From Heartbreak to Headwinds
Adventure, a full sail and a full heart.
Category: Uncategorized
-
It’s race day. After months of training, preparation, and countless lists ticked off, the boat is finally ready to go. Our team has been given a name: Team Tongyeong — after one of the upcoming race stopovers, and the very first time the Clipper Race will visit South Korea. Then came the announcement: Thomas and…
-
Before jumping into Level 4 (again), we had Team Lou’s team-building weekend — and what a weekend it was. One of our crew, Tim Ellert, kindly hosted 17 of us at one of his homes. It was an incredible setup — plenty of space, room for tents in the garden, and a full weekend of…
-
Before getting into Level 4 training, a fun surprise — the Clipper media team reached out following the interview I gave after Level 2. The first bit of coverage was in the Reading Chronicle . I didn’t actually speak to them directly — it just popped up on my newsfeed one day. I glanced down…
-
Level 3 meant two things: finally stepping onto the 70-foot race yachts, and getting introduced to some of the race day routines — spinnaker hoists, Le Mans starts, and a lot more time on the helm. We’d return to port every night, but the days were full throttle. With all the race skippers and first…
-
Crew Allocation Day at the Guildhall in Portsmouth — the moment everything started to feel very real. Finally, we were about to find out who our skippers, first mates, and the rest of our crew would be, including those I’d be spending up to 11 months living, working, and racing alongside. The day kicked off…
-
Before getting into the next level of training, it’s only right to talk about one of the biggest things that’s helped me along the way: fitness. It’s been about far more than just keeping physically active — it’s been about finding structure, building confidence, and most importantly, tapping into that mental side that keeps you…
-
Before Level 2 kicked off, the Clipper Race Skippers were announced, and this would be our first time sailing with them — a proper glimpse of the professionals who would lead us through the race itself. For this week, we had two brilliant skippers: Lou Bouman – A powerhouse of experience: British, Irish, and Welsh…
-
Before the training even started — when I first began telling people about this next adventure — the question always came up: “Why?” Why sign up to sail around the world with strangers? Why spend months at sea? Why put yourself through all of that? It’s a question I heard a lot, and truthfully, it’s…
-
Three years ago, my world quietly collapsed. I was due to get married In Italy, then out of nowhere it all ended, the breakup left me not just heartbroken, but hollow — unsure of who I was without the future I thought I was building. I realized I had two choices: stay stuck or start…
From Heartbreak to Headwinds 