From Dreams to Reality
With everything happening in my life and the world today, writing a book about my sailing adventure felt as daunting as the year at sea had been. And if I'm honest, inner voices were trying to convince me I was simply rehashing 'old news'.
So, true to form, I thanked those voices for their contribution with a wink and a smile and started writing. To be accurate, I started listening. It's been fun to go back through nearly thirty hours of audio captured during the race through my "Where in the World is Andrew Moss" podcast, generously and capably hosted by✨ Kay Lock Kolp, M.Ed..
And as those listening sessions have inspired words to appear on a page, I had an idea to include you in getting this out to the world.
Starting today, I will share a few pages of my writing here each week. The sentences will be raw and unfinished, likely not in the same order they appear in the final product. But as they appear here, they go from an idea to reality, an experience that became familiar each time we untied the lines and set off on our next ocean crossing adventure.
You're the first to see these words. So here we go...
Portsmouth and its lesser-known neighbouring waterfront town of Gosport form a traditionally quiet and a little rough around the edges port and naval base on England's south coast. Over recent years, efforts have been made to infuse the area with new life.
On this last day of August, under brilliant blue sunshine, Portsmouth and its harbour area were alive with nervous energy. I stood on the uncluttered topsides of my new floating home, looking up in awe at the docks of Portsmouth's modern shopping and entertainment centre, Gunwharf Quays.
Thousands of people had gathered. Clipper Around the World Race branding was everywhere, security was checking credentials, and the reality of what was about to happen was becoming clear. The Clipper Round the World Race would start in two days.
This childhood dream was happening. I had no idea what lay ahead, but I knew that I would learn a lot about myself over forty-two thousand miles across the world's oceans, touching six continents, and eleven months at sea.
In the days leading up to departure, I've been reminded of a quote I'd seen several months prior,
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
From Invisible to Watched
Until today, we'd been would-be ocean sailors living in relative anonymity. Our boats were moored a five-minute passenger ferry across the harbour in the dockyards area of the nondescript former navy barracks town of Gosport. We'd spent three weeks of long days with nobody watching. We were just a group of random people from around the world working on our newly branded boats, invisible to the world.
Then everything changed. All eleven crews took their Clipper 70-foot racing boats out for a quick test sail to check that everything was in order. As we returned to the Portsmouth side of the harbour, everything changed. People were everywhere, staring and waving at us, surrounded by Clipper Round the World branding. The harbour docks area had been cleared out for special guests -- and we were those special guests!
As each boat entered the harbour, and their chosen music blared (ours for now was The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin), the crowd cheered. Focused, we went about our docking duties under the careful guidance of our experienced skipper, Mike Miller.
It was the first moment we realized we'd gone from trainees to aspiring ocean sailors, to become the athletes, the centre of attention in this whole thing.
As we came and went from our new moorings, we had identification that let security know we were the competitors. Spectators lined the docks, watching our every move. It felt exactly like the energy at a major event from my previous competitive swimming coaching life, but this time I was the athlete.
In a single day, we'd gone from anonymous visitors roaming the quaint seaside towns to having sponsors, spectators, and media attention. It was a strange experience, and the first of what would be a year full of surprises.
Shared with love and gratitude to all who have followed and supported me,
Andrew
