and even cooked the flying fish which landed on my deck.”

After sailing for 19 days, and only 150 miles off Grenada, Max hit some rough weather which caused an accident with his paraffin stove. The explosion set Max alight, but he reacted quickly and used the sea to extinguish the flames. Max managed to put the fire out on Flying Cloud, treat his burns which covered most of his upper torso, and sail for another thirty hours before he reached land.

Max arrived in Grenada on February 22, and after a short stay in St George's General hospital he has now recovered enough to celebrate in style, with a coconut and a roti.

He added: “I would like to say a special thanks to my friends Oli Graffy, Ralf and Henrik and very kind local residents Anne and Van Hatton and all the staff at St George's hospital who provided have provided me with fantastic support since I arrived here in Grenada.”