Offshore Expeditions was formed by Alan Priddy as an umbrella organisation to plan and carry out adventurous offshore cruising, and to help and encourage others to do the same. Commercial services include expedition planning and logistics, design consultancy, boat preparation and fit-outs, corporate and media events.

Alan Priddy has been messing about with boats for as long as he can remember. He's an accomplished sailor, a successful powerboat racer, and a world record holder for endurance power boat challenges. He and his crew were nominated for Yachtsman of the Year in 1997; a rare accolade for power boaters!

    The boats used by the team for recent events have been RIBs (otherwise known as Rigid Inflatable Boats), as they are simply the most seaworthy type of powerboat for their size. Similar to the inshore lifeboats used by the RNLI, RIBs have a conventional deep-V powerboat hull made from GRP (fibreglass) with an inflatable collar around the edge. A RIB is the marine equivalent to a 4x4 vehicle on land, and can cope with very demanding situations. Despite being partly inflatable, a RIB should not be confused with an inflatable dinghy!

    An eventful circumnavigation of Scotland in 1990 using a 4.5 metre (15 foot) RIB convinced Alan of both the possibilities of serious RIB cruising and the need for a larger boat! He and a group of friends commissioned new boats from leading RIB manufacturer Ribtec in Southampton. At the time, these 7.5 metre (25 foot) boats were very unusual and turned heads wherever they went. Such is the rate of progress that only a few years later, RIBs of this size are commonplace and Offshore Expeditions' new boat is bigger than ever!

    Since 1990, Alan and his team have gone on to more and more ambitious projects including round Britain and round Ireland speed records, a timed crossing of the Bay of Biscay, the Atlantic Challenge, the London-100-Monaco and for 2002 a circumnavigation of the world. In May 1999 Offshore Expeditions ran it's first open event -- the Round Britain RIB Rally. This was a great success with over twenty boats and crews completing the route. For Around the World 2002, Offshore Expeditions commissioned and fitted out a new purpose built boat, and set up a state of the art visitor centre on Cardiff Bay waterfront.

    The latest project sees Alan going back to his roots with another circumnavigation; this time under sail aboard Sir Alec Rose's famous yacht Lively Lady.