Clipper Race Ambassador - who will I become after this race?

Charlie Garratt, the Ocean Safety ambassador and roving reporter, on board Dare to Lead in the Clipper Round the World Race © onEdition

Charlie Garratt knows all about the importance of staying safe on an ocean going yacht. Charlie, who is the Clipper Race Ambassador to 3Si Group company Ocean Safety is already two legs into the voyage of a lifetime since she set off on the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in August. The adventure will be changing her life and the lives of all the crews on the twelve 70-foot yachts, as they meet the challenges of the 40,000 miles many of which still lie ahead of them.

Charlie reports into Ocean Safety's Southampton headquarters every week to keep them up to date with life on board her yacht Dare to Lead, skippered by Dale Smyth. As well as her observations and vital feedback about the equipment that Ocean Safety has supplied she writes truly absorbing anecdotes about life on board. You can see the latest blog, as she approaches Cape Town, here. If you want to receive every blog as she publishes it, contact us. Charlie is an evocative writer as she brings alive the experience of the race and unfolds the story before our eyes.

Central to the inventory on all the yachts are the liferafts and lifejackets, which, for the first time, are integrated with personal AIS beacons as the Clipper Race, in partnership with Ocean Safety, continue to develop their safety standards in tandem with technology. For the third edition in a row Ocean Safety is an Official Supplier to the race, providing items including flares, tether lines, traditional horseshoes, and danbuoys for recovering crew from the water.

Charlie is no newcomer to maritime life. A Coastguard employee, she has vital experience in search and rescue, and is particularly knowledgeable about long range rescues involving EPIRBS and other 406mhz beacons. However, just thirteen years ago Charlie was a sailing novice but embarked on a trainee course to become a volunteer with the Rona Sailing project. "My sailing has just gone from strength to strength from there," explains Charlie. "I have now sold my house to do the Clipper Race, and moved in with my parents. Recently I've just been sailing like crazy."

Before she started out on the race Charlie had said "I'm just going to see how I cope. I want to see how I emerge from it and who I become after the race."

You can follow Charlie's weekly blogs including the current report via Ocean Safety's website and Facebook.