A lack of wind got in the way of completing this race last year and we had to bale out to let crew members catch flights home.  I was grateful for the support I received from many people for this adventure, but I feel that Triptych and I did not complete our part of the bargain.  This race is therefore unfinished business and I have assembled a team to give it another go this year.  I cannot ask for too much support this time, as I did not get to the end of the course, last year.

To accept some personal responsibility for my actions, I will undertake to match any donations I receive this year.  So anything you give will have double the benefit for Bloodwise. Without the research and support that this organisation, and others like them, funds and provides, I and many others would not be here.

The Scottish Islands Peaks Race involves sailing from Oban to Troon, through some fairly open and potentially wild water, with the added excitement of conquering the heights of Ben More on Mull, the Paps of Jura and Goat Fell on Arran. 

There is more information about the race at: http://www.scottishislandspeaksrace.com.

Triptych's team is called The Tri-ers and consists of: sailors - James Thorp and Mike Cook; and runners - James Bowden and Chris Walsh.  I will be focusing on the nautical part, getting Triptych around the course as quickly as possible, and I will leave the runners to tackle the mountains! 

Anyone with an interest, and perhaps a stake, in the result, will be able to follow our progress live, by viewing the tracker that will be carried by the boat through the SIPR website.  I will also try to provide some updates on progress through a Twitter account (@triptych3207), but this will depend on weather, a signal and enthusiasm, which might wane as the race progresses!

My Acute Myeloid Leukaemia story, which explains the link to Bloodwise, is still available at: www.justgiving.com/simonthorp. This campaign raised over £10,000, although all I had to do to get that level of support was to lie around and go bald (twice).  The Peaks Race campaign is different: I am going to do something to attract attention and hopefully justify a bit of support.

Thank you for reading this.  No contribution to this cause is too small, but a sobering reminder, to help loosen the wallets and purses, is that one in three of us gets cancer, at some stage in our lives. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they will never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they will send your money directly to Bloodwise.