News

“It was the challenge of circumnavigating the globe that appealed to me the most…”

08 November 2008

53-year-old consultant, Jeremy Reed, from Newport, near Saffron Walden in Essex, has successfully applied for a round the world berth on the Clipper 09-10 Race. With just a little over ten months to go before the start of the race on 13 September from the Humber, Jeremy is looking forward to swapping his suit for oilskins and getting onboard for the challenge of a lifetime.

So what made him decide to apply to take part in the Clipper Race?

“It was about five years ago when I first saw information about the Clipper Race and I thought, ‘That’s got to be worth doing,’” he explains. “I wanted to do the Clipper 07-08 Race but work commitments prevented me from doing so. It was therefore more realistic for me to sign up for the Clipper 09-10 Race. When I left my previous place of employment I took four decisions: one, I didn’t want to go back into full time employment; secondly I didn’t want to work in London; thirdly, I didn’t want to work for a large Plc; fourthly, I wanted to go round the world.”

For almost every crew member, competing in the Clipper Race is a turning point in their lives so Jeremy may find himself making more life-changing decisions as he circumnavigates the globe! The first step to getting there is the compulsory and comprehensive training to prepare him and his fellow crew for life on an ocean racing yacht. And it’s no picnic.

“The first part of my second week of training was awful, absolutely awful!” he says. “I just wanted to get off the boat as I was suffering with severe sea sickness. However, after the first couple of days everything calmed down and it was a great course with lots of good instruction, lots of man overboard drills and lots of spinnaker training.”

So what part of the ten-month ocean race is Jeremy most looking forward to?

“It was the challenge of circumnavigating the globe under sail that appealed to me the most; it’s an amazing challenge in my opinion. I’m also looking forward to experiencing some deep ocean sailing and the sheer size of the waves that can be found out there. I’m not necessarily so keen on the storms and the gales and the hurricanes but it will be amazing to cross two of the world’s major oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic.”

It is not too late to join Jeremy on the Clipper 09-10 Race as there are still places available. For more information call: +44 (0) 2392 526000, or email: .

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