Stanley Paris, the determined sailor hoping to become the oldest person to circumnavigate the globe in 150 years, is passing by Bermuda today on his vessel the Kiwi Spirit.

Dr Paris, 77, called off his last attempt in January after he suffered several technical problems to his 64ft cutter, and injured his arm and ribs in a fall on New Year’s Day morning.

At 5.40am today, Bermuda Maritime Operations heard that Dr Paris was 31 miles west southwest of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. He hopes to pass within a mile east of St David’s Lighthouse this afternoon, then continue southeast with his voyage.

Dr Paris’s last port of call was St Augustine, Florida.

Two years ago, Dr Paris told this newspaper: “Why do it? It’s in keeping with my life. I’ve taken on challenges all my life, and gotten tremendous satisfaction. I’m not afraid to fail, either. I tried five times to swim across the English Channel and succeeded twice.”

He is challenging a record set in 1986 by US sailor Dodge Morgan, who embarked from St George’s in November 1985 and returned to Bermuda some 150 days, one hour and six minutes later.