Sailor’s £29k global trip is delayed by Covid S
AILOR Heather Broadbent will have to wait until next August to resume her round-the-world voyage because of Covid-19.
The landscape gardener has already raised a staggering £29,000 for East Cheshire Hospice from her epic adventure.
Heather is taking part in the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race which was suspended in February after reaching the Philippines.
Organisers hoped the race would resume early in 2021 but a resumption has been delayed because of the ongoing pandemic.
Heather, from Disley, is determined to carry on with her aim of raising £40,000 - a pound for each mile of the race - to support the charity’s Hospice @Home service.
Her late husband Adam (45) was a patient at the Hospice.
She said: “I’m excited for the re-start and I’ve kept in touch with other members of our crew, including the skipper.
“I met up with some of them in Scotland after coming home.
“The challenge was to try to complete the race in one go and that can’t happen because of the strange circumstances but I still feel very proud and privileged for what I’ve achieved.”
Heather, from Disley, took up mountain biking after getting home.
She set sail from the River Thames in September 2019 on board GoToBermuda, one of 11 yachts in the fleet.
As things stand, she will eventually reach the UK finish line early in 2022 - almost two and a half years after she departed on what should have been a single 11-month journey.
Heather was a novice sailor before she entered the race.
She said: “The crew have been keeping up with our sailing skills and learning as much as we can through online courses.
“My log book shows I travelled 27,000 miles.
“I’m staying positive and want to thank everyone who’s kindly donated so far.
“Hopefully, I’ll still reach my fundraising target and any further help would be fantastic.”
Heather went to South America, South Africa and Australia, where she spent last Christmas, before reaching the Far East before the interruption six months into the race.
The race once it resumes will have three Chinese stopovers before crossing the North Pacific to Seattle, then Panama and Bermuda before the final Atlantic leg to Britain.
To sponsor Heather visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/dreamitnowdoit