My name is Ross Henderson. I’m 26 and crewing on Namaste – a 46ft Bavaria skippered by Paul Hales. Accompanying Paul and I will be Chloe (Paul’s younger of two daughters – and my girlfriend) and Will (Paul’s youngest son). Peter Morris and Jeremy Barker make up the sextet.

I have landed the role of IT/Communications manager – a fabricated role I fear – designed to make me feel better as my sailing experience pales in comparison to the others!

Namaste has now been in the Canaries for about a month and is being provisioned and made ready by Paul, Peter, Jeremy and Bridget. Bridget is Paul’s wife, who despite not taking part in the sail from Gran Canaria to St Lucia has been integral to getting us to this stage. She will meet us in the Caribbean, where, without doubt she will have a (large) rum punch in hand!

Namaste has just passed her safety checks and it’s now a case of getting last minute supplies on board – mainly the perishables that by their very nature have had to wait until this point.

Will is due to fly to Gran Canaria on the 19 November and Chloe and I will follow on the 21 November.

I cannot speak for the others, but I’d say that my biggest fear in advance of the adventure is sea sickness. However, that is far out weighted by my excitement – the sunsets, the storms in contrast with tranquility, the marine wildlife, the warm weather/sun and last but not least the fantasy that I will play out in my head – that I have retired, at 26, and left the 9 to 5 slog far behind. The fact that Paul, Jeremy and Peter to all intents and purposes are now retired/on sabbaticals will only help to get me into character!

Bye for now, Ross