One of the cool things about sailing is that there is no shortage of role models.  Over the past few months I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about trans-Atlantic crossings, the great single handed sailors, and various technical texts.  One of my favorite things is to go in to Barry and Peterson here in Kingston and peruse the nautical section there.  There are many role models in those shelves.

 

 

Since I began this campaign I have been consulting people and asking many questions.  Questions about bluewater sailing, questions about single-handed sailing, questions about fundraising, questions about business proposals, and on and on and on.  While it would be easy to assume that you should be good at all these things going into a campaign like this, the reality is that I am simply looking to learn about all the stuff I need to know, before I need to know it.

This is where the importance of role models comes in.  Right now the focus is on raising money, so I am looking to people who know about that.  Marketing and communications in the sailing business are a very niche area, and I am so glad to have people on my team who have done this and been successful.  It helps to know that these people believe in the project, and me, when I am up at 0300 and worrying about the next pitch.  This positive energy that comes from these role models helps to keep me going. 

 

 

My point is that role models come from all over.  They could come from books like Bernard Moitessier’s The Long Way, they could from your local yacht club, or they could be one of the famous sailors that we all read about in Sailing World like Ellen McArthur.  It doesn’t really matter where we draw strength and experience from; the important part is that we are open enough to learn and ask questions of the people who may know the answers.