Amputee Tim Whitrow wants to break a world record by sailing around 23,000 nautical miles around the globe in a bid to inspire other people with disabilities to chase their dreams.

Whitrow, a former winemaker, lost his leg and crushed an ankle after a shocking plane crash in Renmark in South Australia’s Riverland six years ago.

He was left “basically sitting in a wheelchair for 12 months” while he recovered.

“One of the things that I’d always aspired to do was to sail around the world on a sailboat, and after the accident, I thought that was all a pipe dream that wasn’t going to happen anymore,” he said.

But Whitrow, 56, will leave from Adelaide in October next year in his bid to set a Guinness World Record for being the fastest leg amputee to sail non-stop and unassisted around the world.

He was inspired by other amputee sailors such as American Dustin Reynolds, known as “the single-handed sailor”. He was the first double amputee to sail around the world alone.

If his attempt is successful, Whitrow will receive a certificate and be featured in the Guinness World Records book – but it’s inspiring other people with disabilities that motivates him the most.

“I hope to complete it. If I do, I hope that it’s an inspiration for other disabled people, as I was inspired by other disabled people, that losing a limb is not what defines you – it’s how you deal with losing it that defines you,” he said.

Whitrow survived a horror crash in Renmark six years ago. Photo: SA Police

Over 10 months, Whitrow’s journey will take him from Adelaide to the seas around New Zealand, South America, Spain and South Africa. His only form of communication with the outside will be via a satellite phone and Starlink internet connection.

He will leave in October to take advantage of the best weather for sailing around the dangerous waters of Cape Horn near Chile.

Whitrow will catch fish and rely on freeze-dried fruit and dehydrated food for protein. Desalinators and a rain catcher will keep him hydrated.

Asked about his training, Whitrow said one of the most important components was “getting the logistics right” for everything he needed onboard.

He has also been getting used to sailing in rough conditions and preparing for fatigue management, with half-hour naps his main source of rest while at sea.

“It’s getting used to sailing in the Southern Ocean, because a majority of it will be in the Southern Ocean, which is what they call the Roaring Forties, which is some pretty serious ocean down there,” he said.

Whitrow said his life changed after prosthetic legs developed by prosthetist and orthotist Kunal Shah of Artus. He said Shah was the first professional to listen to his problems and find a tailored solution.

“He was the first to recommend a particular type of vacuum suction socket that connects my leg to my foot and a particular type of dynamic foot, which really changed my whole mobility and life,” he said.

“I immediately started losing weight because I was more active – I found that I could walk for longer every day, and these are only little things to most people, but as an amputee, mobility is everything.”

Artus (formerly Orthotics SA) recently opened a $1.45 million clinic in Salisbury Plain, its third location in South Australia. It offers specialist prosthetic and orthotic services.