Alex Hare is the first to admit she has limited sailing experience. By day she's a manager of a science and engineering division in the infrastructure consultancy. But this August, she'll sail from the United Kingdom to South America and then South Africa, as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
She told official race charity UNICEF about the mental and physical challenges she'll take on in preparation for the race and during life at sea.
It's an amazing challenge that I've signed up for – but it's also terrifying. I'll be racing in two legs, from London to Capetown, with 12 other 70-foot Clipper boats, crossing the Atlantic twice, and sailing on the open ocean for around 50 days in total.
This August, I will be up against Mother Nature in the most intense challenge of my life.
It's not so much a 'why?' but a 'why not?'
This is the only yacht race in the world open to non-professional sailors. Each of the 70-foot boats (21 metres) has twenty crew. At any stage, ten of them are working, while the other ten sleep.
In such a confined space you quickly have to learn tolerance and patience. The fitter you are, the better you will be at sea but, unfortunately, you're still going to get seasick at some point. It's just one of those things you have to push on through.
Sailing has made me incredibly grateful for the little things in life; a pillow, a hug, warmth, and fresh water. We don't have showers onboard. When it rains, we shower off the mainsheet – water is so precious that we need to conserve and protect it.
Being at sea has made me reflect on those people who can't access the basic necessities of life. Education is so important and we need to ensure that all children can access it, because conservation initiatives don't happen unless you're educated about why they're important.
If children are growing up in vulnerable circumstances, they generally don't have access to education, meaning they start off on the wrong foot.
We are very lucky in New Zealand. We have grown up with safe drinking water and access to education. We have a melting pot of different ethnicities and it makes our country much richer. I have no issue in sharing our richness, support and love, particularly with our neighbours in the Pacific.
I grew up on a South Taranaki farm, and respect for Mother Nature and our environment was drummed into me from a young age. As a child I saw how life and death played out within the animal kingdom. I had access to the great outdoors and a childhood.
I want every child to have those same opportunities.
The more we can look after our children, particularly our young girls, the better off we will be.
I guess that's why UNICEF's values resonate with me and why I'm so passionate about raising awareness. I'm racing to save lives.
