A quick chat with the Clipper Race Marketing Team could easily confirm the top five reasons people sign up for the ‘Race of their Life’. Off hand, I would venture to guess some common reasons include the element of adventure, learning to sail, the challenge of circumnavigation etc… I doubt very often, that people find themselves submitting their application with the intent of nurturing their relationships.
Taking on this challenge to feel closer to those you love feels fairly counter intuitive. It requires time away, is done in ‘isolation,’ is an unusual experience, and hard for non-crew to fully understand. Yet, as I wrap up the first leg of my Clipper Race journey, I would tell you that’s exactly what has happened.
I never could have imagined how support, care, and love would present themselves throughout this process; words of encouragement when I felt uncertain, advice from fellow crew in preparation of the race, care packages with my favourite goodies, help with life on land while away, showing up to see me off, showing up to see me arrive, social media posts of excitement, constant wear of crew supporter bracelets, interest in flying fish, good luck calls the morning of departure, obsessive race tracker viewing, deep dives into the Clipper Race organisation, sailing inspired playlists, endless updates on text…
(To my people that may have laid eyes on this, thank you for your big love. xo)