To all those who don't know, I am Lucy Riley and I am sailing the 3179 miles across the Atlantic in November. I have been sailing since the age of 10 but in dinghies not yachts. I will be part of a four person crew starting from Lanzarote and three and a bit weeks later arriving in Martinique! We will be sailing in a 45ft steel hulled yacht called "Magnetic Attraction".

Sailing the Atlantic would be on quite a few sailors 'things to do before you die' list. However, on the tongues of most non-sailors is 'that sounds like a form of torture'! A transatlantic crossing does come with many risks from storms, to freak waves, to semi-submerged floating containers and even whales bashing the boat! All could cause damage to the yacht which could cause the crossing to be extended or even abandoned. My skipper has been planning this for years and years so all the preparation has been completed down to even making sure we all have our favourite sweets and treats on board!

I am raising the money for Neptune Children’s Ward at Southend Hospital. I completed my three years nursing training on this ward. I then worked there for a year as a Registered Paediatric Nurse before getting married and moving out to Dubai. Since returning in November 2012 I have been working back on Neptune Ward. The ward cares for children aged 0-16 years with both medical and surgical problems. The team of staff from Nurses, Doctors, and ward Clerks are always working so hard to ensure all the patients and their families receive the best possible care. I would like to raise some money to buy some additional equipment to further enable these hardworking staff members to care for these children.