CHIPPENHAM NEWS: WESSEX Water employee John Lewis is to set sail on the high seas after being selected for the Round the World Yacht Race.

The 42-year-old electrical technician from Corsham will depart from Liverpool on September 18 2005 and spend 10 months as part of a 18-man crew. The Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race will see 10 teams sail 35,000 miles in identical new yachts under the guidance of professional skippers.

Mr Lewis, who lives with his wife Sandra and three children in Brakspear Drive, has no previous sailing experience but jumped at the chance to get on board.

He said: "I've done a couple of challenges in the past, just walking in the UK and have read some books, but I never thought this was in the realms of me.

"I saw the race finish on TV last September and heard it mentioned that ordinary people could do it. My ears pricked up and I entered.

"We went down for selection in Southampton and somehow I managed to blag my way into the team. I didn't think I would get in, but here I am."

Mr Lewis does not yet know which crew he will be sailing with in the race that takes in Portugal, South Africa, Australia and the USA. But each team will be sponsored by a major city in the battle for the Clipper Cup.

He has already had the first week of training and there are four or five more to come before the big day.

He said: "I hadn't really set foot on a yacht before so it was a big learning curve. But towards the end of the week I did catch up."

The round the world route has certain set stops when crew members can change over, but Mr Lewis has opted to last the full course.

He has the support of his employers who have already said his job covering the Trowbridge area will still be there when he returns.

He added: "What's even better is that my wife is letting me go. I've got three kids and I couldn't do it without the wife's support.

"Hopefully the wife and family will be flying out to Australia for Christmas 2005."

The experience will throw up a number of challenges for Mr Lewis, but he is still relishing the opportunity.

He said: "It's obviously going to be tough leaving the family. The longest I've been away before the training week was three nights.

"The confined space of the sleeping and living quarters I think is also going to be quite trying. We are bound to hit the odd bad weather system so it will get a bit hairy at some point."

Since the first race set off in 1996, many crew members have embarked upon careers in the sailing industry. The minimum crew age limit is 18, although there is no upper limit, and as in previous races it is expected that 40 per cent of sailors will be female.