Sailors in the Himalayan mountains
Compass Rogues

World's
Highest
Sail

Mission_Param: Sky Sailors

Our Mission

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

A Himalayan lake
A Himalayan lake with a burgee

GWR_REF: 3_RECORDS_ONE_MOUNTAIN

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:

  • Highest Altitude Sailing

    The first recorded instance of a sailboat navigating water at this remote lake.

  • Highest Altitude Sailing Race

    A competitive match on the lake.

  • The World's Highest Yacht Club

    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

Our Payload

First, us middle-aged, sea-level office-workers have to get there.

Trekkers carrying sailing equipment in the mountains
  • The Vessels

    Two high-performance Tiwal inflatable sailing dinghies, sponsored by Tiwal themselves.

  • The Weight

    These boats pack down into backpacks but weigh up to 50 kg with individual bags up to 26 kg each.

  • The Carry

    We will share the load of each boat, while our porter team will help with tents, food, etc.

A Himalayan mountain range

Route_Status: Rugged_Ascent

The Journey:
Into The Clouds

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

Bigraj Tamang, 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

Meet The Boys

Joe Radmore headshot

A lifelong connoisseur of doing the things you absolutely shouldn't do, and somehow making a great story out of it. Joe also set up London's wakeboard venue and loves restoring old things, including a Dunkirk Little Ship, a mini castle and an old 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 many boats including single-handed Mini Transats, and nearly crashed an icebreaking trawler - more than once.

Ben Bland headshot

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.

Ed Gribbon headshot

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?

Jamie Chatterton headshot

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

Wait But Why?

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

Where Your
Money Goes

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.

Supply_Manifest: Sponsors_And_Partners

With Thanks To

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.

  • Tiwal

    The two inflatable sailing dinghies we are carrying up the mountain.

  • Gill

    All of our technical and safety gear.

  • Clarksons

    The Clarksons Foundation is match-funding every pound raised, which carried us past our £60,000 target - and counting.

  • Cadogan Tate

    Air freighting our boats out to Nepal.

  • Ascent Adventures Nepal

    Ascent Adventures Nepal: guiding and logistics on the ground, led by Bigraj Tamang.

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