Meet the crew - Boris Dosseh

Frenchman Boris admits he is a competitive person and hopes to win the race on board Team Olivier.

Having never sailed before signing up for the race, Boris has now completed three of the four compulsory training courses. Moving to London from Paris, he first learnt about the race in 2009 when travelling on the tube to a job interview. Six years later, Boris is swapping a holiday on the beach for the high seas.

Name: Boris Dosseh
Age: 35
Nationality: French
Occupation: Financial Analyst
Signed up for: Clipper 2015-16 Race, Leg 6

Why did you choose to participate in Leg 6 across the North Pacific?
I know nothing about sailing, the only thing I know is that the Pacific is the biggest ocean in the world so I thought - ok let’s do it - if I am going to do this, let’s do it properly. It’s a big challenge and adventure for me.

What has been the highlight of your race experience so far?
I have met amazing people. I have learnt things I couldn’t imagine I would experience one day but the people I’ve met on my training sessions have been fantastic. The Clipper Race is like a big family. We will be in different teams. We all want to win that race. However,I feel like we already have by meeting each other.

What have you found the most challenging?
I guess the most challenging thing for me is to manage the people, try to make everybody happy to work towards the same goal in a safe environment. At the beginning I was a bit afraid, I was watching everything and felt that it could be dangerous. Fortunately the race selects the right Skippers and crew members prior to the race and the training is very comprehensive, insisting on safety.

How are you preparing for the race?
I wish I could tell you I am studying hard, reading all I can find about sea and winds etc, but it would not be true. I have been told by different people all my life that I should forget about looking for understanding and start trying to feel. So I will have to practice with friends who own boats or at sailing clubs on the River Thames as much as I can. Also I am chatting everyday with my crew members about victualing preparations and media etc. We can't control the weather, we just have to be ready for everything. Let's prepare ourselves for everything that gets sent our way on board.

What do you hope to achieve?
This experience isn't about me. I just want show people how an ordinary person can achieve extraordinary things with faith, effort and support. Sometimes you take the wrong decision, you can hurt yourself, you can be in a very bad position just because you lost faith. You don't feel like there is any fruit to be gained by putting efforts into a task. That is not true and the Clipper Race offers the opportunity to show that. I know I will achieve something because the achievement has already started, I just have to keep going and going. I can't stop. I won't stop.

How does it feel to know that very soon you will meet your Race Skipper and crew mates?
The way the Clipper Race works allows us to be in contact with each other prior to Level 4, where we will be with our skipper and fellow crew mates on our team boat. It has been great so far, we talk to each other via all the different social media outlets available, but I can't wait to meet with them for real soon.

Describe the type of crew you would like to be part of and what goals you like to be set.
I hope we will have fun. I hope we will not have any shame to show our weaknesses. I hope we will put the best of ourselves in every task from cleaning to leading an evolution. Everything is about love. Let just love be shared between us to show how ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.

If you would like to join Boris and race the world’s oceans this year, please get in touch via the apply section of the website. We are now also recruiting for the Clipper 2017-18 Race.