World champion sailor 'only worried about missing dogs' ahead of solo sail around the world

A record-breaking world champion sailor from Thirsk in North Yorkshire has said she is "more worried" about missing her dogs than any challenges she will face while sailing the world solo.

Jasmine Harrison became the youngest solo female to row the Atlantic in 2021 - aged just 21 - and two years later became the first woman to swim the length of the UK.

She is now preparing to take on her next challenge in 2025 but she is not daunted by the prospect.

"I'm more worried about missing my dogs, to be honest," she told ITV Tyne Tees. "I know for a fact I'll miss them."

However, Jasmine still has some hurdles to overcome before setting sail, needing to raise funding for the challenge. She had her boat on display in Whitby to help gain publicity for the adventure.

"I'm here today to show my boat and hopefully it will raise awareness for what I'm doing. And I could do with some money to make my sail happen," Jasmine told ITV Tyne Tees.

The Around the World race, which she plans to take part in, begins in Antigua in February 2025. A total of 18 boats will then sail around the globe, before doing a complete loop and finishing back in Antigua months later.

Jasmine will pass Panama, Mauritius, St Helena, and South Africa, and the weather is the most pressing challenge she will face: "The waves - because it's a little boat and you get some massive waves out on the oceans, you can't really prepare for that.

"I'm out sailing as much as I can. In Hartlepool yesterday, here [Whitby] today, just getting used to it and living aboard."

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