A CULCHETH sailor has completed a 140-mile odyssey after defying the odds in a cancer battle.

As reported in the Guardian, Dave Kelsall was diagnosed with stage four cancer of the oesophagus in September 2013.

But after three months of chemotherapy, his cancer had shrank by more than half and his secondary cancer by 60 to 70 per cent.

Dave then decided to sail with a team of eight from Tower Bridge in London to Brighton Pier as an incentive to get better and as therapy to reduce stress.

It has been an incredibly tough year for Dave and Janet, his wife of 35 years, as she is also recovering from a brain haemorrhage.

“I was proud by the end of the voyage,” said Dave, of Wilton Lane.

“I saw the achievement in it but I was absolutely knackered. I must have slept for an hour and a half during the 19 hours.

“My wife was just pleased to see me back in one piece more than anything.”

As well as fighting wind shifts and shifting tides, Dave’s team had to navigate the Strait of Dover, the busiest seaway in the world – in the dark.

It is used by more than 400 commercial vessels every day.

Dave, aged 56, added: “It was stressful navigating the Channel in the dark with ferries and fishing boats whizzing past.

“It was a bit like walking down the M6 with a box on your head.”

Dave, a member of Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club, was also invited to share his tales over afternoon tea with the Mayor of Warrington, Clr Ted Finnegan at the Town Hall last Thursday.

He said: “It was a gorgeous day and the sun was shining. It was quite interesting as I was in the merchant navy and I went past Tilbury Docks for the first time since 1992.

“We also saw fireworks on the French side of the Channel near Dunkirk as they were marking the centenary of the First World War.”