Hi everyone

Thanks for taking the time to visit my Just Giving page.

For those of you who know me well, I'm sure the first words that come to mind would not be 'adventurous, risk taker or daredevil' . You are more likely to think 'sensible, safe and rational' so you may ask why I have decided to undertake such an epic challenge later this year (and into next) as a novice crew member on the Clipper round the world yacht race.

So what does it involve?

The Clipper race has been described as 'one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other'. It is open to people with no sailing experience and is a 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on 12 x 70-foot ocean racing yachts. The race is divided into 8 legs and many individual races.

I will be taking on a full circumnavigation of the globe on board being away for around 12 months with stops in various countries around the world and therefore living on board for long periods of time with up to 22 other crew members in a very confined space. We will cook for each other, clean and maintain the yacht during our time on board. Oh and sail the boat across the Atlantic, southern and pacific oceans as quickly as possible !

Why ?
A few years ago the loss of my Dad actually hit me quite hard. Something like that forces you to think about life in a different way and question what you hope to achieve or do with your life. I hadn't thought about it much since, as I threw myself into my job, working long hours every day in order to progress. I thought that was what life was about for me.

Then, late last year, I asked myself " is this the most important thing for me? Is this what I want to be doing?" The answer was No so I decided that I should take some time out, take some chances, learn new skills, live life to the full and enjoy it.
At the same time I hope I can give something back to people less fortunate. This has become my mission going forward.

So, in December, talking things over with my sister, she mentioned "Clipper round the World" and after reading all about it I decided to apply to do maybe one of the legs. One leg soon escalated into all the way round so here I am, jobless, homeless and determined! I have never sailed before, so this fulfils the 'learning new skills bit' and 'taking chances' and I hope I enjoy it!

The other part of my mission is where this page comes into play - giving back to the less fortunate. I am supporting the official race charity and fundraising for UNICEF as mentioned above.

I would hope that as many of you as possible will give what you can to this worthy cause and support me and the rest of the crew via this page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.