HAMPSHIRE round the world sailor Brian Thompson will take the helm of a state-of-the-art trimaran for a transatlantic crossing.

Thompson (below) will skipper Musandam-Oman Sail, a MOD 70 trimaran, from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean to Lorient, France.

Thompson, from Southampton, will lead a crew of Omani sailors as part of his work with Oman Sail, an initiative started in 2008 to reinvigorate sailing in the Sultinate.

Thompson, who holds the world record for the fastest lap of the planet on a yacht, said: "I am very excited to be sailing the MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail back from its very successful Route du Rhum race skippered by Sidney Gavignet.

“Next week we are going to be heading back from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean to our base in Lorient, France, and for the first time, the crew is going to be majority Omani – 4 out of the 6 total.

“I am honoured that Sidney and the team have given me the responsibility of skippering the boat back and expanding the experience of our young Omani sailors.

“To me having a majority Omani crew is a highly significant point and a sign of the great progress that Oman Sail has made in creating a pool of exceptionally talented sailors, who are able to transfer their skills to a wide variety of high performance craft.

“This bodes well for future Oman Sail campaigns."