For the Record

May 5, 2016

Embarking on a trip like this naturally creates chatter and talk about records. Our reality at One Wild Ride HQ is very different. We always had a very different set of objectives.

First and foremost the circumnavigation is obviously in aid of ChildVision and I’m hopeful that the sight of me hurting off the coast somewhere will be enough for some to put hands in pockets for what is a great cause. With any luck we’ll also showcase sailing as a sport, providing sailors, sailing clubs and new recruits a platform through which they can enjoy sailing. Better still an opportunity to connect around a common cause. Through words, pictures, video and maybe even a song or two we’ll also share insights into our coastline heritage, and in the spirit of adventure, hopefully encourage others to challenge themselves, grow, meet new people, make new connections and explore.

It will, if we make it home, be a great achievement. It won’t be a first this or that, a name on a trophy or stuff of folklore. And that’s the thing. Sometimes those things pale in comparison to the sheer enjoyment of just doing it. Putting yourself out there. Emptying the tank.

That sentiment is best summed up in the best race I ever sailed. A race I was to finish last.

It was the Mirror Nationals in Howth Yacht Club many moons ago. The Mirror Dinghy is a popular two person dinghy sailed by junior sailors for many years — fun to sail and fun to race. My crew and I, already behind in the race, had capsized near a rounding mark and in the time it took to recover and bail out what water we could, we were now likely to miss the finish. When the first boat finished you had a 20/30 minute window behind them to finish too. With time ticking, most of the other boats around us had given up and were now bobbing near the area that would eventually become the starting line for the next race. Disappointed but not deterred, we decided to give it our best shot.

So in a very very strong breeze we turned the mark and decided to hoist our spinnaker, a big bag like sail. We had to. Gaining speed was the only hope of emptying the boat in full with water still sloshing around our legs. Gradually, the boat came to life. The glug and gurgle sounds of the self-bailing system syphoning the water back out beneath our feet and then far behind us in the water trails at the back of the boat. By now we were flying by the seat of our pants, the boat jolting and pulling at us, trying to free itself to lie flat and tired in the water once again. Not this time. We never gave up. We never stopped. And when the final turning mark came we sailed as hard as we could back up toward the finish, never really sure if it would all be in vain. One last metre and we eventually crossed. There was a welcome if distant ‘peeeeep’ from a foghorn to mark the efforts end. And that was that. And just in time too. Some well received recognition from crews less fortunate, tied up behind a support boat, added to the moment.

Last. So special and so memorable it still energises me even now. It resonates because it reminded me that there was more to sailing than just racing. Like any sport — more than just the winning. The essence of participation. Fun.

So I woke up one morning and decided to sail a Laser dinghy around Ireland. Have some fun. Follow in the footsteps of many circumnavigations in all sorts of boats. Robert Henshall’s 1990 circumnavigation in the very same boat as mine and the Ogden brothers 2015 journey in a Drascombe Lugger.

To learn from Robert Suhay’s amazing World Record of 340 odd nautical miles in a Laser across Chesapeake Bay. To share my experiences with those like David Birch, relatively new to sailing, who is skippering his Laser Pico across the English Channel in a matter of weeks. Many months on I’ve had the privilege of connecting with all of these people in one way or another and been all the better for their guidance or willingness to share information and experiences. Each of us no doubt sharing a bloody mindedness to just try it. In our own way, in our own time and by whatever means we choose.

So for the record. At days end it will hopefully amount to this:

A worthy charity with new funding in the bank and a public more aware of the amazing work and services ChildVision provide. Sponsors and partners who both gained and provided value for the well received support and effort they’ve put in. Non-sailors, who through following along, have the taste in their mouth to explore and participate in sailing, a sport for life. And people like me. Ordinary sailors, who might as a result, have renewed vigour and energy for the sport they love so much.

These are the things that we aspire to. They are the ‘records’ that we chose to set, all beginning May 14.