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The three girls of the Darling family are:

Trycha: Mummy, giving up her job as a vet and owner of a small practice in Southbourne for a year, renting out her house and leaving behind her two dogs. Skipper of the yacht, general boss and occasionally peace-keeper.

Alice: Oldest sister (21), taking a year out after graduating from uni, leaving behind her cat. Miss Health and Safety, good at worrying, planning, telling other people what to do (not doing it herself!). Not practical in any shape of form, considering the possibility of being thrown off the boat by her little sister before the year is up...

Jilli: youngest sister (18), taking a year out after finishing her A levels before heading off to uni. Little Miss Chilled, other than when she would rather be in bed (so every morning) or feeling sea-sick, or being exceedingly infuriated by her older sister, Little Miss Practical (other than when she is in bed, or feeling sea-sick, or just being lazy).

In July 2010, we are setting off on an epic adventure, sailing from Portsmouth to the Canary Islands, across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean, and then back across the Atlantic. We are doing this on a 42ft yacht named 'Triple D' and for our trip across the Atlantic, it will be just the three of us on board!

As you can imagine, there will be a lot of disasters, difficulties and obstacles along the way, not least learning how to get on with each other when there is nobody else to talk to for three weeks straight! On top of this, we will have to deal with sea-sickness, storms, boredom, huge waves, handling technical equipment without a man handy, sleepless nights, no lie ins, and no hair straighteners! We will be keeping you updated on a blog that will be published on the internet once we set off, so watch this space!

As we are tackling this epic test of strength and endurance(!) we thought, what better than to do it for a good cause? Very quickly we came to the decision that we wanted to raise money for a charity that meant something to us personally. Centrepoint provides for homeless young people in London, many of whom have not grown up in a loving and supportive family such as we have. Centrepoint not only provides them with somewhere to live, but the help and support needed to improve their lives and deal with the problems they faced in the past, as well as undertaking research to influence public policy with regards to the homeless. Centrepoint, especially the 'promises' section (which gives help to young homeless mothers) really made an impact on Alice and Jilli; we feel extremely lucky to be in the position we are today, able to take a trip like this as a family and so would like to help those who lack this fundamental support network. We feel that the 'Promises' section of Centrepoint is especially important in breaking the cycle.

Just £50 can keep a mother and baby houses for five days, £250 would pay for that mother to go on a parenting course. £100 pays for a month's counselling for those who have undergone traumas, whether on the streets or in their lives at home. Your money is essential in providing housing, food, training and therapy for those who would otherwise be unable!

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