Clipper VenturesA group of adventure thrillseekers from Perth have returned home after spending months at sea.
They were taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, sailing through some of the roughest oceans and seas.
Mother and daughter duo, Melanie and Jasmine Morris, set off in September 2019, competing in two legs of a 40,000 nautical mile round trip.
They sailed from Australia to the Philippines in leg five of the race, before taking on leg eight, Bermuda to London.
The coronavirus pandemic forced a near two-year suspension to the race halfway through their journey with the team only restarting in Bermuda earlier this year.
Jasmine told STV News: “Back in 2020, it was my 30th and mum’s 60th and in 2018 we started discussing doing something big to mark the occasion.
“Mum’s been through breast cancer twice and [we’re] just happy to still be here and still be together.
“So it’s nice to be able to mark the fact that we made it to 30 and 60 together.”
Melanie added: “It was really special, it was a great adventure and it has been an amazing life memory and goal.
“To do it together, to share that experience, has brought us a lot closer together.”
A total of 175 people from across the world, the majority with no prior sailing knowledge, took part in the challenge, competing on 11 identical Clipper Race yachts.
Perth-based hairdresser Sara McBride swapped her clippers for the vessel after her client and friend Melanie got her onboard with the challenge.
Sara told STV News: “The simplicity of life on boat is lovely, it’s so different to this life.
“There’s so much going on, so many people to factor in. It’s literally just the boat and us with no outside influence and it was amazing.
“We’d have music on, there’s dancing, there’s singing and the bond you build with people is… I’ve made friends for life.”
Sara’s boat finished 10th in the race after colliding with a whale, causing damage to the hull.
Melanie and Jasmine’s team crossed the Atlantic in record time.
All now plan to sit back and process what they’ve achieved in recent months, before moving on to the next adventure.
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