My life in your hands - skipper and crew allocated

Pleased to meet you Chris.

What a responsibility. What an adventure. What a journey we are going to experience together.

I am looking forward to meeting you in person and looking directly at the face of the man who will have my life in his hands for a year from the 1st of September on this race around the world!
But don't worry, I'll take ownership to fully share this responsibility.

Read more about Chris Hollis, our 33 year old Sydney based skipper, who have participated in two editions of the famous Sydney-Hobart Race, which include two podium finishes.

No pressure, but I hope you realise that a few of us round-the-worlders on the crew have already decided that we want to win. I heard from a very reliable source that many have already bet on you to lead the winning team of the Clipper 13/14 race - good! ;-)

Apart from that, I hope you are prepared with a lot of patience and good sense of humour. I am convinced that you will need plenty of that to deal with a mostly novice racing crew. Like most of the others I still can't comfortably tie a bowline, but I get excited by stormy seas, and I am a very willing learner. We'll start the race a bit clumsy and uncoordinated, but I'm sure after 40,000 sea miles we'll handle that boat like seasoned athletes on an Olympic sailing team.

Thanks for being so brave, and for your confidence in us. This is going to be epic! I can't wait!

Who will the gods give me? Crew allocation!

Today is a big day for Clipperati - we will hear who we are going to share what will probably be the most intense and adventurous year of our lives with. We will be introduced to our skipper - the person who will lead and manage our 11 to 12 months' journey on the yacht.

Who will the gods give me?

A previous crew allocation day

To my future crew mates:
I can't wait to meet you. I can't wait to see the excitement and curiosity in your eyes. I can't wait to get a sense of your presence.

I wonder about your smile, your attitude, your approach to life. I worry about your endurance to face up to the extremities of the elements, your resilience, your cleanliness, toilet habits, cooking skills, sense of humour and the shortness of your fuse. These things are usually reserved for life partners who we generally choose. In this case we are thrown together like an arranged marriage. A blind date. How will we cope with this?

From my side I can offer you the assurance that I am committed to making this conjugal relationship work. I am obstinately and totally intent on not giving up on you or the team, and seeing this through all  the way around the world. I will be there when you are tired to offer a smile, and encouragement when you are down. I am determined to give you hope when you feel that you can't go further. I will sing for you, which you may or may not like. I can be mischievous and a little mad.  But eventually you will hopefully come to find the reassurance of my presence a comfort, even if I produce my best Queen of the Night opera voice. Because come hell or high water (literally), I'll be there for you.

I promise not to laugh when you barf greenly into a bucket, if you can kindly return the favour. And even though I apparently have a quirky sense of humour, I'll try to use it wisely when things are tough. I look forward to dancing with you on the deck, share the sunsets and the moonlight on the water. Together we'll choke on sprays of sea water, hold on to each other when the waves toss us around like dirty clothes in a washing machine. And when the icy winds blow through our souls we'll find sheer determination in the furrow of each others' brows.

I am anxious, excited and in all-out anticipation to meet you. May the good gods give us the best, because I can also tell you that our boat is definitely going to win!

Friends are the family you choose for yourself

Someone once said: Best friends are the people in your life that make you laugh louder, smile brighter and live better.

In the last few months I have realised how precious friends are, and how they have become the family I've always wanted. A very wise friend and coach once said that if you want something really badly, you will find it - maybe not in the exact same format as you wanted, but in the format you actually needed. I have found my family.

There have been several instances recently where I've been humbled and surprised by the support and sacrifices my friends have made for me during a difficult transition period of my life. Why do people do good things and offer help, or give their precious time for no reason other than just being a real friend. Because deep down people are good. Call me naive, but I believe in the general 'goodness' of mankind.

To fund my Clipper race I have had to sell my car, and I've been working three jobs to try and earn a bit extra. I also wanted to organise a fundraising event to raise some money toward my trip and to support one of my favourite charities. Being short on resources I haven't had much to offer my friends. Yet, during this time neighbours have left me food in my microwave when I've been working late, other friends lent me one of their cars, others donated amounts to my fundraising efforts that totally surprised me, others have offered a venue, donated prizes, offered to do all the catering for the fundraising event, helped me with my time management and budget, provided advice and hugs when I felt lost and overwhelmed, cleared my gutters and helped with the garden, done design work on my website and helped with my blog, edited my news release, offered a place to stay when I move out of my cottage, and just generally been overwhelmingly good to me. I don't deserve all this kindness - I am just incredibly lucky!

In the midst of all the horror and politics and negativity we experience daily, it is a relief to find faith in humanity through the friends who provide strength, laughter, warmth and acceptance like a big, soft blanket…..

A thank you is never enough, but it is all I have. The only thing we can do with friendship and kindness to show our gratitude, is to pay it forward. This way it grows and karma makes it work. Kindness can change the world.