Race 14 - Day 2
Crew Diary - THE FINALE: Den Helder, Netherlands, to London, UK
29 July

It is often said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single footstep.

For those who take up the challenge that is the Clipper Round the World Race that first step may be the one that takes them past an advertising poster in a railway station, a step that draws them to visit the fleet in port, or a step that takes them to a recruitment presentation.

It is also said that it is the journey rather than the destination that is key to the experience.

This journey around the world has been full of experiences. Some have made us laugh. Some have made us cry. All have made us stronger as a family, binding us together because we have shared something extraordinary; something that has taken many of us out of our comfort zones and pushed us to our limits both mentally and physically.

What is rarely said is what happens at the end of the journey.

Our journey is nearly over. After 11 months away we return to London tomorrow. Friends and family will be there to see us; to celebrate our achievement with us. We will be happy to be home, but we will also be sad that the journey is over. Some of us will be changed by what we have seen and done along the way. Some of us will return to life as it was before the journey began. We will all look back at the journey differently but we will all, at some point, smile at the memories it has given us.

The real world may be calling right now but the next adventure is waiting. The next journey waiting for us to take that first step towards it.