Exploits on sea, land & air

If you bumped into Simon Walker in a bar, you’d never guess the calibre of his adventure CV. Unimposing and modest, you have to really probe to find out that he is a celebrated sailor of the highest ilk. Having sailed the ‘wrong way’ around the world twice, Simon now sails through the sky in his spare time, and his adventures on land, sea and air have taught him things that have set him up for all aspects of his life, including his successful business ventures.

In 1989, Simon Walker was watching British adventurer Sir Chay Blyth on the BBC, talking about a yacht race he was promoting, the BT Global Challenge. A group of twelve 72-foot racing yachts, crewed by ordinary people, would sail around the world ‘the wrong way’, against the prevailing winds, and Blyth was looking for volunteers. Despite the fact it would mean he would be away from home for ten months, would need to raise £30,000 and wasn’t much of a sailor, the race sparked something in Simon. It wasn’t long before he had si...