ROUND-THE-WORLD sailor Steve White has completed the final chapter of his epic voyage by steering his boat home to Weymouth Harbour.

Well-wishers, family and friends turned out to greet solo sailor Steve, of Charlton Down, as he arrived on Toe In The Water with sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Following his boat’s homecoming from Gosport, a big party was held last night at the Royal Dorset Yacht Club in Steve’s honour.

Toe In The Water was Steve’s companion for 28,000 miles of freezing temperatures and rough seas as he became the ninth British sailor to complete the Vendee Globe race.

The vessel will be stored at Portland Marina until Steve sails off again in August for the Fastnet race from Southampton to Plymouth and back.

Dad-of-four Steve, 36, said: “Bringing my boat back gives closure to the whole thing.

“I miss it a lot because I love being on my own and enjoyed the simple chaos.

“Now I’m back in the chaos of family life, but it’s a lovely kind of chaos.

“My wife is pleased that some DIY is finally going to get done. There’s going to be lots to catch up on.”

In total, Steve spent 109 days away from his family at sea.

He spoke to his wife Kim and children Jason, 20, Eryn, 16, Isaac, nine, and Euan, six, on the phone every day.

Sir Robin, 70, said he joined Steve for Toe In The Water’s final leg because of his ‘huge admiration’ for his fellow yachtsman.

“Steve’s achievement is fantastic. Only 173 people have circumnavigated the globe on their own and 18 of them are British.

“You have got to have the motivation, the desire to be able to get round,” he added.

Southampton-based Sir Robin is going to host a special curry dinner in Steve’s honour on April 22 with some of the other British sailors who have completed the feat.

It will also mark 40 years since Sir Robin completed his own round-the-world solo voyage.

Steve’s ultimate nautical ambition is to earn a podium place in the 2012 Vendee Globe race.

But attracting sponsorship is far from smooth sailing. He said: “We’ve had a lot of support from local people and from Blu Qube and Dean & Reddyhoff, but it would be nice to find a local sponsor. The party gives me a chance to thank everyone who has supported me. The difficulty has been trying to get sponsorship during the build-up to the race.”

After returning to dry land last month, Steve is hankering for the open water once again.

“We haven’t had time for a family holiday yet, but I’m hoping to use a pilot cutter boat with the family and sail around Scotland.

“Luckily, the kids really like sailing and the small ones are up for it.”