Appleton man to take on Clipper Round the World Challenge
A RETIRED Appleton man is set to take on a 12,000-mile sailing race across the ocean to raise money for life-saving cancer research.
Dennis Wolstenholme will be taking part in two legs of the Clipper Round the World Challenge this year.
The race is one of the ‘biggest’ challenges in the natural world and is described as an endurance test ‘like no other’.
Starting next month, Dennis’ two legs will take three months to complete.
Having never professionally sailed before, Dennis completed training with Clipper two years ago, as the event was due to take place in 2020.
However, the pandemic meant that the event was pushed back to this year.
But he completed refresher training this month and will soon be flying out to the US in April to complete further training before setting off on two legs of the race, from Seattle.
He will be sailing to Panama, Bermuda, New York, Derry-Londonderry and finishing in London in July.
A cancer survivor himself, he was inspired to take on the clipper challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK so that others can continue to benefit from its life-saving research and breakthroughs.
Dennis said: “Taking part in the Clipper Round the World race is the most challenging adventure of my life; I describe it as “My Everest”.
“I will live on a 70ft Ocean-going sailing yacht for 3 months with 20 other guys, in a series of races from Seattle, through the Panama Canal to New York; then we sail across the North Atlantic to Northern Ireland, and then around the north of Scotland to finish at the Royal Docks on the Thames on the July 30.”
Dennis will have sailed 12,000 miles by the time he finishes the race.
He added: “It is literally life at 45 degrees, facing nature in its rawest form.
“Life at sea has always fascinated me, and this coupled with such an extreme challenge in such a hostile environment will give me the ‘race of my life’.”
Cancer Research UK is a charity very close to Dennis’ heart, he aims to raise £12,000 through the challenge – which is equivalent to £1 a mile.
“In my life I have faced many challenges, but the worst has come from cancer,” Dennis said.
“I have had prostate cancer, and many of my family and friends have suffered from this terrible disease.
“What is needed are cures, and the only way this will be achieved is through research.
“We need to support the scientists in their work to find cures.
“Research works, as we have seen with the Covid 19 vaccine programme.
“I have selected Cancer Research UK as my chosen charity for this extreme challenge to help them to continue their vital work in supporting the scientists in their lifesaving work.
Chris Doyle, relationship manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters and, for that reason, we’re incredibly grateful to Dennis for taking on this epic challenge.
“He has shown incredible determination over the last two years to continue with this challenge and to raise a fantastic amount of money for the charity. We would like to thank him from the bottom of our hearts.
“One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. All of us can support the research that will beat it. It is thanks to the dedication and commitment of volunteers and supporters, like the Dennis, that we are able to fund our life-saving research.”
To donate to Dennis’ challenge, visit: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/unite/dennis-wolstenholme
A RETIRED Appleton man is set to take on a 12,000-mile sailing race across the ocean to raise money for life-saving cancer research.
Dennis Wolstenholme will be taking part in two legs of the Clipper Round the World Challenge this year.
The race is one of the ‘biggest’ challenges in the natural world and is described as an endurance test ‘like no other’.
Starting next month, Dennis’ two legs will take three months to complete.
Having never professionally sailed before, Dennis completed training with Clipper two years ago, as the event was due to take place in 2020.
However, the pandemic meant that the event was pushed back to this year.
But he completed refresher training this month and will soon be flying out to the US in April to complete further training before setting off on two legs of the race, from Seattle.
He will be sailing to Panama, Bermuda, New York, Derry-Londonderry and finishing in London in July.
A cancer survivor himself, he was inspired to take on the clipper challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK so that others can continue to benefit from its life-saving research and breakthroughs.
Dennis said: “Taking part in the Clipper Round the World race is the most challenging adventure of my life; I describe it as “My Everest”.
“I will live on a 70ft Ocean-going sailing yacht for 3 months with 20 other guys, in a series of races from Seattle, through the Panama Canal to New York; then we sail across the North Atlantic to Northern Ireland, and then around the north of Scotland to finish at the Royal Docks on the Thames on the July 30.”
Dennis will have sailed 12,000 miles by the time he finishes the race.
He added: “It is literally life at 45 degrees, facing nature in its rawest form.
“Life at sea has always fascinated me, and this coupled with such an extreme challenge in such a hostile environment will give me the ‘race of my life’.”
Cancer Research UK is a charity very close to Dennis’ heart, he aims to raise £12,000 through the challenge – which is equivalent to £1 a mile.
“In my life I have faced many challenges, but the worst has come from cancer,” Dennis said.
“I have had prostate cancer, and many of my family and friends have suffered from this terrible disease.
“What is needed are cures, and the only way this will be achieved is through research.
“We need to support the scientists in their work to find cures.
“Research works, as we have seen with the Covid 19 vaccine programme.
“I have selected Cancer Research UK as my chosen charity for this extreme challenge to help them to continue their vital work in supporting the scientists in their lifesaving work.
Chris Doyle, relationship manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters and, for that reason, we’re incredibly grateful to Dennis for taking on this epic challenge.
“He has shown incredible determination over the last two years to continue with this challenge and to raise a fantastic amount of money for the charity. We would like to thank him from the bottom of our hearts.
“One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. All of us can support the research that will beat it. It is thanks to the dedication and commitment of volunteers and supporters, like the Dennis, that we are able to fund our life-saving research.”
To donate to Dennis’ challenge, visit: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/unite/dennis-wolstenholme
