A royal marine has set sail on an adventure of a lifetime.
Lance Crpl Peter Thornton, 25, of Huddersfield, is taking part in a major armed forces training voyage from Lanzarote to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Lance Crpl Thornton is on board one of two 72ft yachts racing against each other as part of Exercise Transglobe 2015/16, which has brought together the Royal Navy, the Army and Royal Air Force to develop leadership, initiative and resilience in military personnel.
The weather will be a world apart from that in Faslane, Scotland, where he works as a boat troop member at 43 Commando Royal Marines.
Lance Crpl Thornton said: “I wanted to take part in the expedition because of the adventure, the challenge, a chance to demonstrate my leadership potential – and also because the weather will be better than back in Scotland!”
Ex Transglobe got underway from Gosport in Hampshire and Lance Crpl Thornton, a Huddersfield Town fan, has just joined the crew in Lanzarote and will face dangerous waters to reach his goal.
“This expedition is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn new skills as well as to sail across one of the largest, most dangerous oceans in the world and visit new countries,” he said.
After Lance Crpl Thornton is back on dry land, another crew will continue the journey which will end next August when they return to Gosport.
In total, 393 personnel will take part to help complete 13 legs.
The whole venture has been funded by the Army Sports Lottery and the Joint Service Expedition Trust Fund.
Nick Trundle, who is in charge of the adventure, said: “Exercise Transglobe will, in the true spirit of Service Adventure Training, seriously challenge all who take part.
“It has been two years in the planning and we are all delighted that it is now underway.
“The two ships are in excellent shape and I believe all those who take part will have experiences and challenges that develop their ability to do their military jobs.”
