A new adventure

I have managed to sneak some time away from work to participate in the Carib 1500 Rally from Portsmouth, Virginia to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

The Rally starts on 2nd November 2014 with the journey taking an expected 8 or 9 days.

More details can be found here.

I will be sailing on the Lagoon 450 catamaran GEM.

There is a fleet viewer where you can track progress. 

Journey Over

In the early hours of the morning on 11th December, I made landfall at Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia after more than 16 days at sea. It was a truly remarkable journey of a lifetime; one which I will never forget.

We made excellent time - some boats took more than three weeks. As I write on 19th December, having returned to a cold and frosty Britain, more than 20 boats that started the same time as us on 24th November have still to complete their passage. Although we weren't really racing, it looks as if we will be placed first in the multihull class (final results will be posted after 20th December here).

I hope to post some photographs of the trip but, in the meantime, you can read my tweets opposite and find my daily log postings on the ARC website (search for the boat name; 'Blue Ocean'). 

A good cause

I started off fundraising via Just Giving solely for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust (which seemed most appropriate at the time).

You can now choose whether to donate to the Philippines Typhoon Appeal instead (or as well!).

Following my progress

I am crossing the Atlantic as crew on the catamaran Blue Ocean. This is one of around 200 yachts taking part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) - an annual event which draws in sailors from around the world. The crossing is 2,700 nautical miles from Las Palmas to Saint Lucia.

On this page you will find the official ARC 2013 twitter feed (@arcrally) as well as my own personal tweets (@thefootprinter). The latter will be updated live by satellite phone. 

For safety reasons, Blue Ocean is fitted with a satellite tracking device. From 24th November, you can follow our progress here. 

The Footprinter all at sea

So, I have decided to cross one more item off my bucket list; crossing the Atlantic Ocean under sail. My motivations are not totally selfish, I am using the trip to fund-raise for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. They do great work helping children to regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness. You can donate by clicking on the button to the right.

I also admire Ellen's work through her Foundation to accelerate the move toward a more sustainable 'circular economy'. Her work mirror's my own professional career. In 1997, I co-founded sustainability consultants Best Foot Forward, now part of the global Anthesis Consulting Group. I have long argued in favour of 'closed loop' thinking by businesses which, rather than being a threat, represents (according to one authoritative study) a $1 trillion opportunity for those who show leadership. 

Welcome to this blog which I will try and keep updated (technology permitting) before, during and after my Atlantic crossing. I depart on 24th November.