A GLOBETROTTING sailor inspired Stratford Sea Cadets by telling them of his adventures in the Clipper Round the World Race.
Ashley Skett, who is originally from Stratford, captained Garmin, one of 12 clipper yachts competing in the 2015-16 race that lasted 11 months, covering 45,000 miles over eight legs.
Growing up in a land-locked area, there was little opportunity for Ashley to get into sailing but he learned how to sail dinghies in Newquay before a trip to Australia and after a spell spent on a yacht, he realised that the open sea was his destiny.
The former firefighter and ex- marine told the cadets about the challenges encountered during the global voyage; from the massive seas of the Southern Ocean, where the crew had to learn to live on a slant for weeks on end, having to wedge themselves into their bunks, to the frustrating doldrums, where no wind left them stranded for days on end.
He illustrated just how isolated the crews were by mentioning they were closer to the international space station than their families – and the crew of the space station were at times actually closer than any other humans on earth.
Cadets were also advised on the best way to deal with sea sickness was through getting on deck and eating ginger biscuits.
