MODERN-DAY pioneer Melvin Magnall has set sail on his third attempt to retrace a historic journey to the American city of Woodbury.

The adventurer is travelling thousands of miles in the wake of Tottington Quaker Henry Wood, who fled to the USA in 1682 with his family to escape religious persecution.

Wood travelled across the Atlantic Ocean and set up a Quaker colony on the banks of the Delaware River, which he named Woodbury.

Father-of-three Melvin (67) set sail on Sunday from Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, as part of The Arc yacht rally, and is now on his way to St Lucia in the Caribbean.

His 36-ft-long yacht The Henry Wood is one of the smallest vessels in the rally, but it managed to weather a storm at the beginning of the journey.

In a report e-mailed to the Bury Times,, Melvin said: "Henry Wood and crew set off in fine style among 250 yachts in the world's biggest rally leaving Gran Canaria at 1pm on Sunday.

"Just off the Canaries, we hit big seas and strong winds, hectic at the time but we came through. Some yachts returned to Gran Canaria.

"At the time of writing, it is slow progress. We are heading just off the coast of Africa, waiting for trade winds to take us to St Lucia."

After reaching St Lucia, he will head up a canal on the east coast of the USA, and hopes to reach Woodbury, New Jersey, by the end of April next year. Although various problems meant that Melvin was forced to abandon two previous voyages, he has visited Woodbury on a number of occasions, and is keen to strengthen links between the city and Bury.

He will give all the money he raises through sponsorship to an appeal fund at Rossendale School - where he used to be a governor - to help educate children in Nepal.

l The Bury Times will publish regular updates on Melvin's progress as he makes his way to Woodbury.