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Dorchester sailor Steve White began 2009 taking part in one of the toughest and most prestigious ocean yacht races in the world.

The Vendee Globe is a 28,000 mile, non-stop, once-every-four-years, solo circumnavigation around the world's oceans, and is known as the 'Everest of the seas'.

The view Steve saw every day

Steve completed the challenge in 109 days, in eighth place.

But Steve had a race to even get started in the competition. He remortgaged his house four times to raise funds, and only secured full sponsorship funding at the eleventh hour.

After setting off on November 9 2008 from Les Sable d'Olonne in France, when he spoke to BBC Radio Solent just after Christmas 2009 he was hoping to finish the race in less than 100 days in total (the fastest competitors should do it between 90 - 95 days).

Steve finishing the race in 8th position

Under 100 days?

He said: "If I do it in under 100 days I'll be happy. I've got enough food and diesel for 100 days, although in reality my wife has probably over catered! But a friend of mine who is a little bit further up the fleet says I should comfortably do it in that."

But the conditions were treacherous, and several of the race's original 30 sailors (the most in the race's 19 year history) have had to drop out.

Steve says: "I'd always hoped we'd get around but it's in the lap of the gods. If there's a wave with your name on it then it's game over for you. But it's pretty incredible to get this far, and I hope we make it all the way around."

"It's the toughest and longest event in the sport and you go to some of the most hostile places in the world, some of the most dangerous places to be. And even though it's summer down here - goodness knows what it's like here in winter."

Steve White on board Toe in the Water

Christmas onboard

Steve admits that spending Christmas in the race was a low point.

Away from his wife and four children, he knew they would all miss each other, but added to that, Steve was having problems with his boat.

"I was nursing a broken boat at the back of the fleet and I felt like I was losing miles. I had to give myself a kick up the backside but then soon I posted a best 24 hour run - which shows how you can go up and down."

Long ambition

The ambition to compete in the Vendee Globe has been an idea Steve's had for ten years.

Steve's boat - Toe In The Water

He first got the sailing bug when he went sailing with a friend in Portland Harbour.

Within weeks he'd bought his first boat and in two years he had quit his job in Sherborne as a classic car restorer and went to work at the Ferry Bridge Boatyard in Weymouth to learn the skills needed to build and maintain boats.

He then immersed himself in sailing, working for yachtsmen Pete Goss and Chay Blyth before embarking on his first round the world yacht race the Ostar in 2005 in which he won his class.

Determination

Steve is a very determined man and he's needed to be.

Steve celebrates at the finish line

Most sailors find their sponsorship first and pay for their boat with the money. Steve did it the other way round, having re-mortgaged his house and having asked friends to act as guarantors on his open 60 boat 'Spirit of Weymouth'.

And in the run up to the race, rather than spending time training, he had to chase that sponsorship himself.

Fortunately, the remaining sponsorship money they needed - £200,000 - came through with literally hours to spare.

Steve back on dry land with Charlie Crocker

Now with the race over, Steve is back home with his family in Charlton Down, he's looking ahead to future races: including the next Vendee Globe in 2012.