Marc Hundleby, the first Manxman to complete a circumnavigation in the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race, raised £1,300 for the Isle of Man Live At Home Schemes charity.
He recently completed the world’s longest ocean race after spending almost a year at sea on board the Da Nang – Vietnam yacht.
Divided into eight legs, the race comprises 14 individual races for a fleet of 12 identical 70-foot ocean racing yachts, each with a fully qualified skipper.
All crew members, many of whom were sailing novices like Marc, completed a rigorous training course before being allowed to take up the challenge.
The race is an extreme test of physical and mental endurance, and Marc experienced many highs and lows along the way – from the Da Nang - Viet Nam crew winning their division in the Sydney to Hobart race, to being knocked down by an 80-foot wave in the North Pacific Ocean.
Marc, originally from Onchan, said: ‘I wanted to select an organisation based in the Isle of Man and to help the Manx community. As I am passionate about people’s independence, and also feel strongly about how isolated older adults can become, the Live At Home Schemes charity was the perfect choice.
‘There were times during the race when I felt like giving up and going home, but I knew that if I did that I would be letting down the charity and sponsors, and that really helped me to find the extra motivation I needed to stay in the race all way to the finish. It has certainly been an experience I will never forget.”
After leaving the Isle of Man in 1996. Marc worked in Hong Kong, Sydney and Dubai. He currently lives in Sydney.