e K
Issue 1
MIND’S EYE nt It
Started
COAL
with a
E L I SM
not
DOLE
FAST The
Living a
LANE
Y A D
M A DRE
The
Mind
The
has
Mount
ains
Craft
of the
SEA
Mind’s Eye Kent | July 2018
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Front cover: Whitstable Beach Huts 2 Mind’s Eye Kent | July 2018
Inside cover: Dungeness
Welcome
to the first edition of Mind’s Eye Kent, the new online magazine for East Kent Schools Together, a partnership of five schools with Canterbury Christ Church University that seeks to widen the horizons of children in East Kent. The original Mind’s Eye magazine began at The King’s School, Canterbury in 2011 to let pupils express their views on any subject as long as it had nothing to do with the school. They have since written about everything from food and fashion to war and art and space. Now in its eighth year, the magazine spawned Mind’s Eye Prep in 2017, which draws material from nearly 200 prep schools in the South East, and this year it is giving state school writers from East Kent a chance to start their own publication with professional editing and design support. In the following pages, pupils who volunteered bravely as inaugural contributors engage sensitively with the world beyond exams and write with panache about subjects close to their hearts. All from St. Anselm’s RC School in Canterbury on this occasion, they discuss cars, 1980s politics, poverty and charity, truth and lies, sailing and mental health. We are deeply grateful to all of them for coming forward and setting such a high standard for the first edition, and we hope that other schools will be inspired next time, and beyond, by their example.
Anthony Lyons The King’s School, Canterbury Editor
Contents 4 | The Mind has Mountains
16 | Coal not Dole
Lilac Marsh demands equal provision for both mental and physical health
Eleanor Scott laments the inhuman haste of pit closures in the Eighties
8 | The Fast Lane
22 | Living a Daydream
Chester Speed says our obsession with cars will grow with technological advances
A poem by Weronika Bialek
12 | It Started with a Smile Alice Oliver fondly recalls the stoicism of a smiling girl and her baby
24 | The Craft of the Sea Emily Blaxill claims sailing is more than just a way to relax
Design: www.cobwebcreative.org
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e h T Mind s a h s n i a t n u o
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Mental illness may be less apparent than physical illness, but it can be just as deadly, argues LILAC MARSH, and it is high time it got the attention it deserves
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oss of mental health is just like having a broken bone or catching a cold, except a mental health issue isn’t visible. Sixteen million people in the UK (Guardian, 2018) – that is one in four adults – will suffer at some stage, and without the proper resources available to offer help this rising epidemic will make a huge impact on myriad people and their loved ones.
It is no mystery why these mental health issues come about. In 2014 18% of young people between eleven and fifteen reported being victims of some form of cyberbullying. And SafeLives, a UK charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, shows that 52% of children who witness domestic abuse experience negative effects on their social lives and relationships. If more help isn’t offered to Services lack the key these children, many will have resources needed to succeed, the main fault damaged life chances as they in the system being the grow towards adulthood.
The charity Young Minds tells us, ‘Three in four mental illnesses root themselves in childhood experiences, with long wait for help that many growing so fast that School staff play a vital role many patients suffer they will start before the child in identifying disorders early, reaches their 18th birthday.’ such as self-harm and eating Experiencing a mental health issue so young disorders. There are many services out there can affect the way children are treated, and to help, such as the Children and Adolescent many will experience discrimination and Mental Health Services (CAMHS), which unequal chances in life, such as problems provides support and treatment, and has getting or keeping a stable job. received around 460,000 referrals. Sadly these services lack the key resources needed In the UK today, 850,000 children and young to succeed, the main fault in the system people have been diagnosed with a range being the long wait for help that many of disorders, such as anxiety, depression and patients suffer. The shortest wait you can conduct disorder, to name a few. There are expect is around four weeks, but many have serious ramifications if these disorders go to hang on for twelve to 100 weeks before untreated, for example there is an increase being seen. During such waiting times a in self-harm amongst children between five child’s situation could get more serious. Not and sixteen. only this, but the average of eight sessions
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SCHOOL STAFF PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN IDENTIFYING DISORDERS EARLY, SUCH AS SELF-HARM AND EATING DISORDERS
School years can be the most draining for young people because of the social isolation, stress, bullying, body image issues and anxiety
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after the wait is too short for significant change in the patient’s life to happen. Even worse, the need to treat patients faster isn’t being funded. The mental health budget hasn’t always been seen as important in the eyes of the government, who seem blind to injury unless it is physical. children who aren’t in education, such School years can be the most draining as those who have to miss school for for young people because of the social whatever reason, or those who are isolation, stress, bullying, body image excluded. These are the ones most issues and anxiety that likely to have mental are most intense in the health needs. Depression is not just closed environment being sad, anxiety is of school and these We need greater not just overthinking, problems are on funding for mental OCD is not a desire to the rise. But present health. Funding for make things perfect and government plans physical health towers bipolar disorder isn’t will leave hundreds of above the mental just mood swings children without the health budget. But are support they need. mental and physical Only a fifth to a quarter of the country health not equal? The government will receive support, leaving thousands prioritises physical over mental of children to cope on their own. This wellbeing when just because you new plan is also failing to help those cannot see the damage with your eyes doesn’t mean it isn’t there. We need to stop stigmatising mental health, since depression is not just being sad, anxiety is not just overthinking, OCD is not a desire to make things perfect and bipolar disorder isn’t just mood swings. Having a mental health issue does not make you ‘crazy’ and you should not
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JUST BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE THE DAMAGE WITH YOUR EYES DOESN’T MEAN IT ISN’T THERE
have to be caged in stigma with the key to the door being the expectation of getting better by yourself. You need someone to help you unlock this cage so that you can be free. We need to provide a safe haven for our children, shelter them under a tree and help them to weather the storm, and to build their resilience when they enter adulthood. Sadly the government isn’t planting enough trees to provide cover for everyone and so many children and young people are forced to face out the storm alone, which can result in the development of more deepseated and life-threatening issues. The quid pro quo is that providing a forest of mental health services that will have actual impact now, focusing not only on those with the most serious issues, will help future generations build their own shelter and a happier society full of zeal for the future. Mind’s Eye Kent | July 2018
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CHESTER SPEED considers our obsession with cars, and decides that advancing technology will only make it grow
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NOT ALL CHILDREN IN THE MIDTWENTIETH CENTURY COULD AFFORD A TOY CAR, AND JUST AS MANY HOUSEHOLDS COULDN’T AFFORD THE REAL THING
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There are about 25.8 million cars on UK roads, and many households have two or more. Where did our love of cars begin and what does the future hold? For decades toy cars have provided children with hours of entertainment. Children enjoy them even though they do not understand their importance, or how they work. Dinky Cars began production in 1934 with the most popular car being the Volkswagen Beetle. Matchbox cars were introduced in the mid50s and their most popular car was the BP Dodge Wrecker. These toy cars had no opening parts, unlike those we are familiar with today, but fun was had by both children and adults. Many of these cars are now collectors’ items that are worth hundreds of pounds. Today children’s imaginations are fired by the animated antics of cars. Even as far back as the 1970s Herbie the VW Beetle delighted audiences with his adventures. In more recent years, one of Walt Disney’s most popular films, known simply as Cars, features the thrilling adventures of Lightning McQueen, a red stock car. Not all children in the mid-Twentieth Century could afford a toy car, just as many households couldn’t afford the real thing. For most any kind of car remained a luxury item. 8
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The Fast L a ne
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SPORTS CARS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SYMBOLS OF WEALTH AND SUCCESS
Formula One manufacturers such as Lamborghini and Ferrari amaze and thrill us with the development of engines capable of setting new lap records Sports cars have always been symbols of wealth and success. Their ability to travel at speeds of almost 300mph adds to their glamorous image. In Formula One manufacturers such as Lamborghini and Ferrari amaze and thrill us with the development of engines capable of setting new lap records. One of the fastest cars today has 1,104 horsepower. (A new Mini Cooper has 208.) As we look further into the future, we will see cars that are self-driving and in theory people will be safer on the roads. This will remove the need for driving tests so anyone will be able to drive. But is this a good thing? One consequence could be a rise in pollution because there would be many more cars on the roads. However, cars are constantly evolving and manufacturers are always looking for ways to improve the economy and efficiency of their models. 10
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CARS ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND MANUFACTURERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY OF THEIR MODELS
While our concerns about the pollution of our environment and global warming grow, electric cars are an ever-growing possibility. Limited charging facilities is an issue, but the possibility of harnessing solar power takes the car’s possible future forward in an exciting way. Tesla is a brand leader in this field and is so confident that electric cars are the future it is building all forms of its vehicles with electric features. Race car manufacturers are using electricity as a source of power, Formula E being one of the most popular examples. Formula E is an international race for electric cars on different race tracks around the world. This technology is still developing but is already very popular with racing enthusiasts. Cars have developed a lot throughout the years and there are many exciting new projects on the way in the 21st Century. Where the car will take us next, we will have to wait and see.
As we look further into the future, we will see cars that are self-driving and in theory people will be safer on the roads
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RACE CAR MANUFACTURERS ARE USING ELECTRICITY AS A SOURCE OF POWER, FORMULA E BEING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR EXAMPLES Mind’s Eye Kent | July 2018
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ALICE OLIVER is filled with hope and wonder by human charity and the smile of a girl who had nothing in the world to live for but a baby
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oor. Alone. Disabled. Born in a country where benefits don’t exist. Cast out and disowned by your family. Imagine what it would be like to be barely scraping by when your entire life shifts, you have a new focus, another mouth to feed. Imagine living without hope.
Demarku and her newly born daughter, Meron, had to beg to survive. She sat on a stone wall outside the large grey gates of a community of people from the West, families with much more than she. Little did she know that one of the families would help, and that family just happened to be mine.
Demarku didn’t need to My family lived in Ethiopia Demarku was born imagine; she was living in serving as missionaries for unable to work that way when my family met properly, and had little ten years. I’d seen some her. She was born with a limp, astounding things happen, chance of finding a which branded her disabled. In such as watching my Father husband, since her Ethiopia, even these days the introduce many people family was ashamed main role of a woman is to get to God, my Mother (and and cast her out married, have a child and tend occasionally my younger the home. Because Demarku sister) nurse small children was born unable to work properly, she had back to health and one time I helped build little chance of finding a husband. Demarku’s a house for some of the local people down family was ashamed and cast her out. country. Yet I had never witnessed anything quite like what happened for Demarku. With nowhere to go and no one to help, Demarku turned to prostitution. When she She was sitting on that wall, in front of a realized she was pregnant, she was unable small green palm tree next to my gates the to continue with her sole means of earning first time I saw her. She was wearing tattered money. In Ethiopia, pregnancy before clothing, holding a sad baby, a small pile of marriage makes a woman an outcast: she coins in front of her. Yet still, even though she is dirty, sinful and ignored. What little hope had so little, she was smiling. Demarku had left of finding a husband was snuffed out. Her last option was to take to the streets.
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IN ETHIOPIA, PREGNANCY BEFORE MARRIAGE MAKES A WOMAN AN OUTCAST: SHE IS DIRTY, SINFUL AND IGNORED
A small mud hut with only one room, barely space for a small bed and a few chairs, was just big enough for a mother and baby
My Mother spotted her when we approached the gates on the way back from Church. She told my Dad to stop the car. She picked up an old blue blanket from the back seat. I was told to take the blanket to the woman with the baby and, feeling confused, I did. The grateful look on her face was worth the fear of being outside the gates without Demarku was receiving from my family. my parents. I was only out there for a Every time we saw her she would gain a minute and it was terrifying. I can’t little more faith in God, giving her hope. imagine what Demarku felt being alone out there for hours. Giving her One day, Demarku was offered the one that blanket was the first interaction thing she needed to get her back on my family had with track – a job. It wasn’t Demarku but it wasn’t a very good job but the last. Every day she for a woman with a I was only out there sat in the same place, child even washing for a minute and it was and every time we terrifying. I can’t imagine shoes would seem like passed her my Mother what Demarku felt being the best occupation. alone out there for would provide her with It was the only thing hours something else – some my mother could offer, loose change, food, due to Demarku’s shoes or old clothes. limited abilities and She would accept all of occupation as a fullit very gratefully, always thanking us. time mother. Demarku had a new But possessions weren’t the only thing light in the darkness; she had hope for Meron’s future. A five-minute walk from Demarku’s new job was a small mud hut with only one room and barely space for a small bed and a few chairs. It was just big enough for a mother and baby. Demarku found
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SHE WILL NEVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT HER MOTHER WENT THROUGH
herself in this small home, her rent paid by my aunt, who had heard about her situation. Demarku made friends with her neighbours and attended a small church where she made a few more friends. They were the first Ethiopians to accept her and Meron in a long time. Her life was finally as normal as she thought it would get. She didn’t realize her biggest miracle was yet to come. Meron was four, around the time children in Ethiopia start school, when Demarku’s biggest blessing came along. Her prayers for her daughter finally came true when she met an old friend of my family called Birtukan. Birtukan and her husband owned a small school and had heard about Demarku and Meron through my mother. Birtukan is one of the loveliest people I have ever come across. She has changed the lives of many people, one of them Meron. Meron was offered a place at Birtukan’s school and started there as soon as she could. Because Demarku still didn’t have enough money to pay for Meron’s tuition, Birtukan let her in for free. This provided Demarku with the knowledge that, no matter what happens to her, Meron will get an education and will be able to fend for herself and get a good job or husband. She will never have to go through what her mother went through. Somewhere in the capital city of Ethiopia a woman called Demarku lives with her daughter Meron. They wouldn’t be living the way they do today if Demarku hadn’t sat on that stone wall all those years ago, smiling. ‘What drew me to Demarku,’ my mother said, many years later, ‘wasn’t the conditions she was in but the smile she wore, even though she had nothing.’ It still makes me wonder. How can someone with so little be so happy? How could she have escaped such a bad situation? Well, it all started with a smile.
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Mind’s Eye Kent | June 2018
Portrait of a coal miner
Coanol t Dole ELEANOR SCOTT looks back at
the battle between Scargill and Thatcher and sees not angels or demons but only The Iron Lady in too much of a hurry
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F
rom 1984 to 1985 Britain was London by the government, march up struck by war, a war that scarred to the North to face Britain’s coalminers the nation with division and before a bloody battle occurred. hatred – a war between coalminer and policeman. One had helped Britain’s But what was it all about? It was about economy soar with the use of his bare major action by miners against the coal hands for over 200 years; the other industry to prevent coal pit closures. protected the island, In other words, the day in and day out, from Britain faced a financial miners were fighting crash in the Seventies all forms of cruelty, for their jobs. Since the that saw mountains of Industrial Revolution, from shoplifters to mass murderers. But this war rubbish piling up in the working-class men had streets and the dead happened, not out of been sent underground unburied hatred by one for the to collect coal for wages other, but because of worth a fraction of what the bitterness of the powerful. they collected. Many of these men had known from an early age that they The coalminers dangled from strings would become miners, like their fathers held by Arthur Scargill, President of the and grandfathers before them; their National Union of Mineworkers. The heritage was coal. Such men believed policeman dangled from the hands you didn’t need to make millions to of Margaret Thatcher, the first woman have a happy life; they represented Prime Minister – a title that may sound a culture free of materialism and the heroic but not a title she deserved. shame of working with your hands – values that, today, we seem to be This war was known as The Miners’ missing. Strike. It was not Britain’s only miners’ strike but, undoubtedly, the most Why were the pits being closed? famous. It saw policemen, sent out from Money. Britain faced a financial crash 18
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SUCH MEN BELIEVED YOU DIDN’T NEED TO MAKE MILLIONS TO HAVE A HAPPY LIFE; THEY REPRESENTED A CULTURE FREE OF MATERIALISM
in the Seventies that saw mountains of rubbish piling up in the streets and the dead unburied. Facing the heavy task of trying to pull us out of these horrific conditions, Margaret Thatcher would have to make some radical changes, and this meant reducing pressure on state funding to help economic growth. The solution was privatisation and the closing of state-funded institutions.
there were alternatives. But today Donald Trump insists on promoting the coal industry in the USA. Coal is not an efficient way of producing energy in a time when we are surrounded by The Eighties then saw a stream of renewable energy: solar, wind, hydro selling or closing of state industries, – we’re not exactly short of options. Trump clearly has not including the railways, been moved by the British Gas, British The Eighties then saw images of polar bears Aerospace, water, and a stream of selling or trudging through council houses, all sold closing of state industries, cold water as ice melts to private companies including the railways, around them and they and tenants. So the British Gas, British seek food and shelter miners were not alone Aerospace, water, and for their cubs. Even but with all these council houses China, the factory of other resources being the world, knows it sold off, did they need to be closed? Well, it was not just about needs to take environmental action. money at the time, but how the country Perhaps Mrs Thatcher was a visionary. With some very right-wing views, such would benefit in the future. as thinking feminism is ‘poison’ and Mrs Thatcher was to some extent banning LGBT identity from being prophetic in her outlook. She knew taught in schools, Thatcher knew that global warming was an issue and that Britain had to modernise its economy if it was going to grow. If the country could create trade, using more efficient methods of energy that would not see environmental damage, then they
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TODAY DONALD TRUMP INSISTS ON PROMOTING THE COAL INDUSTRY IN THE USA. COAL IS NOT AN EFFICIENT WAY OF PRODUCING ENERGY IN A TIME WHEN WE ARE SURROUNDED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY Mind’s Eye Kent | July 2018
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Photo: Martin Jenkins
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THE MEN WHO HELPED BUILD BRITAIN’S ECONOMY WERE TOLD THAT THEY WERE TO LOSE THEIR JOBS WHEN THERE WERE NO SUBSIDIES OR ATTEMPT TO HELP THOUSANDS FACING THE HUMILIATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT
would be able to secure better deals, especially with developing countries that were suffering greatly from a lack of renewable methods. So, is it right to portray the union of mineworkers as angels and the government of the time as demons? Of course not. But it shouldn’t be vice versa either. However, the reasons I have given explain why this event made the United Kingdom the Divided Kingdom; even those who are willing to accept that both sides had valid arguments may side with one then the other – I know I do. Personally, I side with the coalminers on this issue but that is not because of what Thatcher did but how she did it. She went far too fast. The men who helped build Britain’s economy were told that they were to lose their jobs when there were no subsidies or a consistent attempt to help thousands facing the humiliation of unemployment. Thatcher’s closedminded attitude was unveiled: her eyes were fixed too much on ideology and not enough on people.
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The Eighties then saw a stream of selling or closing of state industries, including the railways, British Gas, British Aerospace, water, and council houses
The miners were fighting: not because they were climate change deniers; but because there weren’t any jobs to find That’s why the miners were fighting: not because they were climate change deniers; not because they wanted to make the government look bad; not because they couldn’t be bothered to find another job; but because there weren’t any jobs to find. Most had worked only in the coal industry and many ended up never working again. Thatcher may have been the first woman Prime Minister but there were many women she was never going to represent – the miners’ wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters. These were some of the bravest women in the nation at the time, alongside their mining men. History has taught us, and this is an example, that there are no heroes and villains, just people, and people trying to do their best even if they get it wrong.
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Perfect; illusion; yet real Be who you are; even though you are trapped behind glass. Merely an image of an ocean.
by Weronika Bialek
Living a Daydream
Dark Deep Filled with life, And death. Survival. Waste. Many stories. More interpretations and you don’t know which one to trust. They’re all false. Loose. Lost Unable to believe oneself nor your thoughts which are a reflection of someone else. Who are we? Who am I? We’re just light. Bouncing off one another with different spectrums different hues. We drink them and spill them until we become none. Unimportant. A speck. A flicker of light. Cast away in the sea of lies and truths intertwined. Beautiful words ringing to the sound of unstable minds but not quite; Dead yes they are. Divine sea flowing slowly but the scale does not show the truth of the storm. Stupid. Simple. Not enough pictures of my thoughts. Not enough metaphors. Let me repeat ideas that have been voiced in speeches neglected. I’m not I’m not
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trying, hard enough. lost, okay.
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t f f o a r C the Sea 24
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EMILY BLAXILL
explains why sailing is not just lazy leisure but a skilful challenge with rich rewards
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rt, literature and the media often depict sailing as old men pottering around in wooden boats, but this is a narrow view of a skilled craft with rich opportunities. Sailing is a modern sport for everyone: you can race, cruise the coast or mess about with friends but, whatever your goal, every day is different. Changing tides, weather and wind speed, or direction, mean you have to stay in control under difficult conditions. Although there are wooden sailing dinghies, modern hulls are usually fibreglass or polypropylene, offering lighter and more hydrodynamic performance. Different classes of boat require different skill sets, whether for single- or double-handed craft, a catamaran or skiff. To develop this skill set, you need to race against others with your class of boat. Unlike races in other sports, you don’t begin stationary at a start line, but sailors are already moving and tack at the right moment when the start gun goes off, so you not only gain right of way but also an advantage in the triangular or square course ahead of you. There is a lot of strategy through right of way. For example, if you are on the starboard side (right), you have right of way, but if you are the windward boat, you must keep clear for the leeward boat, which is furthest away from the wind. So racing tests your ingenuity, and is great escapism. It was in fact a windy day at a sailing regatta with two races back to back that fired my passion for racing. A good start is always crucial but being late to the first race I did badly. When the wind picked up, I was determined to continue even though there were few boats left, many retiring to shore. Intense cold and icy rain hampered my attempts to adjust the sails quickly but I didn’t capsize and finished the race. This was when I realised how exhilarating it was to be in control against the
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ENGINEERING ADVANCES FOR THE AMERICA’S CUP ARE INSPIRING. THE MAIDEN PROJECT DELIVERED THE FIRST WOMEN’S ROUNDTHE-WORLD RECORD, EXPLODING THE MYTH THAT SAILING IS A MALE SPORT
elements. With just a sail and no electricity, you must harness the raw power of the wind and to do this you must respect the sea. Conditions change quickly but with practice, determination and commitment, the sport becomes rewarding. Projects related to sailing, such as engineering advances for the America’s Cup, are inspiring. The Maiden Project, which delivered the first women’s roundthe-world record, exploded the myth that sailing is a male sport because of the physical strength involved, and now sailing is not just an elite sport for men but a sport for everyone. These days there are children’s courses and programmes for the disabled. Sailing intrigues non-sailors. Where I sail at Whitstable, many on the beach sit and stare, curious about how it all works. Some even ask if they can sit in my boat. The sea is like another world. When you return to shore with curious faces staring, their human drive for adventure and discovery reflects your own desire to explore the world beyond the shore. Although I don’t travel to other countries in my dinghy, just being on the sea is adventure enough. I may be always on the same part of the Kentish coast, but every day the experience is uniquely refreshing.
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I don’t travel to other countries in my dinghy; just being on the sea is adventure enough
A Whitstable Sunset
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Photo: Anthony Lyons
I may be always on the same part of the Kentish coast, but every day the experience is uniquely refreshing
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