Race 1 - Day 29
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 29: Liverpool to Punta del Este
18 September

Ann Marie Davis
Ann Marie Davis
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“Living the Dream”

Greetings to all our loved ones, friends, family, and supporters,

Just wanted to share with all of you a bit about my journey to the Clipper's 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race. Just a year ago, my sailing buddy & cousin Sean Hehir invited myself and another cousin, Michael Fahy, to join him for a sail. We eagerly headed out from Gosport to play in the Solent, I mean, sail in the Solent, and visit the Isle of Wight. We chatted about the Clipper Race and the opportunity it offered amateurs like Michael and I to participate in a yacht race around the world. We understood the requirement to pass a month of hard core training before getting a position on a yacht, which is very wise as this race is not for the fainthearted. Michael was keen to participate in Leg 1 and 2, which covered England to South America and then onward to South Africa. Personally, I thought it all sounded awesome – so here's where my journey began. On September 16, 2016, I dreamed about hitting the high seas and crossing the Atlantic with Michael. We would either race together or against each other – it didn't matter – we loved and wanted the challenge.

Fast forward one year later and another fabulous year down. Race contract signed in March, passed my training in April, May, and July, back again for Race Start in Liverpool, August 20 – it was all happening very quickly. So here I am today, my birthday celebration began at 3:00 a.m. with our Port Watch up on deck, ready for another shift. Lots of work on hoisting and re-hoisting our spinnakers. Our medium weight (code 2) spinnaker had a few tiny holes in it which we decided to patch as these sails need to last the team for an entire year. These actions sound simple but the process can be complex and challenging. The watch was very busy so 7:00 a.m. came around quickly and ending with some of the team singing Happy Birthday to me.

Onto assigned duties on the boat. I was suppose be a Mother in the galley, however, two of my wonderful crew-mates, Mary Frawley and April Rellis took over the responsibility which allowed me to focus on sailing and being up on deck all day. Yummy breakfast bacon roll and hot cup of coffee was served for breakfast followed by more well wishes. Then during our lunch, my dear friend, Henri shared some thoughts regarding his time sailing with the team. His words were beautiful & thoughtful. He gave me a shout out for my commitment and dedication to the team & boat. He also presented me with a gift from all which was delivered by a DHL drone – a few pieces of wool to remember all of our spinnaker wooling fun!! LOL – so going to miss that gentleman! Again, we ended the meal with more happy birthday wishes and a hair braiding from Roseann.

Time in the afternoon was spent trimming sails on deck while listening to some great music. Blue skies, fab conversation, lots of laughter, and singing was in the air. The harmony on HotelPlanner.com is so special. I'm blessed to be surrounded by such a thoughtful, loving team. Think we have something unique going on here! This brings me to the evening – Mary and April decorated the galley and cooked a very special meal – Mash, Cabbage, Squash, and a real ham, followed by cake & tea...I could not imagine a year ago how absolutely lovely this birthday would be after sailing over 5800 miles with our Skipper and team. I am humbled and grateful for all I've been given. So, with a little faith and determination and hard work, your dreams can really come true. I'm surely “Living the Clipper Race Dream”.

I want to thank my daughters Paige and Emma for all the encouragement they have sent my way. I'm also thankful for all the well wishes & prays coming our way from friends, family and supporters near and far. Lastly, I want to thank all of our team & Skipper on CV23 for sharing this day with me. Love you all – Ann Marie XXOO