A MEDIA consultant from Newport is swapping his business suit for a set of oilskins as he prepares to embark on the chance of a lifetime around the world yacht race. Jeremy Reed was first introduced to big boat sailing when his wife bought him a seven-d

A MEDIA consultant from Newport is swapping his business suit for a set of oilskins as he prepares to embark on the "chance of a lifetime" around the world yacht race.

Jeremy Reed was first introduced to big boat sailing when his wife bought him a seven-day trip on a 67-foot yacht for his 50th birthday.

Now aged 54, he is taking that passion to the next level by competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, starting in September.

He said: "I was only a t-shirts and shorts sailor but enjoyed the trip so much and thought I'd extend the experience by applying for the Clipper 09-10 race.

"I wanted to get onboard for the last race, 07-08, but work commitments got in the way. Once I'd left that job I took four decisions - I didn't want to go back into full time employment, I didn't want to commute to London, I didn't want to work for a large PLC, and I also wanted to go around the world.

"It's10 months out of your life but it was an opportunity I had to grab and I'm sure I will learn a lot about myself. I can't believe it's finally going to happen."

Like all crew members taking part in the 10-boat race, Mr Reed will undergo four courses with Clipper - navigation, meteorology, first aid and ocean sailing - to get up to speed as an ocean racer, as well as a fitness regime with a personal trainer at Fitness Focus in Clavering.

He has already been on a first week's training at Clipper headquarters in Gosport, Hampshire - although it didn't quite go to plan.

"The training was awful! I just wanted to get off the boat because of severe sea sickness," he said.

"It did calm down after a couple of days and ended up being a great course, with lots of man-overboard drills and spinnaker training."

The race departs from the Humber on September 13 and returns in July 1010. It is split into seven legs enabling crew to do as much of the race as they choose, from one leg to the full navigation.

Self-confessed "adrenaline junky" Mr Reed is not going to miss out on doing the whole thing.

"It was the challenge of circumnavigating the globe under sail that appealed to me the most; it's an amazing challenge," he said.

"I'm looking forward to experiencing some deep ocean sailing and the sheer size of the waves. I'm not necessarily so keen on the storms and the hurricanes but it will be amazing to cross the world's oceans."

Mr Reed has also chosen to raise money for East Anglia Children's Hospice (EACH) which has three care services at Milton, Ipswich and Quidenham in Norfolk.

EACH help local life-threatened children and their families with the emotional and physical challenges they face by providing expert care and a range of other essential support in a home-from-home environment or in the comfort of their own home.

Mr Reed is funding his own participation in the race at a cost of around �32,000 so all donations can be made to the charity. To donate, logon to his justgiving page www.justgiving.com/jeremyreed