July has been one of those months where I seem to have packed about three different lives into four weeks.
One of the real highlights of the month was being invited to join Oliver Heer and Lincoln Dews onboard Embrace The Challenge for a few days of sailing.
Now, I spend a fair amount of time talking about IMOCAs. Having reported on the Vendée Globe, I've spent hours explaining to audiences what these boats are like, how fast they are, what life onboard is like, and just how physical and demanding they can be. But it's one thing explaining it but quite another remembering what it's actually like to be onboard. These boats are seriously cool. They're fast, powerful, noisy, extremely physical and seemingly have about a million things going on at once. You really do have to be switched on.
And, of course, as is often the case with sailing, things don't always go according to plan. After falling over and lying on our side a few times, we returned to base to fix the issue and, once we had everything back together, set off once more. There is something really satisfying about that process.
It also gave me a great insight into the dynamic between Ollie and Lincoln as a new team coming together for the next few years of campaigning. They complement each other well and are a real pleasure to sail with.
Ollie and Lincoln have now headed across the Atlantic as they prepare for their next challenge, The Ocean Race Atlantic, starting at the beginning of September. They're joined by Liz Wardley and Marie Riou, with Paddy Condy as OBR. I'll certainly be following them closely and, having had a little taste of Embrace The Challenge myself, I'm intrigued to see how she performs against the newer boats that have recently launched and are now racing.
After the excitement of the IMOCA, it was time for something a little less technical. I headed down to North Devon to catch up with my sister and was given the very important job of dog sitting her new rescue. Now, anyone who knows me will know that this was not exactly a hardship. I've missed having that unconditional dog love around, so I was more than happy to take on the responsibility. Casper has been living with my sister for about six months now and has really settled in. He's pretty chilled these days, which meant my weekend of dog sitting was relatively straightforward and, even better, we all survived.
There is something wonderfully grounding about spending a bit of time with family and four legged friends. No weather forecasts, no sail changes, no routing discussions, no one asking what the wind is doing. Just walks, cuddles, and someone being ridiculously pleased to see you every time you come back into the room.
Any thoughts of escaping the current heatwave evaporated as I headed to even higher temperatures in Palma Mallorca. I joined the Swan 58 WaveWalker, which had made the trip over from the US, for the Copa del Rey Regatta. With new additions to the team joining us, this wasn't just about turning up and going racing. This regatta was very much part of our preparation for the Swan Cup in Sardinia in September and essential to getting everyone working together, learning the boat, refining manoeuvres, improving communication and, importantly, finding out where we still have work to do. There is nothing quite like a regatta to highlight all these things. Despite light winds and a tricky class to race in, we stayed diligent and made steps forward. Our racing in September will be all the more poignant as this will be our last race in her now that she is up for sale. Incentive, if it were needed it, to finish the season on a high and do her justice.
Now, if all this racing sounds exhausting and cruising is more your cup of tea or if you have never tried it but are tempted, check out Cruising in Croatia – a six episode series I hosted where you can discover what a sailing holiday is really like. Join me as I explore the unique islands in the glittering Adriatic waters to get a flavour of this stunning area and what life is like cruising in this part of the Mediterranean.