Around the World in 80 Animals - Bottlenose Dolphins

Sailing around the world isn't all waves and starry skies - I'll be seeing some amazing wildlife along the way too.

Over the coming months I'm going to be building up a list of all the animals I hope to see during my circumnavigation. These will range from birds, to mammals, to marine life, and will help open my eyes to the incredible variety of life out there in, on and above the oceans of the world.

This week the spotlight is on Leg 1, English Channel

The Bottlenose Dolphin

Fast facts:

Type: Mammal - they surface often, usually 2-3 times a minute
Diet: Carnivore - mainly bottom-dwelling fish, although they also eat shrimp and squid
Length: 10-14ft (3-4.2m)
Top speed: 18 mph (30kph)
Weight: 1100lb (500kg)
Global population: 600,000 approx.
Average lifespan in captivity: 45-50 yearsColouring: Grey (varies from dark grey to light grey on underside)
Group name: Pod

Size relative to a  6ft man:

Did you know? Bottlenose dolphins have been observed to breach (jump) up to 16ft (4.9m) out of the water, landing with a splash on their back or side

Mount Everest

While reading up on the Race (I'll admit it, I'm starting to become a bit of a Clipper Geek), I came across this startling fact - 

More people have climbed Mount Everest than have sailed around the world

Over 4000 people have climbed Everest, but just a fraction of that number have circumnavigated the world by sea. I couldn't believe it! I grew up thinking that hardly anyone climbs Mount Everest as it's so physically and mentally challenging, and never really thought about how hard it is to sail around the world in comparison.

Thinking about it though...

• Climbing Mount Everest takes around 2 months in total, while the sailing around the world takes about 11 months. 
• The temperature range on Everest only has a small variance, from pretty darn cold at -20°C to even colder at -35°C, while during a circumnavigation temperatures range from freezing cold at 0°C to the sticky energy-sapping heights of the tropics at 35°C and above. This kind of variance puts a huge strain on you physically (and mentally) as you adjust from hot to cold and back again, while coping with the consistently sub-zero temperatures of Everest is far more manageable. 
• On Everest, the furthest you will ever be from the nearest human will be around 2.1 miles. Sailing across the Pacific Ocean, the nearest human being will either be 248.5 miles away on the International Space Station (if it happens to be passing over) or around 2000 miles away in Japan or Alaska. 

Put it like that, and I'm not at all surprised more people have tackled Mount Everest than have circumnavigated the globe by sea.

Remote

"At times, the closest humans to you will be those on the International Space Station"

While I knew that crewing in the Clipper Race would take me to some isolated places, the realisation that at times the nearest human being outside the Race will be in space adds a whole new meaning to the word 'remote'.

Coping with that isolation will be tough, but luckily I'll have 22 other brave (and/or crazy) souls to keep me company during the 5 week crossing. Might have to pack a star chart just in case we get a bit of down-time on deck and see if we can pick out which dot has the nearest humans on it and give them a wave.

Pushing the limits

At a Team Campfire* recently, I was praised for always pushing myself to do better, learn more, and improve myself and how I do things. Although it may sound strange, before I heard my colleagues say that to me, I didn't even realise I was doing it. To me, that's just what I do, whether that's getting an author to submit their manuscript on time or applying for Clipper 17/18.

I didn't realise either that constantly putting high demands on yourself and pursuing opportunities to really test your limits wasn't all that common either until I saw the reactions of friends and colleagues when telling them I'd been offered a Clipper berth - 

      "Incredible - won't it be hard though?"
      "That's just the kind of crazy thing you would do" 
      "You don't like to take things easy do you?" 

By taking on the Clipper Race 17/18 and engaging with my local community, I hope that I can inspire others to take on new challenges and really push themselves so that when they do something amazing, people say "that's just the kind of amazing thing they would do."

*For those of you who haven't heard of Team Campfires, we didn't sit around roasting marshmallows, we sat in a circle taking it in turns giving each other positive feedback on our work (while sitting around a giant pile of Starburst, Chocolate Orange Segments and marshmallows)

Learning curve

I haven't even begun my Level 1 training yet, but the Clipper learning curve is already pretty steep. This time last week I had no idea how to build a website, or code in HTML to customise widget features (I didn't even know what a widget was), or write a sponsorship proposal. Now I've done all three, I'm starting to realise that being part of Clipper 17/18 will help give me skills I never expected it to - and I can't wait to dive in further!

New normal

"There will no doubt be challenges between now and the start line and so mental strength is the first thing that will be tested. Every crew member either doubts their own ability or sanity. J So you’ll be in good company there. Once you’re on the start line the physical challenges begin, but you will absolutely deal with those. Partly because you won’t have any choice. When we don’t have a get out option, we amaze ourselves with just how strong and resilient we can be."

- Vikki Gillard, Clipper Ventures

In the middle of a stressful afternoon at work yesterday, I received this perfectly timed and reassuring email from Clipper telling me that feeling crazy right now is normal. It's good to know that doubting my sanity is totally normal, as it's now been a week since I received my crew contract for Clipper 17/18, and I still can't quite believe I got a berth! It's also just what I needed to hear now that I'm spreading the word among my friends and family and they keep calling me crazy (in a good way).

Crazy is the new normal. Words to live by!

First Gold Level Supporter!

I'm thrilled to announce that I have my first Gold Level Supporter, Michelle Matthews, who has generously committed to a monthly contribution worth £1000. With Michelle's help, I can now sail another 786mi / 1266km - that's 1/5 of Leg 2 from South America to Southern Africa!

Here's a taste of what her support will look like when I'm out racing across the South Atlantic: