A ground-breaking round the world sailing challenge is on course for success thanks to the backing of Keighley-based Aerovac Systems Ltd - Europe's leading supplier of vacuum bagging materials.

Former Royal Navy pilot Trevor Jones, a tetraplegic since a skiing accident in 1988, is attempting a circumnavigation of the globe in his high-tech trimaran 'Inventure'.

Called 'The Next Challenge', the voyage is a boyhood dream come true for Trevor, who in his last adventure became the first tetraplegic to fly a Microlight across the Channel.

Aerovac initially supplied the vacuum bagging materials required to modify the composite structure of the trimaran.

The company is also sponsoring the project's quarterly newsletter, Ship to Shore, which aims to raise much needed funding and support for the challenge.

Aerovac managing director Mike Cooke says: "We are delighted to be involved in this exciting project, and I wish Trevor all the best in his quest to circumnavigate the globe."

Trevor says: "This is as much a challenge to conventions and perceptions as it is a global adventure, so I'm extremely pleased that Aerovac is supporting my project."

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