Race 8 Blog

Hello chaps, hope all is well back at home, I hear you are having storms so hope they are not too bad. 

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I stated race 8, from Brisbane to Singapore with the excitement of a gentle cruise, nice warm temperatures, low winds and some spectacular scenery. I knew the race would be long however I was prepared for this. 

We left Brisbane and started sailing upwind. Usually on the race, we travel down wind so the boat is level, the wind feels low as you are traveling with it and conditions on board are a lot easier. When beating upwind, the boat is heeled over, everything down below gets harder and it's generally more demanding.

We beat up wind for days and days and as we approached the tropics, we encountered more and more squalls, discrete areas of high wind and rain, where you need to down sails and hang  on until then pass through. 

After the first week the strain was already starting to show. People weren't getting sleep, the temperature had shot up to mid thirties on deck and above forty down below. You would go to your bunk to sleep and immediately sweat. Dyhydration soon became a problem and when we most needed water, our water maker broke and we were limited to two litres of water per person. 

And outbreak on DnV occurred (Diorriah and Vomiting) and I was unfortunate to catch this. I also had psoriasis on my chest and a wisdom tooth popping through. 

Needless to say, my thoughts of a nice cruise were well and truly out the window and I just had to be mentally strong to push through all these obstacles to carry on racing. 

Then when the crew was at its lowest, we entered a squall and started preparing to down sail. Then from no where a water spout, which is a mini tornado about 40m wide, hit the boat. I was at the back of the yacht behind the helm as the tornado hit. The boat went over so the mast was resting in the water and saw the crew on deck get swept off their feet into the water. One guy on the mast was holding on to a line above his head, that in normal racing, is vertical on the mast. 

The tornado swept through only lasting 10 seconds. After it has passed the boat righted itself and we assessed the situation. The crew on deck were obviously shook up. Down below people had been thrown out if their bunks, kit had been spread across the yacht and all the washing up from lunch was now on the wall. 

Disaster had struck, again. Now there are two ways to approach a situation like this. You quit and nurse yourself home, or you dig deep, don't give up and carry on. Luckily all the crew had the same mentality and we pushed on again. 

As we approached the race finish we went through a series of islands off Malaysia which were absolutely stunning. 

We had again been pushed to the limit, pushed on through and been treated with the amazing sailing we were all after. 

As we approached the finish line, I was on the helm and we had Henri Lloyd in sight. We tried to go under them at the finish but had a number of collapses of the spinnaker which meant we finished second in the race. Mood was low, but after all we had been through. Second was well deserved. 

In the run to the finish I tried to helm the boat like a would have raced a car. But later after speaking to a more experienced sailor on board, we should have gone above HL as our kite collapses were due to us being in their wind shadow. I still want I peruse competition yacht racing in the future and this was a real eye opener on how much I've learnt about sail trim and ocean racing tactics, but there is still a lot to learn about yacht racing boat to boat. 

We passed the line and motored home due to the pirate risk in the area. I wrote a blog that day which is below. There is no need to try and re-rewrite the words as they were my thoughts and feeling in that day. 

"....Today we awoke to a marvellous sun rise, the water is perfectly still and we are motoring through a series of islands in the Basilian Straight by Malaysia.

Being close to land, we have phone signal so I was able to phone home to the UK and wish my father a happy birthday and the afternoon plan is to stop and meet up with all the boats in our convoy, so I should be able to see my girlfriend. We placed second in the race and now we are resting and recovering.

Today could be one of those days that all the pain I went through to save the money for the race pays back and makes it all worthwhile. I remember the sadness of selling my flat, trading in my nice car and buying a Rover; Not buying new shoes when they had holes in so all winter I had wet feet and making sure I went to the supermarket at 7:50pm to raid the fresh food counter to get discount meat before it went in the bin. These are just a handful of sacrifices I went through for the seat on the boat.

As we motor towards Singapore, now is a time for reflection and I look back on the previous series of races. I remember all the hard work we put in, all the times we were scared, sad, tired, hungry, sick and the way we battled through them to get to here. The team we have created and the bonds between people after going through them all together.

On board, in these quiet times like now, you can see people like I have done, taking moments on the bow, deep in their thoughts, thinking of the past or the future. You let them have their time to do what they need to do.

The more you speak to people the more you understand their stories, and the more you get a glimpse into what may be running through their heads at these times.

I believe everyone comes on Clipper Race to run away from something, or to have a break to clear the mind and figure out the next chapter of their lives.

For me this is certainly true, I have had a challenging leg but I've started to finalise plans for what I'm doing after the race. I came on the race to figure out the next few years, to get off the treadmill and take a year to figure out what this life has panned out for me. What choices I have and as a person what I want to be to make me happy.

One example is that I used to want to the top guy, the best in the crowd, the team leader, watch leader and coxswain. The race has taught me that yes, I have some qualities that I can use to do this, but actually I'm better and now I prefer to be the strong member of the team, taking direction from the leader. I'm happy at times to see how others approach a situation and watch to see the outcome, rather than fighting to get it done my way.

Another is the adventure we are all going through travelling was never on the radar before joining the race, but now it had opened my mind to the possibilities. Chay Blyth said, "You should never finish an adventure without having the next one in your mind" so I've started to plan the next adventure already. The next two years of my life are starting to take shape into an amazing time to look forwards to.

So I feel I'm set. I just hope the crew on the bow taking their moments, the times they come up on deck having read an e-mail and need a moment or the times they need a quiet moment, they figure it out too, whatever it may be.

The Clipper Race is sometimes criticised by people for being cheap, having poor equipment, poor organisation etc. But I think this is very unfair. You can't put a price tag on the challenge the race is, the moments where the individual is pushed to the limits to see how they respond.

The best sailor on board doesn't have a challenge with the sailing, they have the challenge with the heads cleaning, the hot conditions and the mother duties. They get pushed to the limit in these areas just as much as the elderly woman who can make bread at 30 degrees of heel but struggles keeping up with the racing.

These experiences shape you as a person and these are the experiences that help with those thoughts and decisions. Hopefully you then start to answer those questions in your mind until a clarity of thought appears.

So to all crew on board all yachts, past and present, I hope you join me in saluting the Clipper Race. I thank the staff for their hard work for putting me here, to be able to push me to the limit, to then be able to sort through it all in my mind and now have a plan for the future.

I'm grateful for Sir Robin’s vision. I now get what he means by his saying "This is the best thing I've done with my life...so far" because it is and I know, after this, I will keep going and I will say that phrase again and again and again.

Oh the best thing, we are only 50% done...."

So I'm changing as a person, learning a new craft and being pushed to the absolute limit. All the three items I wanted out of the race are all starting to be ticked off. 

I guess the moral of the story is if you make a plan, work hard and go and do it, you too can accomplish your goals and find what you're looking for.

Ben Pate

 

Australian Blog

Australia has always been one of the places I was looking forwards to visit on the race. I've never really travelled before, apart from Europe with work, so traveling to all these amazing places around the world is one of the best aspects about the Clipper Race. 

For the Australian leg, we raced from Albany to Sydney, then competed in the prestigious Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, which would take us down to Tasmania, the furthest point away from home and from there, we raced back north up to Brisbane. 

The leg initially had the good aspect of short races on the boat. The previous races have been 2-4 week stints, so the thought of getting on for 3-10 days felt good - how wrong was I! 

So Race 5 took us from Albany to Sydney. We would dive south, round Tasmania and up past the Bass Straight to Sydney. Race starts are always hectic. Twelve 70ft raving yachts battling for position on a start line, then all heading for a mark to turn on makes for very close racing. I was on the bow of our boat trimming the head sails as we approached the first mark. PSP Logistics and Switzerland were above us as we closed in on the turn. Our angle to the wind was very tight and it would be close as although we were ahead, the other boats we taking over us. As we got closer and closer, all three boats converged and the skippers started shouting for room. As PSP crossed in front of us, we lost wind in our sails and ended up rounding up straight into the back of their boat. Stood on the bow I had full view of our bow sprit crash into their boat and eventually snap off. 

This was an amazing sight, and certainly one I will never forget. Both boats were called back for repairs as the rest of the fleet headed off shore. Both skippers blamed each other, but as in all sports, off the pitch the crews were friendly with each other and we enjoyed a steak dinner and set off the next day. 

We still raced the course as we thought we could catch the back markers, so this meant a full on, hard grind of a race. Setting off a day late, we arrived in view of the Sydney Hadbour Bridge and the famous Opera house an hour behind the back markers. A true testament to how fast we are. 

The incident went to an international jury and unfortunately it was decided we were in the wrong and we were disqualified from the race and lost two points for the damage. This was devastating and had a large impact on our championship standing. 

We didn't let it get us down and re-grouped ready for the Hobart Race. For those not familiar with Sailing, the Sudbey Hobart is a very big event. It's live on Australian TV and attracts many professional crews and large 100ft super maxi yachts. 

The Clipper Fleet would be competing against some of the best yachts around, but I was realistic about our chances. Our boats are designed to sail around the world. We carry kit to ensure we can get through hurricanes in the southern ocean, and keep 20 crew happy and fed for up to five weeks. The other yachts are stripped out sprint machines so its not really a fair contest.

The race start was again incredible. Ninety four yachts lined up in the harbour waters and raced across the star lines before turning right and out off shore. Helicopters were flying around, the shores were lined with people and the atmosphere was amazing. 

We needed to push hard in this race so we specialised on board. I was in the helm team so completed two hours on and four hours off for the duration of the trip. The race was tough with big waves and high winds, but with all the effort the team out in we crossed the line in 2nd in our class. What a result. 

Hobart was a nice place and we took some time out to relax. We went to a nature park and fed kangaroos and saw Wombats and Tasmanian Devils. It was so strange to see an animal you've never seen before! We celebrated the new year in board watching the fireworks over the bay. It was such a symbolic time as Hobart is the furthest stopover from home. The new year would bring the start of the race back to England, albeit heading north for a couple of months before turning East again. 

By the time of the race up to Brisbane the toll on the crew was starting to show. The problem with these short races is that you never get settled into a routine on the boat. It usually takes 4-4 days to settle into the watch pattern. In these 4-5 days you have little sleep but on the longer legs you generally have a lower, less stressful workload. The short sprints meant the workload was very high so we were all broken. 

We raced as hard as we could up to Brisbane saying goodbye to the Southern Ocean for good. Mistakes were made by the skippers navigation and the crews performance so we placed in 5th. We've all got off the boat tired, sore and in need of some well deserved rest. 

Luckily in Brisbane I booked an apartment on the Internet. The price looked cheap for the quality I saw in the pics, so assumed the pictures were the suites and we would be in a back room somewhere. However we arrived and the place is amazing! I'm currently sat on a comfy sofa, the flat screen TV is on. My girlfriend is in the power shower and we have just cooked up some eggs for breakfast. If you remember from my first blog, I discussed how un-important these things are. The experience of being out travelling is the greater thing, which I still standby, but I can't lie. After 20,000 miles of ocean racing this is bliss! 

Although we didn't get the the results we wanted, we all learnt some very important lessons in these races. As they were all so short, they all came down I how many mistakes you made. Being on the helm requires discipline and commitment. Just like driving, the way you go fast is to concentrate on every corner. When I drive the Nurburgring, there is one corner in particular where these two items show themselves the most. As you exit Aremburg, the track heads downhill to a left hand turn at Fuchsrhore with a short straight before a sharp left turn at Adenhour Forst. 

To be fast on the track you have to keep you foot down all the way through the left hander let the car settle in the shortest distance before hitting the brakes hard before the hard left. The is very little run off and due to the trees the track has verying levels of grip in all three corners.

You need the discipline to not think about the dangers, not think about if a tyre pops, if the car breaks loose or any of the other items that could happen. You just need to focus on the corner, take your line and commit to it. If you don't, you're slow. 

On the boat, you have to do the same. It's pitch black, you have a large sail plan and the wind is high. You have to find the surfs. Jump onto them and go with it. You'll be going along at 20knots and the temptation is to steer out, thinking of the dangers, the "what ifs", but to be fast you have to commit and go for it. I feel this is why we know we are a fast boat because everyone on board has the discipline to commit. It's a lesson all people should take away from this. 

We now head north again to Singapore and I'm really looking forwards to seeing a new country and culture. We have a four week race, with a break in the middle to motor though a pirate zone. As we approach the tropics again, the heat and humidity will rise and life on board will be hot and sweaty again. But after months of thermals and foulies, the thought of being on deck in shorts and t-shirts at anytime of day will be amazing.

I read a quote on the Internet the other day which said "I wished I'd never gone travelling, is a quote no one has said, ever". I have found this to be so true. Being deaf sucks, but it doesn't stop you doing everything. Deaf or not, if you make a plan, commit and have the discipline to do it, anyone can do anything. 

Blog for Race #3!

So we won! What a relief to finally get a 1st under our belt. This places us second in the championship and the firm boat to beat by our rivals for the next race to Australia.
 
We started off from Rio with the familiar nerves and sadness to be leaving such a great city. We had an inshore race start which took us past Copacabana and Ipenema beaches. Racing against eleven other purpose built 70ft racing yachts, close quarters, in a moderate sea, with the sun shining and the view looking back of the Christ statue was a memory that will be hard to forget.
 
We made some great tactical decisions and left the beaches, heading offshore to Africa in 3rd place. We battled for 3 days to windward with the boat at 30 degree for most of the time which was painful. Everyone perfected there spider man skills as you need both hands and feet to navigate around the boat and the simple things like brushing you teeth become a 10 minute battle with gravity, with you loosing most of the time by having saliva and toothpaste down your front when finishing up. 
 
As we got further south we found the westerly's and headed South East moving to 1st in the pack. It's always stressful being at the front as everyone is chasing you, especially nerve racking when you can see another boat hunting you down. We had PSP Logistics on our starboard quarter for a day and a half which was nice to have a companion, but any mistake would have meant them taking the lead from us. 
 
Another tactical call was made to head due south as there was a region of low wind ahead. This meant we would go right down the pack as we were ultimately heading away from the finish whilst everyone else headed closer. We trusted the skippers direction and headed past 40 degrees south into the "Roaring Forties", which actually was no worse than what we saw off Cape Finesterre in Race 1 to everyone's relief. Here the wave size increased and as one of the specialist helmers on board, days were spent surfing at up to 22knots catching back up to the fleet in front, which brings a smile to the face at all times. 
 
As we were heading east we passed to the south of Gough island, a small island, owned by Great Britain, where a team of 9 scientists were based studying birds. How different our lives were, them on an inhabited island in the South Atlantic studying wild life, us on a high tech racing yacht passing by. We chatted on VHF for a while discussing the weather, their studies and our race, then got back to the important job of racing to the Cape. 
 
Down in these longitudes, the temperature dropped and full foulies and mid-layers were worn by all. I still wore my flip flops, but I certainly wrapped up. I found it difficult in these days to understand people as I rely so much on lip reading to pick up the other half of the conversation due to my deafness. I continually had to ask people to move their jackets down so I could see their lips when talking. It was strange at first to realise this about myself but nice to see the team accept it and work around the issue.
 
We set a northerly bearing to Cape Town and we made it up into 1st place as the other boats had slowed in the light airs, the tactical call had paid off but it was not won yet. One day we were flying the number 3 spinnaker when a problem occurred which meant it came free from one of it's control lines. As Watch Leader I ran forwards to lead by example, to try and get the kite under control. Cue the rope smashing me on the side of the face leaving me without hearing for a good minute. This was very scary and such a relief when it came back. I headed into the fight again and got hit again twice which knocked me to the floor. After re-examining the situation we found another way of getting control and managed to rescue to the sail, although it now had a 20m rip in it which left it un-usable for the rest of the race.
 
Luckily as we were heading North, the wind eased so we fly our number 2 and still made swift progress to the finish. With the end in sight it was a very stressful period, with only 20 miles separating us from second place. Any mistake and the race would be lost, so we held our nerve and happily crossed the finish line in the wind shadow of Table Mountain in the early hours in first place. What a massive achievement.
 
Looking back on the race so far, as a team we have been through so much and to get our first win was incredible. I feel I'm progressing as a person realising the things that made me stressed at home are not really issues to get caught up in. On the boat you go right back to basics. The only things you worry about are food, sleep, keeping warm and shelter from the environment. Everything else is just noise. What isn't noise though is the kind support from friends and family. It's so nice to hear everyone back at home is following the race and supporting me on my adventure. Thank you to you all.
 
So, the next race is a real test. The Southern Ocean for real with a 4800mile journey to Albany, Australia. Wish me luck!!
 
Ben

Race 2!

Hi guys, blog 2 here.

I'm also writing a lot at sea, so if you go to the crew stories section atwww.clipperroundtheworld.com you can see a lot of blogs from the race and this will continue in the future. 

It was a tough one! We got nailed in the doldrums hence the late blog. Follow the boat on the race viewer if you wonder why you haven't heard from me for a while! 

Ben
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Finally after 29 days at sea, I'm sitting here in the evening light looking at the boats with Rio's business district as the backdrop. To my left, the Christ statue stands high on the mountain caressed by clouds as they drift across the sky. 

We made it to Rio and placed in 7th, which if you asked me 4 weeks ago if I'd be happy with of have said no, but after the epic voyage across the Atlantic, I'm happy. 

Setting off from Brest we crossed the Bay of Biscay and had a Force 8 gale blowing us along. With around 40 knots of breeze, we flew our heavy weight spinnaker and were making above 20 knots of boat speed for days. We were flying. 

With the big winds and large waved sea came my first experience of fear on the boat. Usually I'm not scared to go up the front to change the sails, however in the dark I was petrified. I knew this would happen at some point in the race with the Pacific looming in a few months time, but not the start of race 2. Thankfully, my fear threshold increased as the days passed and I just ended up facing them square in the face and getting on with it.

The price for the speed was a number of breakages to the boat, and most critically our medium spinnaker when the wind eased in the trades. We were forced to race with the wrong sails which made us just bleed distance to the competition, dropping us down to 7th.

Next up was the doldrums, the dreaded no wind zone just north of the equator. The first couple of days the crew enjoyed a nice break from the hard work of the trip, following this though, the sound of flapping sails and no boat speed was driving us all to madness. We pushed to squeeze every ounce of movement from the boat and went to 1st place for a number of days which lifted spirits; but the doldrums lottery meant the no wind zone moved south with us and we ended up popping out in 8th, six long days later.

We chased the 7th place boat and sure enough caught them and passed them, firming to the crew that we are fast when we have the right tools for the job - wind and a working yacht.

Coasting into Rio was an experience to remember passing Sugar Loaf Mountain, looking up at the statue and looking back on the trip, the sailing was definitely the easy part. Facing fears, living with strangers in 70ft of space and coping with the pressure of close ocean racing was a killer. I was also watch leader again which added to the pressure being in charge of the team when the skipper was in bed or not on deck. 

My hearing was an issue in the winds when trying to hear commands on the helm. The skipper would shout up a course to steer but unless I turned my good ear to him and stop watching where we were going, which when doing 26 knots is really not a good idea, I just had to get someone to relay the messages which was a pain and difficult to ask someone to do. Luckily, one of the crew, Dale Acton also has hearing issues after being diagnosed with Cholesteatoma. He helped me out and we worked as a good team. It really points out that 1 in 7 people in the UK have hearing related issues, so we need to raise as much money as possible to fund the valuable research for the future.

Highlights were the amount of firsts I've ticked. Seeing the stars at night with zero light pollution was incredible. Dolphins and Whales by the boat and travelling the furthest south in my life is all part of the adventure. 

The race has already shown me that what we regard on land as essential really are not. Big screen TVs, the most up to date fashion, flashy gadgets are just materials. Being in a team of people taking on a challenge in clothes you've worn for a week, arm pits that have not been washed for days and food you would be cautious giving to a dog really puts life in perspective. 

Being happy and healthy with friends and family are all you can ask for in life. Coming 1st or coming 7th, well, I think I'm starting to change as a person. I'm happy I'm here with my crew in one piece, we were unlucky with the wind,  so lets take it and move to the next race to Cape Town. Cue 40degrees south, waves as big as houses and wind speeds up to 50knots!

Thanks for all the good luck messages and please please donate to the charity. 

Www.justgiving.com/ben-pate-RTW

Blog 1 - Brest!

The morning of the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was one of excitement, nervousness, sadness and wonderment. I signed up for the race in August 2011 which was the start of the previous race, so it had been a long time coming. 

With limited time to see all my friends and family before boarding the yacht, it was hard to spend quality time with everyone. I managed to see most people though and it was really nice to hear all the words of good luck and encouragement. Sorry to all those who came down that I just couldn't get round to see.

We left London with a parade of sail up the Thames and went through Tower Bridge for the all important PR shots. There was around 50,000 people lined up along the banks which was madness to look back at. Just more of the Clipper Race experience that you don't realise until you are actually in there. 

Many people in the crew had been in tears or went for moments alone after saying goodbye to their family and friends. I managed to hold back until I saw my family on the spectator boat. I suddenly realised I would not see them again for a whole year, so made a quick dive to the sail locker for a moment alone to shed a few tears.

We finished up the parade of sail and moored up in the evening ready for the race start the following morning. 

During training I had been one of the watch leaders which meant I was in charge when the skipper was off deck sleeping etc. The skipper selected me as the watch leader for Starboard Watch for the first race which I was very happy about. It's a key role on the boat and I saw it as a reward for all the hard work I've put into the training. It holds a lot of responsibility for the speed of the yacht and also the safety of the crew, so it's also a hard position to be in. It's nice to think the skipper sees me as one of the best on board to put me in this and will only help my future sailing career.

The time had come to slip the lines and head to the start line. Being the British boat, we have a lot of pressure to be competitive. Luckily the crew all want to perform well, so we, as leaders, could push them hard to race.

We had the tactic to fly the spinnaker off the line, but didn't want to fly it coming up to the line as we would loose manoeuvrability.  Any boat on the wrong side of the line before the start line has penalties enforced on them which could cost the race, so we had to be careful of that. We positioned well and crossed the line 3rd. We immediately got the kite up and moved up on the leader. 

After a hour or so we were in 1st and led the fleet for 120 miles until out of no where we drove straight into a wind hole. The fleet saw this, moved away and went flying past us. All the hard work maintaining the lead went straight out the window, but hey, this is yacht racing.

My watch came up on deck and this is where my training from being a team leader at Land Rover came into play. I motivated the team, explained the situation and set targets each watch. First up the boat in front, then the boat after that and so on until we are back in the lead. We really had to go above and beyond our usual race pace to get this back. 

My watch were awesome and revelled at the challenge. We trimmed the sails like mad men. I positioned people on the boat for best weight distribution and we changed sails when needed even at the expense of meals for the race. 

Sure enough 24 hours later we were back at the front. Game on. We had to be in Brest for Wednesday and with the light winds, the race office called to shorten the race. We were lying third and with an hour to go we had to be 0.5 knot faster than Qingdao to get 2nd. 

I was on the kite trim and the team fed me sweets and coffee to keep me going. I extracted every ounce of speed out the sail and we passed Qingdao taking 2nd by 0.7mile. Happy days! 

I thanked the watch for all their efforts and received some good feedback for how well I led the team. This made it all worth while. 

My favourite moment in the race was fighting with PSP in the light airs. I was on the helm calling trim to the team, we hit some breeze and like Nigel Mansell, pulled a dummy driving left then right overtaking them, stealing their wind and pulling away.

There were a few times my deafness got in the way when racing. Trying to hear the trimmers up on the bow was a nightmare in the big winds. I had to totally rely on lip reading and hand signals to get by. Also when on the port helm, the nav guys would shout up positions and I had to turn my head to hear. Turning my head, then made me steer right which messed up the course and the sails, so a bad net affect for the boat, but we worked around it in the end. 

Most of the crew now know about my deafness and we are working as a team not make it an issue. 

It's been a hard race, I've had to focus so hard and call some important shots for the team. We are now lying in Brest prepping for the next race to Rio. We need to do well to Rio to maintain the momentum of being a boat up at the front of the leader board. That should then set the tone for the rest of the race around the world. 

So its time for me to wash some clothes buy some multi-vitamins as we will run out of fresh food in the 22days to Rio and rest up ready for it. 

Please continue to help my charity atwww.justgiving.com/ben-pate-RTW.

Thanks for the support, next up date from Brazil! 

Ben

So here we go

The race of my life starts tomorrow. After 2 years in the making, tomorrow morning I will be setting off from St Katharine Docks and will not return until 12th July 2014, where I will have sailed around the world and completed over 40,000miles of racing. It is a life changer. I would just like to say thank you for everyone or all their support recently, those who have come down to wave me off and those who have sent messages of encouragement. Please help me charity www.justgiving.com/ben-pate-RTW. And please follow me around the globe at www.clipperroundtheworld.com. Game on. 

Having a great time at St Kats Docks

Great time with the boat and the crew. Happy days, loving the clipper race! 

Just getting ready to meet the England rugby team

Update!

So the boat prep is going well and had an ace time this morning creating a film for my charity action on hearing loss. Hopefully this will spur on more people to donate to the good work they do. Happy days. 6 days til the start!