I became aware of Clipper several years ago, not really sure when exactly. I think it must of been the power of subliminal advertising from those posters at the train station when I used to work in London.

Why do they advertise at commuter stations? Is it just because there are a lot of people to see them, or is it because so many people that commute to work have so little to look forward to each day?

Then a couple of years ago I saw "Against The Tide" the story of the 2009-10 race. My family thought I was mad when I said "I want to do that." Soon after this had been on the TV, I enrolled on the RYA Coastal / Yachtmaster Theory (having done the "Dazed Kipper" practical 2 years earlier). A fellow student lent me Ian Dicken's book "Sea Change".

That was it, I was hooked, but was I being selfish wanting to do this? Not just for the cost, but also for abandoning my family. And then what about work?