What I’ve learned in six months

Six months into my sailing journey and it’s been a wild one. The basic metrics alone even surprised me. 11,186 Nautical Miles covered just in crossing the Atlantic twice! A goal that many sailors wait a lifetime to accomplish as a bucket list item, I’ve done it in my first sailing venture. Additionally, the amount of financial support I have received in addition to my self-funding. I am very grateful to all my supporters and crew team in all of this. This truly has been a spectacular in pivoting my career to include sailing and oceans into my already meaningful work in climate action and youth outdoor engagement.

In this brief update, I just want to share some of the sailing and non-sailings thoughts and learnings that has been re-enforced for me.

1) Supporters and Fundraising:

In setting out on this venture, I truly believed that if you move forward with what you want with true intentions, people will listen. People will think. People will believe. And People will support. But it takes your own actions to start. Seeking supporters is not an easy task and it is one I take seriously. I treat my supporters with the utmost respect and am very mindful of their contributions to my effort. Whether it’s $1 to $5,000, I will never use the money frivolously. Your contributions go to supporting the launch of something unique and thus will always be used to move the needle forward.

My hope is that every and each one of my supporters are inspired by my actions and that this inspiration also takes them toward a new step for themselves. I would appreciate hearing about you and learn how my actions encouraged you to pursue something meaningful yet difficult or challenging.

2) Teamwork

For many of my past competitive endeavors, I’ve always been a single player. Being on a 23 meter/70 foot boat forces you to change your paradigms. Adjusting to team work was not an easy endeavor for me. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because of the pacing. Working with people with and without sailing experience was one component of the challenge. Coming from a strong background in adventure and outdoor sports, I found parts of sailing easy to learn and others a completely new challenge. The uncomfortableness of the learning curve was made less steep through teammates coaching me and vice versa.

Another positive component is my professional history working internationally and with a multitude of cultural backgrounds. But even having that, adjusting to a life on a boat with a multicultural crew still took time. Close quarters, 48 hour shift schedules, and repetitive food can make anyone a little grumpy, tired, and frustrated over a course of weeks. Once again, your teammates will be the one that can see your struggle or joy at any moment of the day. So treating them with kindness even in the worst of times will only serve you well. Taking the individual situation out of the equation serves the benefit of the team. Personalities are multitudes, you won’t get along with them all, and you don’t have to manage them all. As always, the only one that you need manage is your own. Move along your bad days and you will get to the good days.

3) Engage and Disengage

Ocean racing is a constant. You don’t necessarily get a full rest. When you get a chance to reenergize, either from being social, going to sleep, or listening to music. Take it. In tight quarters, privacy is near non-existent. You learn to not mind others business and will wish for the same thing for yourself.

The larger lesson is simply the classic: Rest. While I wish I could be my best at every moment and work to give my best when ON, the reality is one little thing can keep you from that. Making time and space for yourself is not just for yourself. It is for the good to the team as well. Without it, the build up of frustration, resentment, anger, judgement and every other non-beneficial emotion just rises up. So learning when and how to engage and disengage quickly is paramount. As always… Learn to “Let Go”.

For the most part, many of you know this, so writing them down is simply a reminder to you. But for the younger audience who push toward their own challenges, it’s the speed of self reminder to become habit that I encourage you to master. I skill I am still work on. And thus I continue along this journey.

the why

It’s easy to say that I am chasing a childhood dream in circumnavigating the world by sail. It’s also easy to say I am wanting to change the narrative of my life after personal setbacks. And it’s easy to just say I want to do something else. What doesn’t get told is the hard work that goes into this type of change. The reason why I chose to sail for Team UNICEF. Nor does the full story of how quickly transitions can be yet still the journey be long.

So here is the brief timeline:

May 2, 2025 - I learned about the Clipper Race Around the World

May 5, 2025 - Submitted my application

May 6, 2025 - Interviewed with Clipper

May 7, 2025 - Accepted to join the Race

May 8/9 - Decided to commit

June 20, 2025 - Flew to UK to begin training

August 31, 2025 - Departed on first race of Leg 1

Sept 14, 2025 - Waiting to depart for race 2 of Leg 1

Reads like madness to go from non-sailor to ocean racer in less than 3 months time. It makes sense only to me and that’s what is important.

While this being a childhood dream, I didn’t know how to make it a reality. I didn’t know where to start. I literally signed up to ASA 101 just to get my feet wet and fortuitously ran into a former racer in my gym. In our conversation, he mentioned the charity sponsorship and social impact component of the Clipper Race and my background might be interesting for the race team.

I did the research, I watched the videos, and I took an assessment of where I was in my personal life, family life, career, and what direction I wanted to take. I didn’t want to leave a career in social impact. Yet I wanted to pursue a personal goal. I had no idea how to fund this or commit to this, but the timing felt right.

While I was personally fulfilled, in a great place in my life, found joy in the work I did, I also felt stagnant and disappointed in how society was progressing. To see, hear, and feel the disenchantment, the divide, and anger that has become the norm in current world climate made me looking for a different vision. To tell the story of better things. To bring to reality of myself and for myself that things can change. To demonstrate to others that our actions can bring enchantment and joy for ourselves and others.

I’ve chosen the hard route. To chase an insane childhood dream to circumnavigate, be the first Taiwanese to do so, to raise financial support in doing this and represent as a Team UNICEF racer. One difficult task on top each already difficult and heavy task. But it makes sense to me.

Somehow one didn’t fully fit without the other. This is still part of a bigger puzzle. The pieces are coming together. And what I know now is simply where I sit, the actions I took, and the future it holds is simply preparation meeting opportunity.

I want it to inspire you to take that leap. It isn’t easy work. There is no guarantee. You simply have to put in the hard work, take the bruises, and work at it. That preparation will meet opportunity for you too.

This is the “why”. I am doing it for me. And I hope it moves the needle for you.

Where to begin?

It’s been officially two months since I relocated to Portsmouth and Gosport, UK and just over three months since I sign on to do the Clipper Sail Around the World Race. I’ve honestly haven’t had much chance to fully absorb the effects of the decision I made. I only know of the focus that it has brought back to my life in respect to learning something completely new, from individuals of different ages, skills, experience, and backgrounds. I’ve made new friends quickly and built trusts easily by giving my own trust.

I’m tremendously excited to begin the race after what feels like a year of training but in reality only really 23 total days. The intensity of something new. The excitement of being ignorant and willing to learn. The appreciation for the ability to accept, adapt, and change. All of it I’ve had little time to fully take in.

Now that I am two weeks away from Race Start, I’m finally taking the opportunity to slow down just enough to reflect. Much of this future writing will be ad hoc. Capturing the moment of great experiences, wonders I see, and opportunities I will encounter. Then it will be a chance to recollect the memory. Evaluate what it means - in the moment and at a later stage.

What will it become? A narrative of stories? A lesson in meaning? Or simply a journal of emotions? Only time will tell. What I have in front of me is something I have dreamed about for years. I simply want to live in the present for this one chapter of my life.