0:00:01.254,0:00:04.979 Being able to navigate[br]is an extraordinary gift, 0:00:05.003,0:00:07.096 and there is nothing like it in the world. 0:00:07.120,0:00:13.802 I get no more sense of satisfaction[br]greater than leaving a port 0:00:13.826,0:00:18.223 and knowing that I can get[br]my team and my boat 0:00:18.247,0:00:20.712 safely from that port to another port, 0:00:20.736,0:00:24.336 maybe three, four, five,[br]six thousand miles away. 0:00:25.019,0:00:27.297 Being at sea, for me, is ... 0:00:27.321,0:00:28.859 it's total freedom, 0:00:28.883,0:00:34.007 and it is the ultimate[br]opportunity to be you, 0:00:34.031,0:00:35.746 because you can't be anything else. 0:00:35.770,0:00:38.577 You are naked in front[br]of your peers on a boat. 0:00:38.601,0:00:40.025 It is a small area. 0:00:40.049,0:00:42.284 Maiden is 58 feet long. 0:00:42.308,0:00:44.707 There's 12 women in a 58-foot boat. 0:00:44.731,0:00:47.475 I mean, you are literally[br]up against each other, 0:00:47.499,0:00:49.955 and so you have to be you. 0:00:49.979,0:00:53.254 The greatest moment[br]for me when I'm sailing 0:00:53.278,0:00:56.317 is the moment that the land disappears. 0:00:56.341,0:00:59.185 It's an indescribable moment of -- 0:00:59.209,0:01:00.303 (Gasps) 0:01:00.327,0:01:03.834 adventure and no turning back, 0:01:03.858,0:01:08.175 and just you and the boat[br]and the elements. 0:01:08.199,0:01:11.936 I wish everyone could experience[br]this at least once in their lives. 0:01:11.960,0:01:14.016 The further you get away from land, 0:01:14.040,0:01:16.794 the more you kind of fit into yourself. 0:01:16.818,0:01:18.048 It is you, 0:01:18.072,0:01:19.665 how do we get to the next place, 0:01:19.689,0:01:21.144 how do we stay alive, 0:01:21.168,0:01:23.770 how do we look after each other 0:01:23.794,0:01:26.214 and what do we do[br]to get to the other side. 0:01:26.670,0:01:30.374 So the question I get asked[br]the most when I go and do talks 0:01:30.398,0:01:34.262 is "How do you become[br]an ocean-racing sailor?" 0:01:34.286,0:01:36.016 And that's a really good question. 0:01:36.040,0:01:39.453 And I've always wanted[br]to say "I had a vision, 0:01:39.477,0:01:40.682 which became a dream, 0:01:40.706,0:01:43.165 which became an obsession," 0:01:43.189,0:01:45.205 but, of course, life's not like that, 0:01:45.229,0:01:48.805 and one thing I'm really anxious[br]for people to know about me 0:01:48.829,0:01:51.560 is that my life hasn't gone from A to B -- 0:01:51.584,0:01:54.743 because how many people can say[br]their lives just go from A to B; 0:01:54.767,0:01:58.044 they think, "I'm going to do this,"[br]and they go and do it? 0:01:58.953,0:02:00.509 So I tell the truth. 0:02:00.533,0:02:03.967 And the truth is that I was expelled[br]from school when I was 15 years old, 0:02:03.991,0:02:08.644 and my long-suffering headmaster[br]sent a long-suffering note 0:02:08.668,0:02:10.010 to my long-suffering mother, 0:02:10.034,0:02:14.692 basically saying that if Tracy[br]darkens these doors of the school again, 0:02:14.716,0:02:16.422 then we will call the police. 0:02:16.446,0:02:20.231 And my mum took me and she said, 0:02:20.255,0:02:23.457 "Darling, education is not for everyone." 0:02:23.481,0:02:27.223 And then she gave me the best[br]piece of advice anyone has ever given me. 0:02:27.247,0:02:30.565 She said, "Every single one of us[br]is good at something, 0:02:30.589,0:02:33.403 you just have to go and find[br]what that is." 0:02:33.427,0:02:37.155 And at the age of 16, she let me[br]go backpacking off to Greece. 0:02:37.715,0:02:40.716 I ended up working on boats,[br]which was OK -- 0:02:40.740,0:02:44.058 17 years old, didn't really know[br]what I wanted to do, 0:02:44.082,0:02:45.902 kind of going with the flow. 0:02:45.926,0:02:48.637 And then on my second transatlantic, 0:02:48.661,0:02:51.065 my skipper said to me, "Can you navigate?" 0:02:51.089,0:02:53.022 And I said, "Of course I can't navigate, 0:02:53.046,0:02:54.809 I was expelled before long division." 0:02:54.833,0:02:57.750 And he said, "Don't you think[br]you should be able to navigate? 0:02:57.774,0:02:59.570 What happens if I fall over the side? 0:02:59.594,0:03:01.508 Stop being a bystander in your own life, 0:03:01.532,0:03:03.425 stop looking at what you're doing 0:03:03.449,0:03:05.171 and start taking part." 0:03:05.839,0:03:09.379 This day, for me, was the day[br]that my whole life started. 0:03:09.403,0:03:11.420 I learned to navigate in two days -- 0:03:11.444,0:03:13.523 and this is someone who hates numbers 0:03:13.547,0:03:15.165 and sees them as hieroglyphics. 0:03:15.872,0:03:20.116 It opened up avenues and opportunities[br]to me that I could never have imagined. 0:03:20.140,0:03:23.865 I actually managed to get a ride[br]on a Whitbread Round the World Race boat. 0:03:23.889,0:03:26.974 It was with 17 South African men and me. 0:03:26.998,0:03:28.883 I was 21 years old, 0:03:28.907,0:03:31.052 and it was the longest[br]nine months of my life. 0:03:31.076,0:03:32.750 But I went as a cook, 0:03:32.774,0:03:34.483 I managed to survive until the end, 0:03:34.507,0:03:36.238 and when I got to end of this race, 0:03:36.262,0:03:40.102 I realized that there were[br]230 crew in this race, 0:03:40.126,0:03:41.292 and three women, 0:03:41.316,0:03:42.467 and I was one of them. 0:03:42.491,0:03:44.094 And I'm a lousy cook. 0:03:44.118,0:03:45.862 I'm a really good navigator. 0:03:46.759,0:03:51.388 I think the second most profound[br]thought in my entire life was: 0:03:51.412,0:03:56.983 "No man is ever going to allow me[br]to be a navigator on their boat, ever." 0:03:57.393,0:03:59.292 And that is still the case today. 0:03:59.316,0:04:01.073 In 35 years of the Whitbread, 0:04:01.097,0:04:05.016 there's only been two female navigators[br]that haven't been on an all-female cruise, 0:04:05.040,0:04:06.548 and that's how Maiden was born. 0:04:06.572,0:04:10.065 That was the moment I thought,[br]"I've got something to fight for." 0:04:10.089,0:04:13.918 And I had no idea[br]that I wanted to have this fight, 0:04:13.942,0:04:18.442 and it was something that I took to[br]like a duck to water. 0:04:18.932,0:04:23.490 I discovered things about myself[br]that I had no idea existed. 0:04:23.836,0:04:26.329 I discovered I had a fighting spirit, 0:04:26.353,0:04:28.105 I discovered I was competitive -- 0:04:28.129,0:04:29.742 never knew that before -- 0:04:29.766,0:04:33.370 and I discovered my second passion, 0:04:33.394,0:04:35.625 which was equality. 0:04:35.649,0:04:37.967 I couldn't let this one lie. 0:04:37.991,0:04:41.538 And it became not just about me[br]wanting to navigate on a boat 0:04:41.562,0:04:43.764 and having to put my own crew together 0:04:43.788,0:04:45.163 and my own team, 0:04:45.187,0:04:47.304 raise my own money, find my own boat, 0:04:47.328,0:04:49.239 so that I could be navigator. 0:04:49.263,0:04:50.828 This was about women everywhere. 0:04:50.852,0:04:53.018 And this was when I realized 0:04:53.042,0:04:56.894 that this was probably what I was going[br]to spend the rest of my life doing. 0:04:56.918,0:04:58.763 It took ages for us to find the money 0:04:58.787,0:05:01.419 to do the 1989 Whitbread[br]Round the World Race. 0:05:01.443,0:05:03.452 And as we looked at all the big, 0:05:03.476,0:05:07.226 multimillion pound,[br]all-male projects around us, 0:05:07.250,0:05:11.085 with their brand-new shiny boats[br]designed for the race, 0:05:11.109,0:05:14.201 we realized this was not going to be us. 0:05:14.225,0:05:16.154 We had to make this up as we went along. 0:05:16.178,0:05:19.135 No one had enough faith in us[br]to give us this kind of money. 0:05:19.159,0:05:20.511 So I mortgaged my house, 0:05:20.535,0:05:24.137 and we found an old wreck with a pedigree, 0:05:24.161,0:05:25.315 an old Whitbread boat -- 0:05:25.339,0:05:27.455 it had already been[br]around the world twice -- 0:05:27.479,0:05:28.751 in South Africa. 0:05:28.775,0:05:31.371 We somehow persuaded[br]some guy to put it on a ship 0:05:31.395,0:05:33.774 and bring it back to the UK for us. 0:05:33.798,0:05:37.255 The girls were horrified[br]at the state of the boat. 0:05:37.632,0:05:39.442 We got a free place in a yard. 0:05:39.466,0:05:42.684 We got her up on the hard[br]and we redesigned her, 0:05:42.708,0:05:44.151 we ripped her apart, 0:05:44.175,0:05:46.479 we did all the work ourselves. 0:05:46.503,0:05:49.805 It was the first time that anyone[br]had ever seen women in a shipyard, 0:05:49.829,0:05:51.412 so that was quite entertaining. 0:05:51.436,0:05:53.428 Every morning when we would walk in, 0:05:53.452,0:05:55.435 everyone would just gawk at us. 0:05:55.459,0:05:59.206 But it also had its advantages,[br]because everyone was so helpful. 0:05:59.230,0:06:01.404 We were such a novelty. 0:06:01.428,0:06:04.239 You know, we got given[br]a generator, an engine -- 0:06:04.263,0:06:05.680 "Do you want this old rope?" 0:06:05.704,0:06:06.886 "Yep." 0:06:06.910,0:06:08.080 "Old sails?" 0:06:08.104,0:06:09.266 "Yep, we'll have those." 0:06:09.290,0:06:11.481 So we really made it up as we went along. 0:06:11.505,0:06:15.632 And I think, actually,[br]one of the huge advantages we had was, 0:06:15.656,0:06:18.568 you know, there was no preconceived idea 0:06:18.592,0:06:21.522 about how an all-female crew[br]would sail around the world. 0:06:21.546,0:06:24.013 So whatever we did was OK. 0:06:24.037,0:06:28.056 And what it also did[br]was it drew people to it. 0:06:28.080,0:06:29.231 Not just women -- 0:06:29.255,0:06:31.669 men, anyone who'd ever been told, 0:06:31.693,0:06:34.492 "You can't do something[br]because you're not good enough" -- 0:06:34.516,0:06:37.519 the right gender or right race[br]or right color, or whatever. 0:06:37.543,0:06:40.366 Maiden became a passion. 0:06:40.390,0:06:43.553 And it was hard to raise the money -- 0:06:43.577,0:06:45.659 hundreds of companies wouldn't sponsor us. 0:06:45.683,0:06:48.016 They told us that we couldn't do it, 0:06:48.040,0:06:50.498 people thought we were going to die ... 0:06:50.522,0:06:53.072 You know, guys would literally[br]come up to me and say, 0:06:53.096,0:06:54.296 "You're going to die." 0:06:54.320,0:06:57.600 I'd think, "Well, OK,[br]that's my business, it's not yours." 0:06:57.948,0:07:00.568 In the end, King Hussein of Jordan[br]sponsored Maiden, 0:07:00.592,0:07:03.031 and that was an amazing thing -- 0:07:03.055,0:07:05.586 way ahead of his time, all about equality. 0:07:05.610,0:07:08.680 We sailed around the world[br]with a message of peace and equality. 0:07:08.704,0:07:12.212 We were the only boat in the race[br]with a message of any kind. 0:07:12.236,0:07:14.594 We won two legs of the Whitbread -- 0:07:14.618,0:07:16.261 two of the most difficult legs -- 0:07:16.285,0:07:17.920 and we came second overall. 0:07:17.944,0:07:22.419 And that is still the best result[br]for a British boat since 1977. 0:07:22.443,0:07:24.152 It annoyed a lot of people. 0:07:24.176,0:07:26.028 And I think what it did at the time -- 0:07:26.052,0:07:27.296 we didn't realize. 0:07:27.320,0:07:30.509 You know, we crossed the finishing line,[br]this incredible finish -- 0:07:30.533,0:07:33.378 600 boats sailing up the Solent with us; 0:07:33.402,0:07:40.354 50,000 people in Ocean Village[br]chanting "Maiden, Maiden" as we sailed in. 0:07:40.378,0:07:43.179 And so we knew we'd done something[br]that we wanted to do 0:07:43.203,0:07:45.966 and we hoped we'd achieved something good, 0:07:45.990,0:07:51.290 but we had no idea at the time[br]how many women's lives we changed. 0:07:52.018,0:07:53.923 The Southern Ocean is my favorite ocean. 0:07:53.947,0:07:55.574 Each ocean has a character. 0:07:55.598,0:07:58.454 So the North Atlantic is a yomping ocean. 0:07:58.478,0:08:02.495 It's a jolly, go-for-it,[br]heave-ho type of -- 0:08:02.519,0:08:04.248 have-fun type of ocean. 0:08:04.272,0:08:07.979 The Southern Ocean[br]is a deadly serious ocean. 0:08:08.003,0:08:12.199 And you know the moment[br]when you cross into the Southern Ocean -- 0:08:12.223,0:08:13.887 the latitude and longitude -- 0:08:13.911,0:08:15.491 you know when you're there, 0:08:15.515,0:08:17.086 the waves have been building, 0:08:17.110,0:08:19.641 they start getting[br]big whitecaps on the top, 0:08:19.665,0:08:21.118 it becomes really gray, 0:08:21.142,0:08:23.193 you start to get sensory deprivation. 0:08:23.556,0:08:28.437 It is very focused[br]on who you are and what you are 0:08:28.461,0:08:31.738 with this massive wilderness around you. 0:08:32.118,0:08:33.269 It is empty. 0:08:33.293,0:08:36.714 It is so big and so empty. 0:08:37.297,0:08:40.155 You see albatrosses[br]swirling around the boat. 0:08:40.179,0:08:43.132 It takes about four days[br]to sail through their territory, 0:08:43.156,0:08:45.655 so you have the same[br]albatross for four days. 0:08:45.679,0:08:47.394 And they find us quite a novelty, 0:08:47.418,0:08:52.814 so they literally windsurf off the wind[br]that comes off the mainsail 0:08:52.838,0:08:55.624 and they hang behind the boat, 0:08:55.648,0:08:57.514 and you feel this presence behind you, 0:08:57.538,0:08:58.723 and you turn around, 0:08:58.747,0:09:00.831 and it's this albatross[br]just looking at you. 0:09:00.855,0:09:02.835 We sold Maiden at the end of the race -- 0:09:02.859,0:09:04.229 we still had no money. 0:09:04.253,0:09:06.301 And five years ago, we found her, 0:09:06.325,0:09:08.904 at the same time[br]as a film director decided 0:09:08.928,0:09:11.745 he wanted to make[br]a documentary about Maiden. 0:09:11.769,0:09:12.920 We found Maiden, 0:09:12.944,0:09:14.321 she burst back into my life 0:09:14.345,0:09:17.663 and reminded me a lot of things[br]I had forgotten, actually, 0:09:17.687,0:09:18.983 over the years, 0:09:19.007,0:09:21.635 about following my heart and my gut 0:09:21.659,0:09:24.126 and really being part of the universe. 0:09:24.150,0:09:28.249 And everything I find important in life, 0:09:28.273,0:09:29.948 Maiden has given back to me. 0:09:29.972,0:09:32.059 Again, we rescued her -- 0:09:32.083,0:09:33.256 we did a Crowdfunder -- 0:09:33.280,0:09:35.302 we rescued her from the Seychelles. 0:09:35.326,0:09:37.634 Princess Haya, King Hussein's daughter, 0:09:37.658,0:09:41.263 funded the shipping back to the UK[br]and then the restoration. 0:09:41.287,0:09:43.102 All the original crew were involved. 0:09:43.126,0:09:45.074 We put the original team back together. 0:09:45.640,0:09:48.438 And then we decided,[br]what are we going to do with Maiden? 0:09:48.462,0:09:51.216 And this, for me,[br]really was the moment of my life 0:09:51.240,0:09:54.336 where I looked back[br]on every single thing that I'd done -- 0:09:54.360,0:09:56.502 every project, every feeling, 0:09:56.526,0:09:59.550 every passion,[br]every battle, every fight -- 0:09:59.574,0:10:02.686 and I decided that I wanted Maiden[br]to continue that fight 0:10:02.710,0:10:04.229 for the next generation. 0:10:04.253,0:10:07.545 Maiden is sailing around the world[br]on a five-year world tour. 0:10:07.569,0:10:11.713 We are engaging with thousands[br]of girls all over the world. 0:10:11.737,0:10:16.308 We are supporting community programs[br]that get girls into education. 0:10:16.332,0:10:19.453 Education doesn't just mean[br]sitting in a classroom. 0:10:19.477,0:10:24.610 This, for me, is about teaching girls[br]you don't have to look a certain way, 0:10:24.634,0:10:27.023 you don't have to feel a certain way, 0:10:27.047,0:10:28.930 you don't have to behave a certain way. 0:10:28.954,0:10:30.153 You can be successful, 0:10:30.177,0:10:31.426 you can follow your dreams 0:10:31.450,0:10:32.967 and you can fight for them. 0:10:32.991,0:10:34.690 Life doesn't go from A to B. 0:10:34.714,0:10:35.872 It's messy. 0:10:35.896,0:10:38.708 My life has been a mess[br]from beginning to end, 0:10:38.732,0:10:41.349 but somehow I've got to where we're going. 0:10:41.373,0:10:45.144 The future for us[br]and Maiden looks amazing. 0:10:45.168,0:10:46.796 And for me, 0:10:46.820,0:10:48.981 it is all about closing the circle. 0:10:49.005,0:10:51.524 It's about closing the circle with Maiden 0:10:51.548,0:10:54.211 and using her to tell girls 0:10:54.235,0:10:56.642 that if just one person believes in you, 0:10:56.666,0:10:57.841 you can do anything.