Crazy Clipper moments - part …….well I've lost count! We set off from Gosport with the lovely Quentin Dimmer as skipper and the slightly scary Gareth (whom I now love!) with the usual assortment of personalities for a gentle delivery trip to Inverkip for the Scottish boat show. The weather was fine and we all got along great. There were several people that knew each other already and wanted to sail together. I knew Jen Burgis from L2 and now have met Steve,...

We made the podium on the first leg! I'm so proud of them all. After an epic battle with Derry which saw us come in 0.8nm ahead we are actually 2nd as we gained an extra 2 points at the scoring gate so an excellent start. A knock down, a few stitches and a broken wrist (JC up the mast) are all forgotten (well maybe not forgotten but now the stuff of legend) as the crew rest and relax in Rio before getting ready for the next leg to Cape Town. It sounds like they ...

I feel I need to write about this today as it will be a day that myself and others will remember for a long time. The news of the fatal accident involving Andrew Ashman has saddened all of my Clipper family. Our thoughts are with Andrew's own family and friends, not forgetting his Skipper and crewmates on board. I didn't know Andrew personally but I have good friends aboard Ichorcoal and feel for their loss. I know that if anything happened to anyone from my team...

And they're off! And currently in 2nd place I might add, as they got a great start and a successful launch of the spinnaker (due to my expert packing no doubt!) These 2 weeks have been the most amazing fun and an emotional rollercoaster. An extra leg of the race in a way. There were lots of jobs on the boat to get done before they left, visits to Downing Street, birthday celebrations and some epic nights out, the excitement and tears on Sunday as the fleet left...

Prep week in Gosport is finished. Halyards have been milked and moused, winches serviced, leaks sealed and a mountain of food packed. I've been part of the victualing team this week, so have been shopping for Britain (I think I have a personal parking space at Asda) and helping to pack everything in to day bags so it's easy for the mothers to access and get meals ready on their days in the galley. Each tin of food has had its label stripped and been marked, and...