Two young British sailors hope to inspire others by breaking the record for circumnavigating mainland Britain in a beach catamaran in less than 28 days.
Chris Brooks , 24, and Glenn Foster, 22, from Southend-on-Sea in Essex, UK will attempt to break the record this summer and raise in excess of £10,000 for the NSPCC Childline charity. The NSPCC’s purpose is to end cruelty to children and their vision is of a society where all children are loved, valued and able to fulfil their potential. Chris and Glenn hope their efforts will help kids ‘Be inspired to achieve’... a mantra adopted by Glenn during his time as an Army Cadet.
Coming from a background where times were tough, sailing has changed Chris’s life. Sailing is a sport normally participated in by the privileged few. In Chris’s own words: “ (sailing) has given me the opportunity to work towards my dreams and aspirations. It has given me the chance to meet some fantastic people, to see places I never would have seen and the opportunity to focus on realising my potential.” Chris has been sailing since he was 10 years old and is a Commercially Endorsed Yachtmaster.
By successfully completing the Round Britain Challenge, Chris hopes to raise money to help others that are less fortunate and also to inspire other kids from backgrounds like theirs.
Glenn and Chris have been friends since childhood. Glenn was planning to become an officer in the British Army and was a top ranked cadet. Tragically he had an accident where both of his wrists were broken and his military dreams shattered. Chris helped teach Glenn how to sail at their local yacht club. Last summer the pair delivered a yacht from Southampton to Gibraltar. In addition to honing his sailing skills, Glenn’s eyes were open to a much bigger world. He had the “chance to experience different cultures and ways of life.” Round Britain is just the beginning.
My role in this is volunteering as the Project Manager. I met Chris last autumn while racing in the Hamble Winter Series and was inspired by his story and his ambitions. I grew up sailing on my family yacht on the Chesapeake Bay. After meeting these guys, I have learned to really appreciate what a privilege that was for me.
The team is currently working on raising funds to purchase the boat and plan to complete the Challenge in June of this year. Our website www.sailingroundbritain.com is live and we will continue to make it more interactive to track progress. We have also started the charity fundraising. Chris and Glenn are on the water right now (probably somewhere off the coast of France) making another delivery down to
Gibraltar.
Suzy Fox
25 January 2011
London
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