About The skipper
AUS
Nationality
Lives: Lugano, Switzerland
Miles sailed: Uncounted
Group: TBA
Status: Full Entry
Where does your passion for sailing come from?
A more general passion for being on the water.
What lessons have you learnt from sailing?
Some serious, serious respect for the sea.
What brought you to like single-handed sailing?
The simplicity (purity) that comes with self-reliance (in the moment).
What prompted you to sign up for this event?
The idea of a Vendée ‘adventurer’ entry has tempted me for quite a while. The reality is that, on multiple levels, that is unrealistic. This is probably just “less unrealistic”, but here I can at least see a path to the start line!
How do you plan to prepare for this event?
This kind of solo sailing has a pretty big ‘team’ element, so ‘we’ are getting the (new) boat ready to launch and will spend the next twelve months putting miles on the boat and the skipper.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge?
This sort of circles back to the ‘lessons learned’ question. The whole process and program is both hugely enjoyable and hugely demanding. It’s one big challenge made up of a myriad of smaller challenges. I guess the biggest challenge is just keeping your eye on the first ‘prize’ (getting to the start line) and eating the elephant one bite at a time.
Tell us about your boat or the boat you would like to have.
I’m very lucky to have a boat that is built for this kind of race. Except maybe upwind….
Do you intend to link this personal challenge with a social message?
That’s a work-in-progress, but we will find ways to make sure we squeeze all we can out of the opportunity to add to awareness to at least two core ideas:
– we can all do almost anything if we just ‘start’ and keep going (and, again, eat the elephant one bite at a time)
– nearly all significant personal achievement is a team effort
We are working to find partners for the event, because the race offers an incredible opportunity identify with such a wide range of relevant issues, from sustainability to personal achievement and it is important to make the most of that platform.
Sailing experience
Miles: uncounted.
About The Boat
Sail Number: TBA
Boat design: Custom 53
Year built: 2022
Group: TBA
LOA: 53ft
Upwind sail area: 195m2
Downwind sail area: 330m2
Displacement: 7000kgs