A YORK surgeon will be swapping the operating theatre for the world's oceans when he sets sail to compete in a famous yacht race.

Peter Campbell, from York, will be taking part in this year's Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, an 11- month circumnavigation of the globe, for charity.

Mr Campbell, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon for nearly 25 years who is currently based at York Nuffield Hospital, said that despite limited sailing experience, he has joined the Team Seattle to “test himself and raise awareness about ocean health and marine sustainability".

Leaving St Katharine Docks, in London, on September 1, the race is split into several legs with the main stopovers in Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, Philippines, China and North America, before returning to London in early August 2020.

Mr Campbell will take part in three of the longer legs - the rolling Atlantic, the mighty North Pacific and the trans-Panama leg - sailing nearly 22,500 miles in total and being at sea for five weeks at a time.

He said: “The Clipper race is such an iconic global team event, allowing ordinary people whatever their sailing background to experience the challenge of an ocean yacht race.

“Sleep and personal space will be limited to put it mildly, so learning to live with 20 other people in such a confined space, under challenging conditions, will be as important as learning how to sail.

“Of course, part of the motivation is to test my limits and stretch my comfort zone, but it’s also about contributing to Team Seattle, who will be raising awareness of ocean health and marine sustainability which is vital to the survival of our planet. I will also be raising money for UNICEF.”

To find out more, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/petercampbell-teamseattle/