|
|
|
|
|
CHIKARA
|
Chikara
|
|
Justin Rowley - Skipper
I am a Detective in the Metropolitan Police currently working in the East End of London.
I started sailing and racing dinghies aged 11 years whilst at Rishworth boarding school near Halifax. The sailing club was on top of the Pennines and so I quickly learnt to sail in strong winds. I continued to race 'Fireballs' competitively until my early thirties. My father was a yacht owner and whilst I continued to enjoy the thrill of dinghies I naturally progressed to larger sailing craft. I sailed with him regularly on the South West coast and beyond and have sailed extensively around the Solent, South coast and across the Channel. I am an RYA Yachtmaster and hope to instruct in the future.
I purchased Chikara in June 2005 with the intention of competing in the Round Britain & Ireland race. She is a competitive race boat and will be a challenge to sail short-handed.
I am hoping to use the race as a platform to raise funds for the Ellen MacArthur Trust.
Richard Lett - Co-Skipper
I learnt to sail at the Royal Hospital School, Suffolk, on the river Stour with a mixed fleet of Wayfarers, Bosuns and Fireflys. After leaving school I got a little carried away with the sea and went to work on a trawler out of Mevagissey, Cornwall, but as enthusiasm for this lifestyle didn't last, I joined the Metropolitan Police in 1982.
My interest in the sea became more a fascination with what was under it, so I took up scuba diving, becoming an Advanced Diving Instructor winning the BSAC Wilkinson Sword in 1995. During this time I began to teach diving to young people who were going on 'Operation Raleigh' Expeditions to Malaysia. After several years I decided to take a sabbatical and was the Diving Officer for Raleigh's first expedition to Belize.
In 1996 I returned to sailing, but this time focusing on yachts. Since then I have raced and chartered throughout the Northern hemisphere. I have always enjoyed teaching and after qualifying as a yachtmaster in 2005, I joined the Metropolitan Police Sailing Clubs team of instructors.
My ambition after the RBI is to enter a 'fully crewed' racing yacht in the 2007 Sidney-Hobart, followed by a long holiday in Australia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
