Mum, Marie O’Riley, 57 from Leamington Spa has just returned from a life changing journey sailing on “Dare to Lead” one of 11 boats circumnavigating the globe in the 2019-20 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Warwick Rotarians had heard from her in March 2020 before she was due to set off and welcomed her back.
The Race was established by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in 1996, Marie who had never sailed before booked a place having seen the boats in Liverpool dock in 2017. This twelfth edition of the race started in London on 1st September 2019 and participants had to self-fund costing her around £15,000.
The Clipper Race is one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other. Crewed by amateurs (many like Marie have never sailed before) the eleven teams each have a professional Skipper and First Mate. A quarter of the 20-crew sail the full 40,000 miles around the world while the rest join for one or two legs. Marie joined Dare To Lead for the Atlantic Homecoming Leg.
Marie had to train hard for two years in all aspects of sailing a 70-foot racing yacht – including the catering, helm, rigging, navigation, and had to conquer her fears to climb the mast! All participants must be able to undertake any of the tasks on board, with crew split into two watches, racing around the clock, day and night.
With the race already in progress, the fleet was in the Philippines in March 2020 when Covid struck and everything stopped for two years. Eventually Marie was able to travel down to Bermuda in June this year to join the boat and had to remember everything she’d learned before setting off for New York.
Marie told about her crew who ranged from 73 years old to 22 and hair-raising seas as they approached Ireland. The relentless sequence of watches, 6 hours during the day then 4 hourly during the night, sleeping through whatever the weather with exhaustion, preparing meals in the galley, the inability to shower, lack of privacy, using the bunk bed in shifts, and magic of coming on deck in a starlit night. Torn sails had to be patched on the go, until reaching Derry in Northern Ireland where a sports centre had the space to repair their huge spinnaker.
The boats arrived into London on the 30th July this year and Marie had covered 4,870 nautical miles, experiencing 50-knot winds which took the boat up to a speed of 28 knots. The Yachts were each raising money for “UNICEF – For every child in danger” the Charity partner. By the end of the race Dare to Lead had the 2nd highest total of £39,000 and Marie’s personal contribution is now £4,040.
Thanking Marie for her presentation Rotarian Alan Bailey said his audience was in awe her achievement and presented Marie with another cheque for Unicef.
Asked what she had learned – Marie said that “I can do anything now!”
