Chef Martin Wishart swaps The Shore for the sails

As well as his skills in the kitchen, Martin also enjoys sailing in his spare time.

On 11 November, Martin along with four crew members: Lindsay Henderson, Rupert Jenkins, Kenneth Leask and Duncan Lonie, will set sail starting from Portugal and heading south along the west coast of Africa, reaching Gran Canaria in mid-November.

From there, they will sail south west picking up the trade winds and then head west towards St Lucia, crossing a total of around 3500 miles in just under four weeks.

He aims to raise as much money as possible for the charity with an aim of £40,000.

Martin Wishart, Kenneth Leask, Rupert Jenkins and Lindsay Henderson

Martin, who has been sailing for around seven years said: “I’ve done a fair amount of sailing up to Shetland and across the North Sea through to Denmark, I took a recent trip down to Portugal.

“I think that the most difficult part will be the long distances and being away from land and making sure we have all the provisions; fuel, food, water and power, on top of the logistics.

“We’ll be sailing 12 hours in daylight and 12 in darkness.

“All the guys joining are from Edinburgh and Shetland, its a team effort and I couldn’t do it without the crew, we’re really focused on the big sail but also on raising the amount of money.”

Sir Chay Blyth who was the first person to sail single-handed non-stop westwards around the world offered Martin Wishart some tips for the trip.

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Sir Chay Blyth, the Scottish yachtsman who was the first person to sail single-handed non-stop westwards around the world visited Martin at his restaurant to wish him luck and offer him some tips.

The cause that Martin and the crew are raising money for is one that is close to the chef’s heart as his mother was diagnosed with the disease 10 years ago.

He said: “Obviously it's quite a debilitating disease and has a knock on effect on everyone around and you feel a bit helpless.

“Each day to the next can be very different. It was after I watched a BBC documentary about Parkinson’s that I came up with the fundraising ideas and linked the two together.”

The Cure Parkinson's Trust has challenged the view that there is no cure for Parkinson's. Their mission is to find disease-modifying treatments which slow, stop or reverse the disease.

Currently, management of the condition is only symptomatic and their goal is to discover treatments that change the way the disease progresses and transform the lives of those who live with Parkinson's.

As well as raising money and awareness for the charity, the journey will also mark the 20th anniversary of his Leith restaurant, Restaurant Martin Wishart.

On the trip, he plans to cook as much fresh food as possible which will include catching the fish that they will eat.

Martin and the crew will be documenting the journey on social media and he has said he will share any recipes which are their particular favourites while on the trip.

Will Cook, CEO of CPT said: “We are hugely grateful to Martin for taking on this incredible journey for CPT.

“Not only is he planning this challenging sail across the Atlantic, but he has also been working tirelessly to raise money and awareness of CPT’s work on finding a cure for Parkinson’s in his restaurants and across the culinary industry.

“Thank you, Martin and good luck; may you have fair winds and following seas!”

To donate, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/martinwishart