|
He was introduced to sailing only six years
ago, but in that time has managed to gain a reasonable amount of
experience crewing and skippering boats racing round the cans mainly
in the Solent and cruising further afield. He has passed his Yachtmaster
(Offshore) Theory Exam and Coastal Skipper practical exam and is
currently studying for his Yachtmaster Ocean qualification.
He initially heard about the race from someone who had competed
in the inaugural British Steel Challenge in 1992.
Hearing more about the race from a former
colleague who was on the winning 1996 BT Global Challenge yacht
Group 4 fuelled his interest in actually participating in the race.
He feels this race will present the ultimate sailing challenge for
him - His passion for sailing combined with his desire for challenges
and competitive spirit are culminated in this unique event.
”To see Cape Horn will be quite simply awesome!” says
Julian. “Having learnt about the perils and dangers of the
area as a child in Chile, it will be amazing to experience them
first hand and this will be the first time that I will have been
back to the area since leaving as a child. Well, I'll see Chile
from the distance at least!”
In 2003 he bought his first boat “Aurora”, a Firefly dinghy
that he keeps at Chipstead Sailing Club near Sevenoaks, with the
aim of getting back to basics and sharpening up his racing and boat
handling skills. “Dinghy sailing is great fun and is the best
way of learning the fundamentals of sailing, racing and boat handling”
says Julian.
He hopes the race will not only improve his sailing skills and knowledge
but will also build on other life skills. “The team aspect
of the race is not only one of the biggest challenges, but will
also be one of the most rewarding experiences. As a team we will
all be a part of something much bigger than we could achieve by
ourselves”.
|
