In 2010 I successfully completed my sixth doublehanded Round Britain & Ireland Race and the Solo Channel Race Week as part of my QII Challenge. Following that, after five years, I finally reached my £100,000 target, first including gift aid and now also net of gift aid. An enormous thank you to all you kind supporters!

This is the story: 

I underwent lengthy and debilitating treatment for breast cancer in 2005 and 2006.  I then embarked on a mission to raise money for The Institute of Cancer Research and to demonstrate that there can be life after cancer by taking part in the Petit Bateau Solo Channel Race Week only shortly after  the completion of my seven months of treatment. I took part on the basis that it would be a fantastic achievement if someone as old (I was then 60) and ill as me made it round the course. In the event to my amazement and delight I finished 2nd in Class and raised over £40,000 for The ICR. Spurred on by that success I took part in Petit Bateau's 2007 Solo Race and raised a further £20,000 and again achieved 2nd in Class.

2008 racing proved more of a challenge than I had been expecting. Originally I had intended to complete Petit Bateau's bluQube Solo 1000. I won my class in the first of the three legs of that race and was leading my class over halfway through the second leg in the middle of the Bay of Biscay when my self steering, spare self steering and all my navigational instruments such as GPS, log and depth sounder packed up. This forced me to retire and after a dramatic sail of over 100 miles I safely negotiated the rock strewn coast of Brittany in a full gale after two sleepless nights and, despite being unable to leave the helm without selfsteering and despite the lack of instruments, arrived safely at Camaret, near Brest. I then scarcely drew breath before sailing direct back to Lymington where, instead of the rest which I longed for, I rushed into preparations for the Channel Race. I made it to the start and was on top of the world to have proceeded to round off my QII Challenge with a Class win.

My original intention to raise the final £10,000 for The ICR through participation in the 2009 Petit Bateau Race was thwarted by breaking my leg in a skiing accident in March 2009. Yet another unexpected challenge within my QII Challenge! So instead I have continued the challenge in 2010 by competing in QII in the doublehanded Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Race aboard QII with Jerry Freeman. We were the fifth irc monohull to cross the finish line which delighted me as QII was one of the smaller boats in the race. I then took part successfully in SORC (ex Petit Bateau)'s solo Channel Race again in the hope of finally reaching my £100,000 goal, which I did.

I now have my own website www.maryfalk.com where you can read a lot more about the QII Challenge.  

It feels great to have demonstrated that there can be life after cancer, and a pretty full life at that. And by rasing money for The ICR I want to ensure that others can benefit from The ICR's lifesaving work.

I am not stopping at the £100,000. More funds are desperately needed for cancer research. So any further donations to the QII Challenge will be very gratefully received. I pay all the costs of maintaining and equipping QII, and her racing costs, myself so 100% of donations to the QII Challenge go direct to The Institute of Cancer Research.

Please follow the simple instructions to donate securely and efficiently online. Please feel free to donate whatever sum you like: the sums suggested below are merely suggestions. And if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I am hugely grateful for your support.

Many thanks for your support.

"Mary is an inspiration to anyone who sails and I call on everyone to support her in trying to raise funds for research at the Institute of Cancer Research"
Ellen MacArthur
Skipper B&Q Trimaran

"The Petit Bateau Race is an event that demands skill, determination, and spirit - all of which Mary has in abundance. I wish her the greatest success in this challenging venture, and in her fundraising for The Institute of Cancer Research"
Clare Francis

"Having recently lost a member of the family to cancer I am well aware how common it is and the dreadful consequences that it brings. Research is what it needs and I hope that everyone who sails or who enjoys watching sailing will join me in sponsoring Mary in this fantastic challenge."
Pete Goss