Michelle Viranga, one of John’s support staff, explained:

“It’s an annual tradition, that John looks forward to every single year! He gets incredibly excited planning it and even gets to hand-pick the staff members who accompany him on the trip.”

John is a massive fan of anything to do with boats, ships, sea travel, bridges, and cranes. He has a schedule of which ships are coming in to Liverpool and he often goes to Liverpool or Seacombe to watch them. Another of his favourite things is watching bridges raise to let boats in, which he likes to see around Birkenhead.

John’s recent sailing experience was a 24-hour journey to Belfast and back. Michelle said:

“He loves to book an overnight cabin for the journey and usually stays up all night to enjoy the experience, before heading straight back. He especially loves walking all through the boat, heading out to the deck to see the sailing views during departure and return, and just taking in the scenery.”

Sounds like an amazing experience for John – great work from his support team, too.

Hope you enjoy the photos from John’s 2026 voyage…