A boating novice due back home in Northern Ireland after 80 days at sea said he will be "so proud" to sail into his native city having faced 20-feet waves and a lightning strike during his epic voyage.
Gerard Doherty will have travelled some 16,000 nautical miles when he arrives in Derry city later this month as part of the Clipper Race. At 68 years old, he said he is the eldest of the 18 crew onboard the Ha Long Bay clipper boat, and has relished the challenge of taking to the seas with a group of strangers who quickly became like family.
The retired businessman, who owned Derry-based Manor Mouldings, said being on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht was a totally new experience.
