On a normal weekend we like to have a glass or two of wine, play a round of golf and spend time with our families, so we thought we'd spice things up a little...

Between Thursday, May 5th and Monday, May 11th 2016, we're taking part in a 400-mile sailing challenge across the North Sea. Starting in Hull, we'll be crewing the Cat Zero yacht from Hull Marina to the Netherlands and back (Dutch Dash without the casino, cabaret and duty free!)

During the trip we'll take part in a watch rota and throughout the night we'll sleep for three hours, followed by three hours awake on a rolling system to keen an eye out for any obstacles (!) in the water. Even though we'll be guided by the Cat Zero Skipper, we're all amateurs and the thought of crashing around in the North Sea on a yacht is a daunting prospect.

The reason we're doing it is to raise money for the HEY (Hull and East Yorkshire) Smile Foundation, in support of Cat Zero, a local Hull-based charity which specialises in working with young people not in education, work or training (NEETs). The Humber area has up to double the national average of NEETs and Cat Zero works tirelessly with hard to reach young people through innovative youth development training programmes. They take young people out of their comfort zone, allow them to self-assess their needs and set goals to improve their lives. The training sessions culminate in a sailing challenge on the Cat Zero yacht as a crew member, which increases self-esteem and helps them both display and develop work ready skills.

It's a fantastic cause and one we feel passionately about. We would sincerely appreciate any donations to this wonderful local cause that is focusing hard on the development of our next generation.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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