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Conor Fogerty
Sagarmatha
Boat Type
Tradewind 35
Designer
John Rock
Builder
Blondecell Marine, Lymington, U.K
loa
35ft
LWL
26ft
Beam
10ft
Draft
6ft
How long have you been sailing your boat?
Since 2020
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What is it about the World STAR that appealed to you the most?I can’t wait to be all alone in the Southern Ocean, riding huge waves. I’m also looking forward to the many technical challenges this race will throw at me—and, hopefully, the incredible feeling of overcoming them.
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Who is your inspiration and why?I love adventures, and I think the World STAR—a singlehanded, nonstop circumnavigation—is one of the last true adventures we can experience.
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You can invite 2 people to dinner, past or present, who would they be and what question would you ask?First, Wilfried Erdmann—a legendary German solo sailor who completed three solo, nonstop circumnavigations. He was my inspiration for getting into sailing. My second guest would be someone like Boris Herrmann, Sam Goodchild, or Conrad Colman—sailors who’ve taken on the world in a Class40 and now compete in the IMOCA Class. Their experiences and insights would be invaluable for someone preparing for the World STAR.
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What is the one thing you cannot wait to be without and the one thing you cannot live without whilst doing the World STAR?I definitely won’t miss the everyday tasks of normal life, like doing taxes! What I’ll miss most is a comfortable bed, a hot shower, and a good meal—and, of course, my girlfriend.
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Tell us an interesting fact about you?In my last career, I was a paragliding instructor and went on expeditions around the world. I flew up to 6,500 meters in the Himalayas and crossed the length of New Zealand by paraglider and on foot.
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What do you see as the biggest challenge for you in the lead up to the World STAR and whilst doing the World STAR?I think the most important thing is to get as many miles as possible on the boat before completing a major refit to get it into perfect shape! The right funding is essential to do this, and finding it might be the toughest part.
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What are you most looking forward to about the World STAR?Big winds, big waves, big surfes :P
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What is your biggest achievement to date?In sailing, my biggest achievement was crossing the Atlantic twice singlehanded on my 1970 Hurley 18. I´m also quit proud of 12 years of flying and basejumping adventures without any injuries.
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What song would you say is your theme tune and why?Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf
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Finally, what is your favourite joke?I don’t really know any good ones... I’m not exactly a comedian 😛
what would you say to someone to encourage them to take up sailing?
As a child I was fascinated by water and learnt to swim at an early age, it wasn’t until my mid twenties that a work colleague invited me to go sailing, from then on I was hooked.
The saying goes that “you can lead a horse to water...”, you can encourage someone all you like but if something doesn’t resonate with them you are unlikely to succeed.
Water sports are many and varied, if time on the water appeals to you, it’s only a matter of time before you find your passion.
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