The days are counting down as the departure date gets ever nearer!
Opened an email from crew mate Baz suggesting that "Technical Boxers" are a must for this trip - best technical boxers that I can think of would be Ali, John Conteh, Sugar Ray Leonard or even Joe Calzaghe, ah, but who could forget the whiff of sweat and vaseline at ringside........now back to the pants!!!!
Breathable underwear.........whatever next, all to reduce the dreaded chafe that can cause so much damage and discomfort on an extended trip where moisture is never far away.
Boats currently heading towards Taiwan and then on to Qingdao in China where they should receive a fantastic reception from the local enthusiasts, this is the centre where all of the sailing events were staged during the Beijing Olympics.

Well it is only a month before i set off on this wild adventure that will see me cross the mighty North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans - one would have been an adequate adventure, but two a huge challenge for this novice sailor!!

So why have I signed up for this trip, I hear you all ask - it's a question that I often ask myself as the feelings of apprehension get stronger as the impending departure date gets nearer. I have done some adventurous things in the past (free fall parachuting and cave diving) and felt the urge to test this middle age frame once again and really put myself outside my comfort zone - hence Ocean Racing. I had never been on an ocean going yacht, my sailing experience is limited to sailing a laser across Coniston with my mate Cozzie - even that was cut short when Cozzie got thirsty.
Perceived by many as a sport for the privileged few (due to the astronomical cost in funding a boat) this race allows anyone from any background to really push the boundaries of physical and mental endurance.

This is first and foremost a RACE where 10 identical 68ft ocean racing yachts sponsored by major cities or countries race each other around the world each sailed by one professional skipper and between 18-20 amateur crew.

I have been allocated a berth on the Team Finland boat.

The teams:
Australia
California
Cork - Ireland
Qingdao - China
Team Finland
Hull & Humber
Singapore
Cape Breton Island - Nova Scotia
Jamaica
Edinburgh

The race takes the crews on a journey consisting of 7 legs:

Leg 1 HULL - RIO DE JANERO

Leg 2 RIO - CAPE TOWN

Leg 3 CAPE TOWN - GERALDTON Australia

Leg 4 GERALDTON - QINGDAO China via Singapore

Leg 5 QINGDAO - SAN FRANCISCO

Leg 6 SAN FRANCISCO - JAMAICA via Panama

Leg 7 JAMAICA - HULL via New York, Nova Scotia, Cork, Amsterdam


The race started on the 13th September 2009 in Hull where an estimated crowd of 100,000 saw the boats off and finishes at the same port on the 17th July 2010.

If you thought that this was a "a walk in the park", take a moment to reflect on some of the incidents that have already occured since the race started:

Hull & Humber lose a man overboard in the Southern Ocean, thankfully boat retrieves casualty after 17 minutes and all is well.

California lose steering in Southern Ocean and rig up secondary steering gear to limp into Cape Town.

Team Finland hit a whale in the Southern Ocean

Cork and Hull & Humber involved in start line collision in Cape Town.

Team Finland skipper resigns due to personal family reasons and new skipper appointed for the Australian leg and the rest of the race.

Cork hits a submerged reef and runs aground, crew abandon ship and Team Finland and California provide immediate support and rescue stricken crew. Cork Clipper deemed to be too badly damaged and uneconomical for salvage.