Again, I’m humbled that you’ve taken the time to click through. I know it’s corny and we all say it, but I really can scarcely believe that it is already a year since, well, last year! At the same time, I can scarcely believe that it is ONLY a year since last year because what a year 2005 has been! I’ve been from Edinburgh to Southampton, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Cape Town, Abu Dhabi again, Amsterdam, Caputh, Boston, La Rochelle, Portsmouth, London, Edinburgh and Dent – sailing over 11,000 miles of it!

The year kicked off with me laid up in bed with the flu, probably as a result of over training, but I did make it down to Southampton and obviously convinced them that I could handle Leg 4 of the Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race. I was then flung headlong into a frantic fortnight of trying to get organised enough to head out to Sydney for mid February, making a welcome short detour to Abu Dhabi to see my family there.

Sydney was magnificent, but all too brief. It was wonderful of Jane and Philip, as well as Grant and Giselle to come down to the boat in Darling Harbour to see me. I had just one day off but managed to make it memorable by climbing the famous Harbour Bridge in the morning and wangling a superb bargain ticket to see Carmen at the Opera House that evening!

The overall atmosphere there was tense, though, as we all waited to set off – Kevin (the other legger) and I were anxious because we didn’t know what to expect of the Southern Ocean, and the others were anxious because they did! The race start was very exciting and we set off well, but sadly managed to sail into a wind hole from which we never really recovered. The fact that the whole fleet also went headfirst into a massive storm didn’t help, but that was life basically, for the next few weeks. (For more detail on what that was like click here)

I’d been so focussed on getting onto the boat in the first place and then on physically surviving until we got there that I really hadn’t given Cape Town much thought at all, but it was magnificent. The fact that my mother was (almost!) there to greet me made it even better but just experiencing the fascinating culture was incredible: the colours and crafts and music and history – quite mind boggling and well worth a visit. I went up Table Mountain, down to Cape Point, out to some Townships and to Robben Island (photos).

My joints were still numb when I disembarked so I negotiated an extra week or three from work and went to defrost in Abu Dhabi before heading back home to Edinburgh. I had literally just arrived and was trying to contemplate normality once more when an email landed offering me the opportunity to get back on to ‘Me To You’ again to finish the race across the Atlantic from Boston to La Rochelle and then to Portsmouth. It was a tough call that took at least 20 seconds of deliberation but really, it’d have been rude not to!! So my job and I parted company amicably and after a mad dash to Amsterdam to get the required visa (long story…) and via a quick singing weekend in Caputh, I arrived in Boston and went straight out for lobster – well, when in Rome!

The Atlantic Crossing was everything I might have hoped for and more – I just loved it all and I still miss the vast openness of the complete horizon and the perpetual cycle of sunrise, sunset and stars. Although there was some of that in the Southern Ocean the conditions there were such that you were watching everything as if through a letterbox and so were somewhat detached from it all! As it was warmer in the Atlantic you didn’t need hoods and hats, so you – or at least I – felt so much more connected with it all.

Sadly, despite best efforts we were pipped to the post but after very close racing by the entire fleet, it was one heck of a party in La Rochelle! We were there for the Olympic announcement, which was quite entertaining as the French had been very sure it was theirs and just went ahead with some of their celebrations anyway, but the next morning was very subdued as the word of the London Bombings filtered through. There was discussion, but we decided as a crew that we would not let the perpetrators have their disruptive way so we went to the party arranged for us by the local yacht club that evening and even wore our party shirts in defiance.

The racing from La Rochelle to Portsmouth was also very close. At one point we were able to sneak past two rivals who were so intent on keeping each other at bay that they didn’t notice us sliding quietly past! We were eventually beaten to 6th place by just 90 seconds, but the welcome we got was just incredible – and apparently the loudest!

I was barely back on terra firma before my parents arrived home for their summer break and the Festival and I used this time to catch up with various friends and family that I’d obviously not seen for ages. I also tried to clear out a good deal of clutter as I was, ironically, feeling rather claustrophobic!

Having parted company with my job I now needed to give some thought as to what to do next. I concluded that there will probably never be a better time for me to have a go on my own and so I have been busy researching and setting up Cato Maren Consulting. I have a long, long way to go and it is scarier than anything I have ever done before but as I tell myself, the Southern Ocean was scary but I did that and then the Atlantic on top! The lessons I learnt about myself out on the water (and in the gym!) are helping and will continue to see me through something I could not have contemplated this time last year.

I want to say an enormous thank you to all of you who have supported me in so many ways, from moral support to messages, to all the generous contributions to my Cat’s Leg 4 campaign for Save the Children. Between us we raised over £5,225 - but it’s not too late – the page is still open – maybe we could still get to £6,200 by the end of the year…www.justgiving.co.uk/catsleg4 !!!!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and the hope that 2006 is a Happy one.

With love from Catriona