Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2013 | Page 50
ON THE WATER
Alex relishes
challenge of
the high seas
Sail heaving, rope tugging, furious grinding
and a regular dowsing of salt water are just
some of the physical toils of sailing usually
shared by a crew.
So imagine being in the middle of the
Atlantic taking a battering from the wind and
waves; it’s dark, you’re alone and you’ve got
the same jobs list.
Throw into the mix sleep deprivation,
mental exhaustion, a couple of sachets of
freeze-dried shepherd’s pie and a bucket (you
don’t want to know) and you’re set. Welcome
to the world of solo offshore sailing!
That are the type of conditions local sailor
Alex Gardner will voluntarily put himself
through as he aims to follow in the footsteps
of British offshore greats Dame Ellen
MacArthur, Mike Golding, Dee Caffari,
Samantha Davies and Alex Thomson,
Newchurch sailor Alex is throwing caution to
the wind and putting his all into realising his
dream of making a career out of competing
on the solo offshore sailing circuit, one of the
most demanding and dynamic yacht racing
circuits in the world.
Alex became hooked on sailing at an early
age after holidaying with visiting friends on
their yacht in Yarmouth. On leaving his Island
education he decided to take his sporting
passion more seriously, training to become a
sailing instructor and regularly competing on
the fully crewed circuit.
Then only last year Alex took his first step
on the ladder towards his solo offshore dream,
applying for the East Cowes based Artemis
Offshore Academy – the UK’s only centre of
excellence for short-handed offshore sailing.
After being put through his paces over a
gruelling 52 hours of mental and physical
tasks and coming out the other side relatively
unscathed, Alex proved he had the potential
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Above: Alex Gardner
takes the helm onboard
Artemis 77
© Lloyd Images
Left: A similing Alex
waits with eager
anticipation
to succeed in the tough field of short-handed
sailing - solo or two person sailing. He was
given joint charge of a 33ft French solo or two
skipper racing yacht called Figaro Bénéteau II
or Artemis 43.
“You've got to have quite a bit of grit and
motivation to be a solo or short-handed sailor,
you have to want to push yourself,” said Alex,
now in his second year at Southampton Solent
University where he studies for a degree in
Yacht and Powercraft design.
“It also pays off to be a happy and resilient
person and able to bounce back. Being able
to be happy when it all goes wrong and also
being able to keep calm - it's too easy to
panic. It also helps to be fit.”
Dedicated to his ambition to become a
professional offshore sailor, for the past year