Two sailors from Purbeck in Dorset have raced their way into the record books as the first crew ever to circumnavigate Britain in a beach catamaran.

Mark Angell, 19, and Luke Yeates, 21, both from Swanage, left Poole Harbour on 3 June heading anti-clockwise round the British mainland in their 18ft beach catamaran. They returned on Saturday and their time of 28 days, two days longer than anticipated, is now the world record. The boys are hoping their Britcat Challenge will raise £10,000 for Childline.

Realising they were making slow progress at the start, the boys started making long passages without a break to make up time, including a 56-hour non-stop sail and a couple of 24-hour passages.

The pair are now looking forward to a summer of racing and getting their 2012 Olympic challenge together.