Manx engineer Glenn Kensall’s expedition boat has made a stop in Douglas Harbour on its way to a record-breaking sailing attempt.

The Ramsey man is part of the fourman crew of former Swedish Rescue Service icebreaker MV Astra, and they are aiming to be the first to circumnavigate the earth, from great cape to great cape, in a vessel under 24 metres.

At 170 tonne displacement, it is possibly one of the largest boats to have moored in the capital’s inner harbour - and crowds gathered to see it carefully manoeuvre its way in.

Glenn took me for a tour of the boat’s inner workings and machinery - including its powerful 1350 BHP Mitsubishi engine.

The engine, which is built for crossing oceans, was described by Mitsubishi as being ’the engine which doesn’t make us any money because it’s so good [and never needs repairs]’.

At its fastest (doing 12.5 knots flat-out), it consumes 120 litres of diesel fuel per hour.

MV Astra will now head to Scotland to undergo sea trials - with the quiet, dark lochs being ideal for testing fuel consumption.

It will also undergo further refurbishments in Vigo, Spain, before embarking on the record breaking attempt from Lanzarote in December later this year.

They hope to be in Durban, South Africa by Christmas.

Glenn, who worked his way up through the ranks in the Merchant Navy having started working on Ramsey fishing boats at 15, hopes that his expedition will raise awareness among young Manx people about potential careers at sea.