“Game on”

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race offers a unique opportunity; the chance to pit yourself against some of the most infamous sailing conditions on the planet, taking on waves as big as buildings while racing against eleven other teams for eleven months.

Ben Pate, a development engineer, will face these conditions during his round the world adventure which starts this summer.

“I’m at that moment in my life I have worked through University and chased my career, I’m now seeking a challenge to take a career break and step back for a while,” reveals Preston-based Ben. 

“The start of the Clipper 11-12 Race was amazing and we luckily managed to get on a speed boat to see the fleet start. It was fantastic seeing the fleet with all the support boats and the aircraft carrier in the background. I decided there and then that I would sign up; when I got home I found the website and applied.

“I’m mostly looking forward to the challenge of the Clipper Race. The race for me is about pushing myself to the limit to see how I cope. This will be both physically with the demanding workload and also personally with a group of strangers in a high-pressure environment,” continues Ben, who was born without hearing in his right ear.

“I’m really looking forward to the obvious nice sailing, race starts and finishes, dolphins by the boat, stars in the clear sky and hopefully winning a few pendants, but surviving the challenge is the biggest one for me.”

During his eleven-month challenge, Ben will be raising money and awareness for Deafness Research UK.

“The challenge will be learning how to sail in a very short space of time. Learning to cope with strangers who have a different mind-set as to what they want to achieve out of the race with the whole experience versus race compromise for the crew. Beating the sleep deprivation, cold environments and the ocean environment will also be tough. I have only heard stories about large waves, so I simply can’t imagine what I will be thinking or feeling in 20 metre swells in the Southern Ocean. Game on!”

You can build your own Clipper Race adventure by using the Route Builder. Just click here to get started.