As a photographer and surf ski distributor, Barbara Yendell spent her life watching action from afar. But that changed in 2011 when she set sail around the world, competing against other novice sailors in the renowned Clipper Race. At the time, she barely knew her way around a boat, and was scared of the open water
Before taking on the challenge, she had her doubts. "I thought, 'Is there any way I could do it?' The fear factor, being out on the ocean on this enormous yacht in these extreme conditions," she says.
But England-born Yendell, a Hong Kong resident for 22 years, just couldn't let the opportunity go. Less than a year later, she handed over the reins of her business, dug into her savings and undertook four weeks of training. She set sail with a crew of 40 other rookies in July 2011, battling high seas, roaring winds and herself. Eleven months and 65,000 kilometres later, Yendell and her crew of Gold Coast Australia emerged as the winners of 12 out of 15 of the race's stages - a Clipper record.
It wasn't just the experience of a lifetime, but an experience that made her life, she says. "It's so tough, incredibly challenging, terrifying and exhilarating. We sailed though remote waters, dodged icebergs, endured hurricane force storms and drifted for days in the doldrums," she says.
There were countless hair-raising moments, and no training could prepare her for the exhaustion of ocean sailing. Her daily routine was split into four-hour cycles - on deck, attending to duties such as cleaning and cooking, followed by precious little sleep.
"Once you get all your wet weather gear off, you'd only get about 21/2 hours' sleep, if you could fall asleep. They say that's enough, but in actual fact you feel awful," she says.