On the face of it, deserts and water are poles apart. I mean, one is wet and the other one obviously isn't (that's the definition of a desert).

So you may well find it odd that a very dear friend of mine - my Nautical Friend - does not like the desert. Or bikes. He has clearly stated on several occasions that he would never undertake a sport which required the wearing of armour.

Apart from the fact that life requires the wearing of armour (the emotional kind), he has a certain point.

How come two such diametrically opposed people happento be suchgreat friends? First, he's a really really nice guy. Second, so am I. That's an excellent starting point for a friendship.

C'est la vie. Or, more accurately, "SailorV". Even more accurately, www.sailorv.co.uk.

He is on his own journey of discovery and realising personal ambition by taking on the elements in a gruelling race. He has went through his own training - from novice to fairly-good-by-now. He has taken the knocks, and developed the mental toughness that racing needs. He has made his own personal and financial sacrifices to fulfil his dream.

And he, when he gets started, is also like drinking from a fire hose talking about his passion.

After a particularly tough couple of years where Life chucked him a couple of nasty nasty curved balls, has has picked himself up and will be taking off on the Clipper Round the World race in a few weeks time. He will be gone for a year, and will be missed.

It's not for me to tell you his story, or his journey. Apart from the fact that it is for him to tell it as he sees fit, he is doing a far better job than I ever could.

You can follow what he is up to here.

Good luck Captain Pugwash. May your winds be fair, your seas calm, and your swash ever buckling.

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