Sydney  - An English teenager docked in Tasmania on Saturday at the half-way point of his attempt to break a round-the-world sailing record held by an Australian.

Mike Perham, only just 17, hopes to break the record set 10 years ago by Melbourne's Jesse Martin, who was 18 when he circumnavigated the globe alone.

Perham, who set out in November, said his worst moment came a week ago off the coast of West Australia.

"I was knocked down by a freak wave, which picked up the boat and tipped her on her side, which was quite a scary moment," he told Australia's AAP news agency. "Those two seconds were the scariest of the whole trip by far."

Perham is an experienced solo sailor, having crossed the Atlantic single-handed at age 14. (dpa)