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Free Spirit - On the threshold



So here we are on the threshold of something big.  We are about to cross the vast emptiness of the Atlantic Ocean on our sailing boat “Free Spirit”.  The thing is - I am not really a sailor; at least, not a proper ‘salty-dog’ sort of sailor with anchor tattoos, and thousands of sea-miles to my name. And, as the day of departure draws near, I am perturbed by trepidation just as much as I am invigorated by excitement. Getting out of one’s ‘comfort zone’ is surely what the quest for true adventure is all about and, if this is the aim, it must be something to be accepted or even welcomed.  However, ‘getting out of one’s comfort zone’ is not a concept that has much appeal for Carole, my long-suffering wife of 45 years, and I am amazed and overjoyed that she has overcome her fear of the unknown to embark upon this adventure with me.  We depart our comfortable, safe-haven at Port Grimaud, in the South of France on Wednesday 16th October together with friends Doug and Christine - and one other who I have yet to meet. He is called Alex and is German. I recruited him, at short notice, from a ‘crew-finder’ website when someone else, who was due to come with us, dropped out at the last minute! On paper, at least, Alex is very well qualified. We shall see.  He and Christine will leave the boat when we get to Gran Canaria and will be replaced by two other people; Richard, one of my three sons, and another experienced sailor called Andy Gillman. They will join us for the passage, with the ARC, from Gran Canaria to St.Lucia.

Previously, my professional life in the National Health Service often took me outside of my ‘comfort zone’. For 30 years I was a consultant surgeon in the wonderful, maritime, musical city of Liverpool where I ended up as Professor of Vascular Surgery.  For the last 5 years I moved to London where I was Professor of Endovascular Surgery at University College Hospital.  The many challenges I faced throughout my surgical career not only associated with clinical practice and research but also with my involvement in the evolution of and training in my specialty at home and abroad, as President of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland and first President of the European Board of Vascular Surgery, gave me a very exciting and fulfilling life.  In this respect, I could not have wished for more. But sadly, at the finish, I have become seriously disillusioned, dismayed even, by the terrible damage inflicted upon the good-old NHS by successive governments, of both political persuasions. It is now the case that political expediency has taken precedence over medical priorities and the wellfare of individual patients. ‘Targets’ have taken precedence over compassion and common sense. Time-based contracts and shift-work have undermined the professional commitment and continuity of care of doctors and nurses. And, most horrific of all, legally enforceable ‘gagging orders’ have been imposed to ensure that the dreadful consequences for patients of these misguided actions remain hidden from the public eye; fortunately, these efforts have not been altogether successful. Having tried in my own small way, and largely failed, to oppose these trends I am left with an intense desire to escape! Which is why I am now where I am; with family and friends on the brink of a completely new and different sort of challenge.   




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