A 14-year-old British schoolboy steered his way into the record books this afternoon when he became the youngest person to single-handedly sail the Atlantic.

Michael Perham, who took time off from his GCSE studies for the adventure, arrived in Nelson's Dockyard aboard his 28-foot yacht, Cheeky Monkey, in Antigua shortly after 10am local time (2pm GMT) and was met by a flotilla of sailing boats and the sound of a steel band.

A delegation from the Antiguan Government welcomed him to dry land with his father, Peter, who sailed alongside his son for the 6½-week crossing. The voyage took longer than the intended four weeks because of damage to Michael's navigation equipment, which forced the pair to stop in Lanzarote and the Cape Verde islands.

"It feels absolutely fantastic being back on dry land," said Michael. "Absolutely brilliant."

The schoolboy started his crossing from Gibraltar on November 18 with the intention of breaking a record held for just three years by another British boy, Sebastian Clover, who sailed from the Canary Islands to Antigua in 2003 at the age of 15. Like Michael, Sebastian was also shadowed by his father.

During his voyage, which he described in daily entries on a weblog, Michael encountered squalls and damage to his boat, while enjoying fine weather, bright moons and the chance to set off flares on Christmas Day while singing carols to his father over the VHF radio.

On December 28 he wrote: "The sun is pretty hot so I make sure I'm well protected. It's rather strange but almost every morning now I find the odd flying fish on the deck that obviously flew the wrong way! Five days to go!"

In Potters Bar, Michael's mother Heather watched her son and husband arrive safely and accept the congratulations of the Antigua Yacht Club. "He is just so, so excited. He could see all the boats coming out to meet him from the harbour," she told BBC News 24. "He is just amazed by the reception he has had."

When she had a chance to speak to her son, who she described as having a very adventurous spirit, Mrs Perham said: "Congratulations Michael from everyone here in the family. We are very proud of you. It’s a huge accomplishment for yourself and to set an example for other young people to have adventures and live life to the full."

The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, who was once a merchant seaman, also offered his congratulations in the place of Tony Blair, who is on holiday in Miami. "Michael has proved himself another hugely successful sailor in the great British maritime tradition," said Mr Prescott.

"I have no doubt that the whole country will join me in sending congratulations on this remarkable achievement by such a young man."

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Should Knox’s trial even have reached the courtroom?
• All that glitters is not sold in Wright’s world
• Believe it or not, Big Brother is your friend