How to handle fear while offshore

Nick Moloney is a two-time America’s Cup sailor but the Australian is best known for his offshore exploits. Among the 15 speed and endurance records Nick has won is the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the world.

In this report on Yachting World by Andy Rice, Moloney tells how to handle fear amid terrifying scenarios at sea:

Facing your fears is something that challenges every sailor, but none more so than those taking on single-handed offshore racing.

Nick Moloney is a social animal and thrives on being in good company. He’s never more in his element than racing as part of a team. Even before he set out on the 2004 Vendée Globe, Nick had his doubts about whether he was really cut out for the long-term solitude of a circumnavigation, but his race started well and Skandia was in the top 10 for the first month.

However, when he found himself caught in an 80-knot storm in the depths of the Southern Ocean, Nick was forced to face up to his mortality in a way that has shaped his outlook on life ever since. Here are his five tips for facing your fears: click here.