'Yoda' en route to Anglesey as part of charity challenge to become the first dinghy to sail round all islands in Wales and England

The Yodare Island Odyssey will visit the island and North Wales in April.

The mission started in 2019. The challenge is to sail around all the islands of England and Wales – about 183 of them. The dinghy - the size of two bath tubs - has so far covered nearly 500 miles of sailing and rounded 94 islands.

Sailor Ken Fowler, 53, and his four-metre long RS Aero dinghy 'Yoda' took on the challenge after losing his father, mother-in-law and four other family members to cancer.

Mr Fowler has made it his mission to raise £50,000 for Cancer Research and Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington.

Sailor Ken Fowler

Having raised £37,000 by sailing the length of the UK coastline in his bath tub sized dinghy, he is now trying to reach his £50,000 target by completing this island adventure.

Mr Fowler said “I’m really excited about rounding Anglesey. I know it is going to be one of the hardest islands of the challenge and certainly the longest circumnavigation.

"The travelator of the Menai Straits and the over falls around the Skerries are just two of the issues currently focussing my mind, and I’m really grateful for the support and local knowledge I’m be giving by sailors from the area."

Mr Fowler is being supported on shore for this leg of the Challenge by the North Wales Fleet of sailing Rotarians together with the Holyhead and Royal Anglesey Sailing Club.

The Maritime Section of Ynys Mon Council have been enaged with as well as the lifeboat and the coastguard to ensure all agencies are aware of the activity.

Mr Fowler added: "The stunning scenery of islands such as LLanddwyn and Cribinau look amazing, but both offer serious tidal challenges to even get around them.

"Sometime during my trip to Anglesey I’m going to sail my 100th island and most importantly to me I’ll finally cross the halfway mark.

"With that in sight and the fund raising going well I’m looking forward to escaping the clutches of ‘lockdown’ and getting this sailing adventure back on track.”

In April, Mr Fowler plans to sail round Anglesey between the 15 and 18 as well as sailing the other surrounding islands.

Mr Fowler will also be in Aberdaron around the April 19 and 21 and in Porthmadog around the April 27 and 28.

All plans subject to weather.

Find out more about the adventure and donate at www.yodare.co.uk Readers can also follow Mr Fowler's adventure 'live; with a tracker showing his progress round Anglesey.

Anglesey represents the largest island of the entire Yodare challenge and coupled with its infamous tides, it will technically be the most difficult.

Mr Fowler and his RS Aero will also be sailing around 24 other islands that surround Anglesey, some of which provide tidal challenges of their own as they are only islands for a few hours of the day.