Raeann Greenham

Challenge of a lifetime

Close your eyes and imagine racing a yacht, soaked to the skin, from the Caribbean to New York, and competing for a podium finish in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Imagine dodging icebergs in thick Canadian fog and watching out for whales across the Atlantic in a rolling ocean from Canada to Cork.
On top of all this, contemplate the feelings I am expecting as I sail the Hull and Humber back to Hull for the finish of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, to be welcomed by a crowd of over 100,000 people including my family and friends whom I will not have seen for two months.
As a Hull girl through and through I'll feel as proud as I ever could be and this is why I want to take part in the race.
However, gaining a place on Leg 7 has not been easy.
I had to apply and pass an interview.
Then I had to raise a bank loan to finance my dream.
My first week of sailing training last February in Gosport left me the coldest and wettest I had ever been – sideways hail and scraping ice off the deck – all this whilst a patient skipper taught us how to sail and race a yacht.
I had never sailed before, so the whole Clipper experience will be the challenge of a lifetime and makes me realise you are never too old to try out any of your dreams.
The second week of training was slightly sunnier and the third week was brilliant, sailing the yacht from Hull (after the Great Yorkshire Show) down to Gosport to rendezvous with the other nine Clipper yachts.
I have met some wonderful friends who will be lifelong mates.
You get to know them very well whilst you are stuck on a 68 ft boat, sharing the cooking, cleaning, sea sickness, sail mending, engineering, plumbing, the lack of hygiene (a shower every nine days) as well as racing!
There will be fall outs, but it will only make the team stronger.
I can't wait to set sail...

Raeann Greenham and her crewmates will arrive in Hull on 17 July.
For more information on the race visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Council leader Cllr Carl Minns was unable to write this month's Insight due to publicity restrictions in advance of the general and local elections. The leader's column returns in June.