Welcome to the third in an ongoing series of guest posts from my fellow 17-18 Clipper Race crewmates and current 15-16 crew members! This is a chance for them to tell you all a little bit about themselves, why they chose to sign up for Clipper, and share some of their experiences. Keep an eye on this space - I have another FIVE in the works already!
Now, over to Sandra Squire who will be sailing Leg 8 in the 17-18 race - enjoy!
Hi,
I’m Sandra, I’m a 40-something year old married Mum of 2 boys, currently aged 6 & nearly 9. We live in West Norfolk, although I originally hail from Hertfordshire. I’m a local Borough Councillor and hopefully by the start of the 2017-2018 race I will also be a County Councillor. I was elected for the first time in May 2015 and am enjoying the ups and downs of political life. I’m signed up to do Leg 8, the homecoming (glory) leg in June/July 2018.
So you might be forgiven for wondering why on earth I’d be wanting to leave my family and go off sailing the ocean on a 70ft racing yacht with about 20 other like minded, crazy people. Well, there’s no one simple answer, it’s a combination of things.
Way back in 1999 I broke my back, which does change your life quite significantly. I was very lucky and have recovered fully, with a fierce determination to prove that I can do anything I choose to do. 11 weeks after my breaking my back I went travelling around Alaska for 6 weeks alone, against doctors advice. You’re getting some idea of my personality now?!
I thrive on challenges; I don’t like heights – so in 2011 I abseiled down a lighthouse raising money for the RNLI while doing so. To date, that is the most frightening thing I’ve ever done!
Both of my sons have Autism, which brings with it numerous challenges. We’ve seen prejudices and ignorance regularly, done battle with schools about support or progress and generally developed a very tough skin with the ability and willingness to face down anything or anyone. So I went into politics, it seemed a natural progression!
When you listen to people talk about Autism, it is the disability that is seen above everything else. The focus is always on what they can’t do and what they find difficult and not on what they can do, or the simple beauty of truly having no idea and not caring what other people think. As an overweight, stay at home Mum, I want to prove to my boys that anything is possible. That ordinary people can do extraordinary things and that if they really want them, and are willing to work hard for them, their dreams can become reality.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to sail, but never really got round to it. So when we moved to Norfolk, half an hour from the coast, I took my chance & had some lessons, followed by a course. A few months later, we bought our first boat on a whim - a 16ft cutter rigged dinghy. I had to get the harbour master to rig it, as I hadn’t got a clue where to start!
It was while I was flicking through the RYA magazine when recovering from pneumonia in 2015 that I came across an advert for the Clipper Race. It was interesting enough to make me look at their website, and that was interesting enough to make me fill in the form. Which inevitably led to an interview in Gosport, which is quite a day trip from Norfolk!
Fast forward seven months and I’m in the gym 4 days a week and practicing knots blindfolded (sorry Caitlin!), I’ve got my first week’s training booked for over Easter and my son’s school friends tell him that he’s got a really cool Mum!
I’m raising money for four local Norfolk causes so hopefully I can do my challenge, inspire my kids and raise lots of money for some causes very close to my heart, all while meeting some amazing fellow crew and making some really good friends. Why would I not want to do it?
So why Leg 8? Well, I can’t realistically be away from my family for 11 months and I was torn between Leg 1 or Leg 8. Partly as it would save money on flights and partly because it would mean departing or returning to the home port in front of a home crowd. So I eventually settled on Leg 8. But if say a well known chocolate manufacturer that uses purple packaging were to see their way to sponsoring me to do Leg 1 as well, of course I’d be very grateful…… :)
www.sandrasquire.com
This is the latest in a series of guest posts from some of my fellow 17-18 crewmates and the current 15-16 crew in which they tell us a little about themselves, their Clipper experiences so far, and pass on any hot tips.
Over to Charlotte Willis, Legs 7&8 with the Garmin crew in Clipper Race 15-16 - enjoy!
Why Clipper Race Legs 7 & 8?
For me, I could only ever do a part of the race due to the time required off work so the whole circumnavigation wasn't an option for me. I originally just signed up to do Leg 8 for two main reasons - one, because I wanted to sail across the Atlantic, and two, because I'm a born and bred Londoner and I wanted to sail home. So Leg 8 suited me perfectly! But then I started my training, and once you start to meet other clipper crew, the buzz about the Race is just infectious and I instantly knew I needed to do more than just one leg. By this point, the majority of the legs for the 15-16 race we full though so I requested that I be added to the waiting list for Leg 7 which Clipper did. I was told I was second on the list so assumed that a place would never come up, but then two legs into the Race, it did! So of course I accepted and I now cannot wait to start my adventure in Seattle instead! And it also means I get to travel through the Panama Canal which will be amazing!
Any hot training or kit tips for future crew?
Spend money on the important technical clothing which will mean you stay as dry and as temperature controlled as possible. But then for the thermals, the base-layers, the fleeces, the mid-layers, etc. re-use as much stuff as you might already have for skiing or other sports. And most importantly, don't buy everything up front; you'll learn what you actually need (and it's surprisingly little when you're living in the same clothes for days on end) as you go through your training. There's a strict weight limit on board each boat during the Race so get used to packing only the essentials. And put everything in waterproof bags - the boats leak once they've been thrashed around at sea for a while!
What's the best/worst thing about not joining the crew until Seattle?
The worst is the FOMO (fear of missing out)! I've got to know my Skipper and team mates really well though pre-race Clipper events, a team-bonding weekend, training, and race prep activities. So I feel very much a part of the team, except I'm not actually on the boat yet. So whilst the crew on board do the actual sailing, the rest of us crew back home waiting to join have become a bit of a support group for each other - constantly chatting on social media, meeting up for drinks, hourly race following (and shared conversations dissecting every small bit of the race as well as the other teams) and we've even got to know other crew members friends and family too as we're all supporting the same team. So the best bit is the cameraderie amongst the remaining crew and supporters, and the bonds we've formed. And probably the sheer excitement of counting down day by day until it's my turn!
What was your funniest moment in training?
There are way too many :) People getting things wrong, stories of snoring and/or sleep-talking, extreme situations which aren't hilarious at the time but all form great stories after they're done... Just generally getting to share this experience with such a random and diverse but like-minded group of people who are all a bit bonkers but all there because they want to do the same thing you do. And whilst most people's friends and families think we're all mad to do something like the Clipper Race, us crew just 'get it'. I have made friends for life along my Clipper journey so far.
https://clippercharlotte.wordpress.com/
