Page 30 - Yachter Spring 2023

30 RACING REPORTS
A CHANGE OF TACK
I have always found it strange how life twists and turns - like the flow
of our beautiful river in Beaulieu.At times we feel we can navigate the currents with skill, and at other times feel completely adrift and rudderless. Approximately five years ago, turning thirty this was me. I had just married my wonderful wife Lucille, had a fantastic job which I loved and had worked hard to attain. I had achieved what I was told by society since I was a young boy, that I should have by that age and yet I remained deeply unfulfilled.
I saw in front of me a paradox, I have long come across these in life as we all do. Some remain unresolved even to this day for me.
I am a child of divorce who loves his family, a long-term vegetarian now turned hunter and a pacifist who loves the military.To resolve this particular one for myself though I saw two options, maybe a bit binary in hindsight, but the clearest picture I could see then. Option One was to stay in my career, have a comfortable life, accept a pay cheque and appreciate what I had. Or I had Option Two: Risk it all.
After long discussions with Lucille, I concluded that if Option Two was ever going to happen, it would have to be now. I should take the risk, go for my dream, I have age and some experience on my side and whilst we have no responsibility to anyone else, now was the time. Having long been blessed of enough intelligence to work out how to make a plan but not quite enough
to realise it may not be a great one, I went ahead, left my career and took the chance. I am writing this today because of that choice, glad that the other side of risk is reward and thankful toVirginia our wonderful Rear Commodore House for providing me with the heading for the next bend in the river.
So let’s rewind slightly. I realise my error in having omitted a lot of detail for you
all and maybe should have begun more traditionally with who I am, what I’m doing and why I’m taking up space in this edition.
My name is Harry Taylor-Lepercq,
born in London in the late 80s, raised in Hampshire, first by my mother and father, then later by my American stepfather. I had what I would class as a normal but certainly not traditional childhood. My love for the sea started young enough.Although we never really spent a lot of time on the coast, my uncle had a small cabin cruiser. I forget the model now, but remember clearly the small cabin in the bow I used to play in as we bounced along when he took me and my father sailing on a couple of occasions. It was my fondest childhood memory and first taste of adventures on the sea. I begged my father every year to take me again, but he never did. I always thought it was from Dad being too busy, but I have later learned he had some concerns over my uncle’s navigational abilities.A few too many stories of groundings on some sandbars meant he was trying to protect me more than my young mind could comprehend at the time. I’m quite sure I kicked up more of a fuss for him than maybe I should have.
Time passed and memories faded but
I never lost my love for the sea.When some close friends started surfing when we
finished school it reignited a passion and connection with those childhood memories, and I fell in love with being in the water.
I remain to this day not a very good surfer but I cannot remember a time it didn’t make me smile. It opened up opportunities to travel the world and ultimately led me to my career. At the end of college, before going
to a university that I wasn’t sure I wanted to attend, I decided I needed to travel. I applied for a work visa to Australia and left in fairly quick succession. Home life never really felt comfortable at that time and I had no idea what to do with myself. Some distance and time to work out what was next and learn a