Early Planning
A few days snow camping and snow shoeing in Kosciuszko
It’s a point in the planning and preparation that doesn’t have a huge amount to show. It’s making some bigger decisions.
What charities am I supporting?
What’s my approach to try and attract sponsors?
What polar training do I need and how do I go about it?
And some foundational work - building the website and having lots of conversations (which I love - and anyone who knows me won’t be surprised). Below is a summary of the progress in various areas. Until writing this I felt there hadn’t been a huge amount of progress - writing it out, there’s been more than I’d given myself credit for.
PATRON
I have reached out to various people in the hope of getting a patron - someone well-known and liked. Someone whose association with this expedition brings credibility and publicity to help attract sponsors as well as support the expedition mission. While I don’t have a patron yet, I do have a wonderful message of support from Bear Grylls (below), along with another from former special forces officer and adventurer Neil Laughton (author of the great book Adventureholic).
“Sarah is a force for good and an inspiration - what she is attempting to do is incredible and shows total commitment and courage and resilience. I admire her so much.” Bear Grylls
Bear Grylls
CHARITY
I’ve spoken to a few people with deep expertise in the area of modern slavery and human trafficking. The goal of these conversations is to increase my understanding of this space and decide which charities I’ll support. There are no global charities focused on modern slavery and human trafficking, so there will be more than one.
In the near term, I am partnering with Intrepid Travel and hosting a cycle tour for women through Vietnam. As part of it we will be visiting Blue Dragon, a children's Foundation is a charity that helps street kids and rescues victims from slavery and human trafficking in Vietnam and raising money for them.
POLAR TRAINING
I had a wonderful few days with Mike Edmonson snow camping and snowshoeing in Thredbo. It was fantastic and an opportunity to see how I go in the cold and get some basic skills. I then went for a few days of cross-country skiing in Perisher - way harder than I was expecting!
I have spoken to polar guides and explorers. Next year I will head to Finse, Norway in March next year to complete my initial polar training with Polar Expedition Training led by Hannah McKeand. Prior to beginning the expedition, I will also complete a 21-day solo trip in Finse.
OCEAN ROW
When it comes to ocean rowing, Michelle Lee is Australia’s most experienced ocean rower. She became Australia’s first woman to row an ocean when she rowed the Atlantic solo and unsupported. She went on to become the first woman to row solo, unsupported and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean. Safe to say, there couldn’t be a better person to ask for advice and we’ve caught up.
Additionally, I had a great conversation with the team behind Rannoch Adventures, who are the leading builder of ocean row boats and provide support for ocean rowers.
All these conversations are helping me understand what’s involved, the equipment and support services required, the key risks and challenges and the costings.
SECURITY
Anyone who’s read my book about my Nile expedition or heard me speak, will know that I had security support during that trip. The operator I worked with was Dave - I checked in with him daily, he provided intel reports, was there to deal with crises that came up (and they did). Part of his support included a cyber team keeping an eye on people following me on socials and talking about me in chat rooms.
Dave was a critical part of the success of the expedition - I couldn’t have done it without him. Beyond the security support, he kept me sane, was a sounding post for decisions and made me laugh when I needed it most. He became a good friend and has helped in my adventures since. We had already started talking about Pole to Pole and I was so looking forward to working with him again. Tragically and unexpectedly, he passed earlier this year, leaving behind his son James and wife Kelly. I was beyond devastated - his passing is a huge loss for his family, friends and everyone who knew and worked with him.
As well as losing a good friend, selfishly it felt like my safety net had gone. It took some time to even consider working with someone else. A friend fom uni has a security firm, and I had the opportunity to catch up with him recently. His company will provide the necessary support for this expedition and conversations are underway to work out the scope.
SPONSORSHIP
The sell for these kind of expeditions is hard - it’s hard to create the ROI relative to the sponsorship being requested. A friend from the surf club, Phil Suriano, has been helping, giving me some ideas of people to approach and how to create the messaging to help attract them. It has led to a slight shift in the mission and a way to support that.
MISSION
I have expanded my mission on encouraging people to follow their dreams to put a number on it. The goal now is to spark 1 million people into action toward their own big dreams. This website will be developed so people can share their goal - the requirement will be they have to identify the first step and set a date for when it’s going to be done. Too often dreams stay just that - simply taking one step toward it is enough to create some momentum and go from a dream to a goal.
MERCHANDISE
While not exactly on the critical path, I do love a bit of merch. Pic is me in the hoodie I got printed. There will be these hoodies, t-shirts and caps available.
PODCAST
Too often, dreams are derailed by fear, self-doubt, or the mistaken belief that we’re not cut out for more. Success stories can feel out of reach, seeming to be polished, perfect, and far removed from our own realities. The truth is, no one gets there without setbacks and overcoming fears and discomfort. There is no straight line. To support the mission I want to have a podcast: No Straight Line, where I have conversations with successful people who share what it really took to pursue their dream, rather than the highlights reels we see. I want to share the fears, doubts, setbacks and struggles that had to be overcome.
These kind of stories reveal that success isn’t smooth or fearless, it’s messy, human, and possible for all of us. It normalises fear and doubt and reminds us that struggles and setbacks aren’t a stop sign, they’re part of the path. I’m super excited about this!
WEBSITE
The initial website is now published. Eventually, to support the mission, the website will need to be professionally rebuilt.
WHAT’S NEXT?
In a nutshell:
Getting a patron - this has the potential to really help attract the all-important sponsors.
Conversations will continue with the advisory team: security approach, logistics
Plan further training: establishing what is needed and when and where to do it.
Have discussions with potential sponsors and people who can introduce me to them.
Keep exploring which charities to support and begin to connect with them.
Big thank you to everyone who is helping and who I’ve spoken to. Everyone has been so generous with their time.
Sarah x
