Ahoy!

A very overdue update but I completed my Level 2 and 3 last month which involved so many amazing moments I can't even begin to explain...

Highlights included climbing up the mast (see photo below taken from the top by crew mate Oli.) Not only was this ridiculously scary it was also really hard work too - I had naively presumed that I would be hoisted up there and would just get to enjoy a little ride up to the top so when I was told I actually had to put some effort in and climb it was a bit of a shock! Really need to work on my hand signals too as when I got about three quarters up and was being bounced around all over the place my lovely crew members thought that my manic waving was just over excitement meaning I wanted to go higher and not that I was signaling to get me down asap - Eek!

Anyway, highlight number 2 had to be sailing to Alderney which I have mentioned in this blog so many times (here, here and here)...my most favourite place in the world where I spent so many happy summers as a child. We munched on burgers and had a walk on one of Alderney's lovely beaches. Perfect.

Other highlights included...seeing dolphins (naturally I jumped up and down like a five year old), cooking fajitas for 16 (oh yes), star spotting in the amazing clear skies, spiking the spinnaker (essentially climbing up a rope and sitting on a pole then letting a sail the size of a tennis court down by stabbing a spike into a catch. Awesome). And of course meeting lots of lovely people (including our fab skippers and first mate - Oli, Simon and Emily), laughing till I couldn't stop, conversations under the stars, winning our first mini race against another level 2 boat, relays up and down the deck whilst attached by our safety lines, passing my Day Skipper exam (which a little help from my friends...ahem), snoozes on the sail, G&Ts every eve....I could go on....

Here's some photos.
















Oo and a video of the dolphins (thankfully you can't hear my squealing from the other side of the boat)

Ps.

If you'd like to sponsor me here is the link, any donations most gratefully received!

https://edinburghuni.workwithus.org/Fundraising/Donate.aspx?page=6456

Transplant Ambassador Project

About a year and half ago I spotted a blog post on one of the organ donation websites that I regularly follow which featured a call out for people who had been effected by organ donation to get involved in a relay race around the world on a Clipper 68ft racing yacht. My first response was to email the organiser and transplant surgeon Professor Stephen Wigmore and say I'd do it. I have a habit of getting involved in anything and everything (this frequently gets me into trouble...) and it didn't actually dawn on me till pretty recently what a hell of a challenge I was committing too.

Fast forward 18 months, a lot of emails between Steve & I, a couple of meetings and here I am having just returned from my first weeks training for the Clipper Race which starts in a few months. I'm exhausted both mentally and physically after a week of serious training and living on the yacht itself but I'm also extremely grateful and excited to be involved.

10 of us will be taking part in the race, each person has been directly effected by transplant and the aim is to raise awareness for organ donation around the world and show what an amazing difference to one's life a transplant can make.

I will be using this blog to document my Clipper journey...for the past year I have been posting elsewhere as quite simply my life post transplant has been going so well that I haven't felt the need to write on here.

I set off for my level 2 of training next week and I can't wait. It's an amazing feeling to be able to take part in something so huge as the Clipper Round the World race, especially as only a couple of years ago there's no way I'd be able to do this...spending 3 nights a week in hospital on dialysis, battling renal bone disease, anemia and a load of other joyous presents which come alongside kidney failure...I can't even begin to to explain the difference in me and my body. Anyway, thanks for reading and here are some photos from last week...