My last day at work, was actually not my last day in the office. I came back the next day to really clean out my desk and to say goodbye to my colleagues. The end of work life (for now) was a very relaxed. I didn’t leave any open ends, which was hugely satisfying – some colleagues might have a slightly different view, as it looked like a busy summer (sorry team!).

And then I went home to start my (final) preparations for the big journey. When I looked a my to do list and the calendar – that was the moment panic crept up. Between going to prep-week to work on the boat and for example learn how to service a winch and going to Liverpool a few days earlier, there was very little time left to organise myself, buy a myriad of things (amazon became one of my favourite websites), put all the rest of my belongings into storage and getting my blog up and running…. I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Now, I can report, that most of the points on my to do list are ticked (not all though) and I’m out of the panic mode. This is also thanks to a great conversation I had with a Round-the-Worlder from the 13/14 Clipper Race. He gave me some great advice, mentioned that my preparation seems to be in good shape (not me – just the prep) and gave my that extra bit of motivation – Thanks Ollie!

So about a week to go and excitement creeps in, replacing panic and anxiety.