WILDE NEW CREW!!

18 year old Chris Wilde of Warwick in the UK (above right) is busy right now..He has five days to get to Sydney to start the ride of his life as part of the Talisker Bounty Boat crew. His mother read the story in the Telegraph on Wednesday and told Chris, who was then one of the first to apply for entry details. After considering all the Options, I chose Chris ahead of others, even though as he says in his own words “ I cant say I have any boating or sailing experience at all” but he has the one key element I look for…absolute blind passion. I know this will get him through. He is a student in his Gap year, works as a Lifeguard (so swims well), enjoys climbing mountains and is up for the mental and physical challenges ahead. This will change his life and be a story worth watching. At 65kg he is now part of the “seefood diet”..see it, just eat it!

The shortlist for the other spot came down to a German, an Italian, one seriously amazing woman and three other Australians, including Dave Pryce one of my closest mates! He has wanted to go since I first thought of the idea many years ago, but I said no..I want “New Blood”. When ever Dave and I are together we are scheming new adventures and crazy ideas. It is one of our favourite past times ..He has done quite a few himself, skippered one of our yachts around the world on an expedition, via Cape Horn and three times to Antarctica. He was on the crew picking Margie and I up from our year of Isolation living in a box in Antarctica. He has raced many of the solo ocean races, skippered the Western Australian Clipper around the world yachts a few years back and now runs his own adventure expedition yacht “Blizzard”. Check out www.blizzardexpeditions.com for a rundown and Dave’s CV. Margie and I sold him “Blizzard” back in 2003 before starting to build ICE in China. It needed a full refit, which Dave did and has since sailed her around the world supporting many other adventurers. I asked Dave to come. He thought about it for one second and said OK! He is just about to set off on a Birding expedition and will not be able to get to Tonga till about the 16^th of April, has never sailed in Talisker Bounty Boat before, but is all rearing to go! Dave has more experience than me, but we match each other in the “crazies” department.

Talisker Bounty Boat is back on track with a great crew and only days before we get underway. Watch this space!

I weighed myself at the chemist today..99Kg? one is wrong? Hope it is the Chemist!