March 30, 2020
Isolation – Week One My fitness regime often includes signing up to an exercise class or having a planned session. That way I feel committed which makes it much harder to find an excuse not to go. Once you have made the effort to get as far as the gym doors you may as well…
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March 18, 2020
Isolated but not alone
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I know a bit about isolation and would go so far as to say that I have self-isolated on two occasions. When I took part in the Vendee Globe, I spent three months at sea alone and on the Aviva Challenge I was alone at sea for six months. My home for that time was…
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February 28, 2020
February reflections
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I am exhausted from battling the wind and rain from what feels like never ending storm cycles battering the UK this month. But, in reality, I am complaining about the muddy dog walks, the endless cycle of dirty dog towels and a few roads closed due to floods or trees down here and there, which…
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January 30, 2020
A busy start to 2020
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It’s been a very busy, constructive and celebratory start to the year for me. The growth of the double handed mixed offshore class has piqued the interest of many sailors and I am among them. So, I was excited to have the chance to reunite with Henry Bomby and be invited onboard his Jeanneau Sunfast…
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December 19, 2019
As we approach the end of an eventful 2019, I reflect on a year that has been an interesting mix of activities for me personally. I have competed in a variety of sailing events across the globe and been fortunate to sail with some talented teams and individuals along the way. Being invited to speak…
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December 4, 2019
Sailing now and in the future
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As we come towards the close of 2019, life has been a good mix of sailing and speaking. In the last edition of The Ocean Race I had the pleasure of sailing with Francesca Clapcich onboard Turn the Tide on Plastic. Francesca had launched her latest project at the Barcolana in October and invited…
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October 16, 2019
St Tropez on the French riviera is playground to the rich and famous and, at the end of September, is transformed into a yachting mecca. Attracting classic yachts as well as hi-tech super fast modern yachts, they all have one aim – to go racing. The Les Voiles de St Tropez event boasts a huge…
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September 21, 2019
Sometimes you need to give credit where credit is due. A year ago, fresh off the back of my Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign in The Volvo Ocean Race I visited the Southampton International Boat Show. I was shocked and embarrassed that a major event in our sport was not doing better with regard…
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September 9, 2019
Ocean Obs’19
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As a keen ocean advocate, I am thrilled to have been invited to speak at the OceanObs’19 conference in Hawaii next week. The conference is held once a decade – the first one having been held in France back in 2009 with around 300 participants. Momentum has gathered and around 1000 participants are anticipated to…
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September 4, 2019
I consider myself extremely lucky to take part in some incredible events. Often the easy route would be to say no but sometimes you have to challenge yourself. Incredibly, it has been ten years since I sailed competitively on my own in a yacht race so I will admit to feeling a little apprehensive when…
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