Mission_Param: Sky Sailors
Sail higher than anyone in history
On 25 September 2026, us friends set off to attempt a world-first by carrying inflatable dinghies up a mountain and sailing on the roof of the world. This will be an unholy blend of expedition and lunacy.
Our destination is a secret lake deep in the Himalayas. To protect the local environment, we are keeping the precise location hidden for now. What we can tell you is that it is one of the world's highest lakes. And a massive pain in the a** to get to.
Days to go
GWR_REF: 3_RECORDS_ONE_MOUNTAIN
We aren't just going for a dip
We have officially registered our attempt with Guinness World Records to establish three new benchmarks:
The first recorded instance of a sailboat navigating water at this remote lake.
A competitive match on the lake.
We will inaugurate a yacht club at the site, because... Well, just because.
To satisfy Guinness requirements, we must cover a minimum distance of 1 km (0.62 mi) and remain under sail for at least 10 consecutive minutes.
Cargo_Manifest: Inflatable_Vessels
First, us middle-aged, sea-level office-workers have to get there.
Two high-performance Tiwal inflatable sailing dinghies, sponsored by Tiwal themselves.
These boats pack down into backpacks but weigh up to 50 kg with individual bags up to 26 kg each.
We will share the load of each boat, while our porter team will help with tents, food, etc.
Route_Status: Rugged_Ascent
Our route follows a recently opened - and rarely used - trail in a secret Himalayan location. As the crow flies, it's only a few kilometres from our starting point to the lake... but we're not crows so it will take a minimum of five days. We aim to make our record attempt on Thu 1 Oct. Then the journey down should be a lot quicker.
Personnel_File: Expedition_Lead
Meet the adult in the room - the man keeping us alive and in the right direction: Bigraj Tamang, from Ascent Adventures Nepal. Born in the Himalayas, our friend is a veteran guide with over 20 years' mountain experience.
Personnel_Files: Crew_Manifest
A lifelong connoisseur of doing the one thing you absolutely shouldn't do right then, and somehow making a great story out of it. Joe has created adventure businesses and quirky holiday venues, including a heroic WWI boat, a castle and a quarry. He's got himself into, and then miraculously out of, trouble in Mongolia, Djibouti, Lebanon and North Korea.
Joe is an accomplished sailor, having raced Mirror dinghies for GB, and nearly crashed an icebreaking trawler - more than once.
Having visited over 40 countries, Ben can't say no to going somewhere far away and doing something uncomfortable, with a not-insignificant chance of injury, death or serious regret. He's a prolific storyteller (don't get him started) and has survived more than just his adventures with Joe, having made it through Stage 4 bowel cancer, and tumours removed from both lungs. He still won't shut up.
Ben is a pro filmmaker, photographer and writer, and has a few thousand sea-miles under his belt.
Never one to say no to an adventure and leading others into the wilderness, Ed has a lifelong passion for all things Nepal, a path less trodden and - usefully - sailing too. Having been based in Nepal in 2000, the people, culture and landscape have brought him back multiple times into the Himalayas and beyond. Keen to promote his retention of Nepali language "from the old days", what could possibly go wrong with our in-house translator on hand?
You could say Jamie is the sportsman of the bunch, but let's not give him a bigger head. He has sailed and raced boats of all sizes, all over the world, and had to call "Mayday" more than once. He's a qualified instructor in snowboarding, sailing and kitesurfing, and a registered First Responder. He's lost a mast in the middle of the Atlantic, called the Air Ambulance for his crewmates at Fastnet, and blown his own appendix doing back-to-back long-distance races.
In short: give him something fast and dangerous - he'll soon master it, then either break it, you or himself.
Mission_Purpose: Memories_X_Advocacy
Why not? Life is about making memories, and that's been our mission for as long as we've been friends. Over the decades we have done some very idiotic things. This time, we want to get a Guinness World Record and share our story with a wider audience.
But this is also our chance to highlight some important issues. The Lake only appeared recently, possibly due to climate change. Our world has changed a lot in our lifetimes, and the Himalayan region (known as the Third Pole) is a billboard for this - with glacier recession, water stress, poverty, political tension and so much more.
So our adventure raises funds and awareness for two charities: Frank Water, who fund sustainable water and sanitation projects across India, Nepal and the Himalayan region; and Pahar Trust Nepal, who build and rebuild schools in rural Nepal.
September 2026: things are gonna' get silly
Mission_Purpose: Two Charities // One Mountain
Two charities, both working in Nepal
We are paying our own way. Flights, permits and everything else come out of our own pockets, and our sponsors cover the boats, the kit and the freight. This is not a business and we will never be influencers - so every pound you give goes to one of these two charities, and you get to pick which.
Frank Water funds sustainable water and sanitation projects in India, Nepal, the Himalayan region and beyond. The Third Pole is where water stress shows up first - which is exactly why we picked them.
Pahar Trust Nepal builds and rebuilds schools across rural Nepal. With the Clarksons Foundation match-funding every pound, we have passed our £60,000 target - enough to rebuild a school in Gorkha District that was destroyed by the 2015 earthquake.
Supply_Manifest: Sponsors_And_Partners
None of this gets off the ground without the trust and generosity of our partners. Between them and our own pockets, the expedition is paid for - so nothing you donate is spent on getting us up the mountain.
The two inflatable sailing dinghies we are carrying up the mountain.
All of our technical and safety gear.
The Clarksons Foundation is match-funding every pound raised, which carried us past our £60,000 target - and counting.
Air freighting our boats out to Nepal.
Ascent Adventures Nepal: guiding and logistics on the ground, led by Bigraj Tamang.
Or send us a good ol' email:
