Breast Cancer Care Events

Quotes from the Charity Challenge Breast Cancer Care Team
JP Morgan Round the Island Race 2009

Andy Massey:

“There were nerve racking moments, with lots of boats in no wind in very close proximity; lots of shouts and some very near misses! The atmosphere was positive all the way round, with lots of laughs and jokes- cheerfulness pervaded even though it was a long old day.

“Competing was a bit of a double edged sword for me; it was lovely to do it, and I had lots of nice memories from last year, but there was also sadness sometimes, in a funny kind of happy way. The whole way round I was remembering my Louise doing the last thing she ever really enjoyed, the last thing she did that made her feel human. I know Louise was looking down and smiling, and probably laughing at some of my bad sailing of course!

“Breast Cancer Care, Ancaster, JP Morgan and Into the blue, all did us proud, it was very moving at the end, I certainly shed a few tears! “

“One last big shout to Breast Cancer Care for asking me to do it again!”

Alice Driscoll:

“Over the 12 hour race, there were so many different emotions at different times.  At the start, we were jostling for a good place on the line, and also making sure that everyone, from experienced sailors to our celebrity Jonathan, and Louise and Rachel who had very little sailing experience, all knew what we were doing and could help sail the boat as fast as possible.

“Then going around the Needles was awesome - there are just so many boats in a small space. Near St Catherine's it was quite emotional - my friend Louise who was on the boat with us last year and died just a month after the race, had stayed there last year with her husband Andy and her family.  Both Andy and I felt quite emotional as we sailed past.  But not for long, as from that point it got really windy and there were big waves, so we had to really focus on just sailing fast but safely. It calmed down after Bembridge and we had more time to chat and find out about Louise and Rachel, and all the other crew on board. 

“I loved competing! I love racing and it was great to have three other charity boats which gave us a mini race within a race amongst the 1700 other boats on the water!

“The sail past St Catherine's lighthouse was very scary.  We saw several boats broach, which is where they fall right over on their side, and we even saw one crew member being almost washed overboard.  Luckily he was hanging on!  We also saw several boats' sails being ripped with the force of the wind.  It was also very scary with the sheer number of boats as we came back around the Solent - we had to really watch out not to hit anything, or be hit - and that included the ferries and hovercraft!

“Highlights on the day were seeing the smiles on the faces of Lou and Rachel as they took the helm or sail controls - seeing them learning a new skill and doing something they probably never thought they would have the chance to do.  Also, as we crossed the finish the sun came out and I really felt we had done something great - not only for Louise, Rachel and Andy, but also to help Breast Cancer Care and, more important for me, in memory of my friend Louise.”

Louise Rall:

“The atmosphere was fantastic- positive team work, all of us pulling together. Mark and Doug did well at getting us all involved and we were eager to get stuck in. We had lots of laughs and also moments to ourselves to reflect.

“The competition with the other 3 charity boats added an element of excitement to the whole thing and we were constantly on the lookout for the 'opposition'- when we overtook the Macmillan boat the race got really exciting. There was a lot of strategy to the sailing, which I did not expect and the race made this even more essential. On the slow homeward stretch, Macmillan did well and edged ahead again, the Prostate boat came in just before us, so third place was a good achievement. Winning was not the ultimate goal but it was good to have the competition to add more to the whole event.
“I had numerous highlights of the day… the team work was great, the views were spectacular, particularly around the Needles and coming into the sunset, the sense of personal achievement also took me by surprise because it was quite physical and I managed to get stuck in with the tasks involved and survive the 12 hours of sailing!,

“ would jump at the chance to do it again but I think someone else, in my position, should be offered the opportunity too..... but if there is space next year please keep me in mind!

“There were few nerve wracking moments! South of the Island was quite choppy, many boats were losing their spinnakers and going out of control and we even saw someone clinging on for dear life to avoid going overboard. At that point I clung on and let the experts keep control of our boat! On the home stretch there were hundreds of yachts tacking all over the place and there was a fight for clear waters, so we all had to keep a good look out to ensure no collisions. The yachts did cut things fine and I was sure we were going to be crashed into on a number of occasions....

“Thanks for an utterly amazing time, I knew a Breast Cancer Care event would be so well organised and we were very well looked after.”

Rachel Brady:

“On the boat there was definitely an air of excitement and a great sense of teamwork and taking part. Our skipper Mark and his friend Doug were brilliant at pulling the team together and ensuring everyone was doing the right job. Having three other identical charity boats added more of a competitive edge to the whole event for the crew who were constantly looking out for Prostate, MacMillan and Ellen MacArthur Trust to try and keep ahead.  However, on the question of competing, I am really a novice to yacht sailing and to be honest was happy just to experience the event and get round in daylight although at the end I felt a great sense of achievement and was very interested to see the results the following day - I think we came 500 and something out of about 1500 boats which completed. 

“A few hairy moments added to the excitement - wrestling with a tangled spinnaker against the force of the wind round the needles on a couple of occasions, shouting our way through the forest of jostling boats, with a few near misses as we came around to Bembridge.
 
“The highlights of the day were setting out on the boat first thing in the morning to the start point, sailing round the needles and St Catherine’s point, the amazing view from the water of hundreds of spinnakers around the South of the Island, everywhere I looked, chatting with and working with everyone on board our boat.  It was also a pleasure and privilege to spend a day with Jonathan Ansell!!
 
“Given the opportunity to do this event again I would not miss it for anything!”

Jeremy Young:

“It was a great feeling being in such huge fleet of yachts, and very special to be sailing on the Breast Cancer Care yacht in our own mini race against the other charity boats.  It was a fantastic group of people to be sailing with and we had plenty of laughs but also some important poignant moments too, particularly as we arrived back into the marina.

“The sailing highlight was the spinnaker reach down the back of the island, which was incredibly fast and exciting with plenty yachts of broaching. But the real highlight was being with such a positive group of people, who had all been affected by breast cancer in different ways. I would definitely take part again!”

Mark da Costa (skipper):

"There was a fantastic atmosphere on the day– everybody got involved and really got quite competitive. The crew made my job so much easier. It was a great opportunity to do something really worthwhile and at the same time fun and challenging. By the end of the day I felt mentally and physically exhausted – still recovering now! I felt really proud at the end and glad that the crew all enjoyed the experience: Rachel and Lou were amazing. The cause is close to my heart as my mum has suffered from breast cancer twice. I have seen her successful fight against the disease, but also the pain it brings upon the whole family. "

“Highlights of the day included getting a reasonable start, enjoying a tremendous downwind sail from the Needles to Bembridge (when we overtook Macmillan!), and crossing the line after a long final leg.

“Off Ryde Sands was a little hair raising as the fleet was becoming increasingly bunched in light winds and all the boats were desperately trying to keep out of the tide but there was not a lot of room and it was shallow.

“I have already told Ancasta’s PR team that I want to do it again next year (that will make it 3 in a row) and I would love to do it for Breast Cancer Care (again making it 3 in a row!).”