Veteran Completes Solo Pacific Crossing to Japan
British Army veteran Craig Wood finished a roughly 90-day solo sailing voyage from Mexico to Hiroshima on 24 June 2025.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Military
Craig Wood, a British Army veteran and the first triple amputee to sail solo across the Pacific Ocean, arrived in Hiroshima, Japan, on 24 June 2025 after departing Mexico on 25 March 2025. The 7,500-nautical-mile voyage aboard the 41-foot catamaran Sirius II set two Guinness World Records.
Why it matters
The crossing marks a milestone in adaptive sailing and in Wood's recovery after losing both legs and his left hand in a 2009 IED explosion in Afghanistan. The voyage also raised more than £55,000 for the charities Blesma and Turn to Starboard.
The voyage covered 7,500 nautical miles in approximately 90 days aboard a 41-foot catamaran fitted with six car airbags as an emergency flotation system. The record does not specify how the damage to the vessel was resolved during the crossing.
The players
Craig Wood
A British Army veteran and former soldier who lost both legs and his left hand in a 2009 IED explosion, later becoming the first triple amputee to sail solo across the Pacific Ocean.
Blesma
A British charity supporting limb-loss and limb-difference veterans and their families, one of two beneficiaries of the voyage's fundraising.
Turn to Starboard
A charity that supports injured veterans through sailing, the second beneficiary of the voyage's fundraising.
Team Forces
A sponsor of the expedition that supported Craig Wood's solo Pacific crossing.
The details
Wood sailed the Sirius II alone from Mexico, with the expedition sponsored by Team Forces, and the voyage was documented in the Single Handed film released exclusively on YouTube. The crossing included damage to the vessel and the failure of Wood's prosthetic arm, which the documentary explores.
Timeline
2009: Wood was injured by an IED explosion in Afghanistan and spent 14 days in a medically induced coma.
25 March 2025: Wood departed Mexico on the solo Pacific crossing.
24 June 2025: Wood arrived in Hiroshima, Japan.
3 November 2026: The Single Handed documentary was released exclusively on YouTube.
Big Picture
Wood's voyage extends the adaptive sailing work of veteran charities Blesma and Turn to Starboard, which use sailing to aid injured service members' rehabilitation. The crossing is a notable example of that approach applied to a long-distance solo ocean passage.
The crossing shows how adaptive sailing can support physical rehabilitation for veterans with limb loss. The voyage's fundraising for Blesma and Turn to Starboard indicates how readers can support similar veteran charities.
The takeaway
Wood's crossing shows that severe injuries need not end long-distance ambition, and that adaptive sailing can be a path back to physical challenge. Readers interested in supporting veterans can look to the charities that backed the voyage.
Further reading
For more on veterans' service and recovery, see Military.
