My name is Kieran Comer, 20 from Woking in Surrey. I have been given the honour to represent the Sea Cadet Corps in Leg 6 (Pacific) of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2013/14, Qingdao, China to San Francisco, USA. This 5,600 mile voyage will push my body and mind to the limit and will test my current sailing knowledge and teach me a whole lot more. Prior to the sailing I will also be taking part in an exchange programme with the Chinese Sea Cadets, where myself and other Sea Cadet volunteers can share our methods and knowledge and learn about each other’s practices and cultures.  

After being selected from 150 applicants and taking part in three weeks of intense training I was chosen to be a crew member and serve on the yacht Invest Africa – CV25, a 70 foot clipper with around 20 crew members. The primitive living conditions on the boat will be a challenge in itself as everyone is living on top of each other; there is no personal space, only tinned and dried food, water rations, constantly damp and no shower! And it isn’t just the living conditions that will be an issue. The crossing itself is equivalent to just over 9 Fastnet races in a row across the World’s toughest ocean. During the 5 week voyage I will expect to see 40+ knot winds, torrential rain and unimaginable waves of up to 90ft!

What will your donation go towards? The funds raised will assist me in purchasing vital equipment for the Pacific crossing, including durable clothing and personal safety gear and will also help support Woking Sea Cadets. 

So why choose to support Woking Sea Cadets? For the past 10 years, cadets has been a constant for me and without trying to sound too corny the Sea Cadets has made me the person I am today.

Woking Sea Cadets currently has around 80 cadets and a dozen members of staff (all of which are volunteers) which is a very good number for an inland unit. The opportunities Woking Unit offer young people are enormous including: DofE, marine engineering, offshore sailing, music, mountain biking and much more. Most skills and qualifications earned are not in any school syllabus or place of work, so is a valuable experience for the cadets. But most importantly it is the values that the Sea Cadet Corps teaches and promotes from respect and discipline, teamwork and leadership to self worth. 

So please if you can spare any money to support my cause please donate. Thank you.