Atlantic Challenge

I am about to embark upon one of the biggest challenges of my life - crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a 44 foot catamaran with my husband and two other people on board.  Now this may not seem like such a big deal in this age with all the modern electronics and gadgets but it's still pretty scary.  However, in feeling apprehensive, I am reminded of the number of people who face far greater life-threatening challenges to their health on a daily basis, in particular those who are near and dear to me. Whether the challenge is a diagnosis of cancer, a mental health condition, an autoimmune disease or one of the many other devastating conditions that exist today, there are far too many people having to struggle through this.

So, I have decided to raise some funds to help a couple of (what I feel are) worthwhile causes.  In order to do this, I am planning to shave my head on the eve (or as closely as possible to) of our departure from the Canary Islands to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean.  

The two charities that I am planning to support through this endeavour are LifeForce in Australia (lifeforce.org.au ) and Sail Thru Cancer (sailthrucancer.org ).  These are two organisations which help people struggling with cancer to enjoy some respite either at a retreat in country Australia (Life Force), or sailing on a yacht in USA (Sail Thru Cancer).  I have no financial or other association with either of these charities but know the founder of Life Force and, after searching for a suitable charity which included sailing, decided on Sail Thru Cancer (read Richard Drechsler's amazing story "Manning up in Alaska").

My goal is to raise AUD$5000 to share between these charities and I hope that my family, friends and anyone else will help me to reach that goal.  I will post photos of the great 'shave' and if you supply me with an email address, will also let you know how my journey across the Atlantic transpires.