Recently, 21-year-old Lara Caine, of Saundersfoot, and Tenby's Christopher Mackay, 22, set sail from Cardiff Bay in an attempt to sail around Great Britain. The trip ended in triumph on Monday night when the pair, who both grew up in Pembrokeshire, returned to Cardiff Bay after over 2,000 miles at sea. The trip seemed doomed to fail when sponsors and boats kept falling through. However, just two weeks before the start date, 'WKD', previously known as 'Maverick', was offered to Lara for use for the trip. 'WKD', an Open 30, designed by the Owen Clarke Design group and built in 1993, is a thoroughbred race boat and an extreme vessel for the trip. "The boat had no shelter on deck, not even a spray hood, so it was very wet on deck," said Chris. However, the boat had the reputation of being one of the fastest 30-footers in the country, something that the pair agreed with. Once the boat was secured, all that was needed was a sponsor. After six months of hard work, there was still no money in the bank and Lara was getting nervous. "I remember standing pressure washing the hull of the boat three days before we were due to leave and I was thinking 'We don't have any money - we're not going to be able to start!'. Then my mobile rang, and it was Joe Woods from WKD, the drink promotion company, with an offer of sponsorship. "The relief was amazing; I don't think I really believed I'd got it!" So the pressure was then on to get the boat to the start. With help from Dale Sailing, Cosalt, who donated a life raft, and the Milford Haven Port Authority, the boat was ready to go. Leaving in fog from Milford Haven on July 18, just as the sun was going down, seemed to set the tone for the weather the pair would experience during the trip. The boat had no auto-helm, so someone had to steer all the time. Sleeping and eating had to be worked around helming and it took the pair until they were on the second leg to get used to the watch system. "It was hard only having short periods of time to sleep, but when the conditions allowed, we were lucky to get three or four hours," added Lara. The trip took them from Cardiff to Oban along the beautiful West Scottish coastline and this was where they had some of the best sailing and weather, including the top speed of 17.5 knots under spinnaker. Then from Oban, it was round to Peterhead, passing Cape Wrath, and due to a bad tide and strong winds, over the top of the Orkneys. The trip to Peterhead was the foggiest trip and the pair spent three days in what Chris described as a 'gray bubble', and after dodging ships, they arrived safely in the marina. The next leg down to Lowestoft, just over 330 miles, was completed in just under two-and-a-half days, which was the best run overall. "It was great fun, surfing down waves at over 12 knots and holding an average of 10 knots for two days," said Chris The next leg took 'WKD' through Dover Straits, the busiest shipping lanes in Europe, and then along the south coast, beating into a force seven. It was a hard leg and the pair were shattered and very wet when they reached Torquay. Skipper Lara said: "The Torquay leg was so wet, nothing on board managed to stay dry, including our sleeping bags!" Then the final leg to Cardiff took them around Lands End, again beating into strong winds and against the tide. "We are both elated to have finished the trip! I don't really think it has sunk in yet!," they added. As for what's next? Lara is hoping to campaign the boat on the south coast in the winter, and then hopefully the Fastnet Race, followed possibly by another Around Britain, but next time racing. Lara has hopes of securing a Mini-Transat, a 21-foot race boat, to take part in the race across the Atlantic in 2007.