Adrian
Adrian Flanagan was born on 1st October 1960 in Nairobi, Kenya and now lives near Oxford. Educated at Stonyhurst College and at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, he went on to qualify in Osteopathic Medicine in 1988 before turning his hand to business and writing. He co-founded Flanagan's Supermarket Direct which pioneered grocery home delivery in the UK. His first novel, ‘Cobra' was published in 2001.
Introduced to sailing aged eight, Adrian progressed from sailfins to dinghy racing in Fireballs before graduating onto big boats during his time in the army. In 2000, he crewed in The Times Clipper Round-the-World yacht race.
After a long search, the expedition yacht was bought on 31st January 2005 and sailed from Port Camargue, France in a gruelling 2,000 mile passage to the Alpha-Global Expedition's campaign base at the United Kingdom Sailing Academy in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Adrian has two sons, Benjamin, 8 and Gabriel, 5 who are the inspiration behind the Alpha Global Expedition's boat flag. Benjamin, which means ‘At my right hand' is depicted as the clenched fist, also signifying strength. Gabriel is represented through the Archangel 's wings which also denote speed and precision.
The motivation for the Alpha Global Expedition came when, aged fifteen, Adrian read about Sir Francis Chichester's epic circumnavigation. During the years since, Adrian has never stopped nurturing his ambition to sail a single-handed circumnavigation, preparing physically, emotionally and psychologically for what will be the ultimate challenge to his endurance, character and beliefs.