A SCOTTISH teacher who was born profoundly deaf is aiming to be the first hearing-impaired person to sail single-handedly non-stop around the world.
Gerry Hughes, from Glasgow, will set sail at noon on Saturday, September 1 from Troon Marina, leaving behind his wife and two daughters as he embarks on the sailing challenge.
Only 300 people have managed to complete the route he will take, which goes past all five capes.
The voyage is expected to last at least five months, although it could take longer if he encounters bad weather.
Mr Hughes will head south and the route will go past South Africa via the doldrums, Australia, New Zealand and South America.
Mr Hughes, who teaches deaf pupils at St Roch's Secondary School in Glasgow, was the world's first deaf yachtsman to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in the original single-handed Transatlantic Race in 2005.
He said: "I really struggled as a youngster because of my deafness but sailing provided me with an escape and I instantly feel at peace on a boat."
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