It is hard to believe that it is June already. The first half of the year seems to have gone in a flash, which is a sure sign that I have been busy. The first six months of 2025 has been filled with travel and work (or travelling for work!) which meant that spending a whole week at home at the end of May was a complete treat. Being able to catch up on life admin, gym training and reconnect with friends and family was bliss. I have been living out of a bag for the last five weeks so just being able to wear some different clothes was an exciting variation to my routine.
I cannot complain though as I really have been living my best life. Following on from the Palma Vela Regatta in Mallorca, I went straight to La Trinite to join The Famous Project and work to move the preparation of IDEC Sport forward. She is a big boat and it takes many hands to even do the simplest of tasks. The team have endless enthusiasm that is rewarded at the end of the week with a few jobs ticked off the list and progress made. We are fortunate that Clement Surtel has joined us and the knowledge he acquired when sailing onboard the boat during the current Jules Verne Record is invaluable. His expertise has been a game changer and our confidence improves daily as a result of his input.
From La Trinite it was all change again as I swapped a 100ft trimaran for a 100ft monohull to join the Tilakkhana II crew in Sorrento for the Tre Golfi Regatta. The strong winds forecast for the 160 mile offshore meant the prudent decision was taken not to race and we spent the time preparing for the inshore series of races which were a mix of windward leeward courses and coastal races. Four days of racing together again allowed us to improve. We were able to overcome setbacks by resetting quickly afterwards, providing us with the confidence to move forward. Although we have only known each other as a team for five weeks and trained on this boat for just 16 days, we are really developing. The competition are experienced and very strong so it was encouraging that they too noticed our improvement.
June will have a very different feel. I will be back in La Trinite continuing to move The Famous Project ever closer to sailing the big boat and then stretching my sea legs across the Atlantic Ocean in the RORC Transatlantic Race. A new team and a different boat – I shall keep you posted on how we get on.