Jackie Parry Recently, in the midst of teeth-grinding fear, I realised it was not the event itself causing my sleepless nights, it was the lead up to it. It was the ‘what ifs’ that stirred those little fear gremlins into a frenzy. I know this because during the event, as we surfed down waves at twenty knots in the blackest of black nights, I spread my arms and felt like I was flying. I loved it! I’m not scared! I should be scared. I pondered that for a moment as the boat whooshed forward. Well, you are a maritime trainer with many miles of commercial and recreational boating under your belt, you know you are in safe water, and you are with an incredible skipper and super strong boat, you’ve rescued many boats in much worse conditions than this as a Rescue Skipper. I reflected on that. We do get caught up with in the what ifs, don’t we? Well, I know I do. The myriad of thoughts helped me grow in so many different ways.
The Beginning To delve into the peaks and troughs of the fears, let me start at the beginning. ‘Will you do the Melbourne to Hobart Race with me?’ This question came at a funny time as I was right in the middle of recording a podcast on FEAR.
‘I haven’t sailed for three years,’ I said, ‘No! It’s longer than that!’ I was chatting with Lisa Blair, world record holder for circumnavigating Antarctica single -handed – which included a dismasting! Lisa Blair, world record holder for circumnavigating Australia single-handed… Lisa Blair is asking me to be her co-skipper!
‘You know I have only cruised bare-foot and operated commercial motorboats. I’ve never raced before!” My voice rose as I visualised the real and imagined horrors of the Southern Ocean. ‘It’s informal, fun and a small fleet,’ Lisa laughed. SisterShip 12
