I’m racing a Clipper yacht almost 6000 miles across the North Pacific Ocean. San Francisco here I come!
I’ve been preparing almost a year for this adventure, and now I’m surrounded by my kit packed in waterproof bags, oilskins, sailing boots, granola bars, and three sets of baselayers to last five weeks.
I’m racing from China to San Francisco,USA across 5,800 miles of the deepest, most powerful ocean on the face of the planet in Race Leg 6 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The race is the only deep ocean race one open to all – regardless of age or sailing experience. The hunger for adventure is essential – that, and a fair bit of grit, to get through the tough times. I’ve had to dig deep in training, cold and wet and tired, but that was nothing compared to what this will be.
It’s going to be tough – there will be 15 people on our boat, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, doing a four-hours-on/four-hours-off watch system to sail safely and also push the boat as fast as we possibly can.
It’s high adrenaline, but this race particularly is going to be real endurance too – we’ll be at sea at least 35 days, no showers, no time off, no private space, in a stripped down race boat. I’m half wondering if I’ve totally lost my mind, wanting to do this! But I’m pretty competitive, and this is a challenge to test my own mettle, as well as my sailing skills and team work.
What’s definite is that my crew and I are going to see some things that very few others will ever see – the raw ocean at her mightiest. I will experience the Pacific with every sense, on her terms. I’m as scared as I am excited. And that’s exactly what pulls us into these challenges in the first place.
I’ll be posting blogs via satphone en route.
Photo by onEdition.
