Dom Mee has just returned from the Arctic

Dom Mee said he is within weeks of signing the contracts for a solo sailing expedition that could take him more than a year to complete.

The 33-year-old aims to break the record for navigating the globe non-stop in the smallest boat. "It is a huge venture and a huge challenge," he said.

Musk ox

"To be the first sailor around the world via the two polar regions in a 28ft sailing vessel - it is a big project that I have been planning for the last 10 years," he added.

The former Royal Marine returned from the Artic on Saturday after leading a team of seven on a six-week trip retracing the steps of the Victorian explorer Sir John Ross.

Sir John discovered and surveyed the peninsula between 1829 and 1833.

Mr Mee failed on his first attempt in 2003 when he was trapped by ice and attacked by a musk ox.

During his last trip, he had to travel through the "M25" of the polar bear population.