Ben Sumner

Ben Sumner is 16 and from Portsmouth.

"For the last year and a half I have been home schooled. I was failing at school and the teachers were not helping me, because they were sorting out the people who were misbehaving. I felt there was no point in going, I was bored and felt it was stupid to travel all that way not to learn anything. That was when me and my family decided to home school me. Since then I have had more confidence to do things, I have joined clubs and made more friends and I am actually enjoying life better than I was. Now I am in year 11and I have boosted my expected GCSE grades.

When I was told I was going I was doing the leg San Diego to Honolulu, it finally sunk in and I felt really nervous but privileged. I think that I have been drawn for the best leg, because it is hot and exotic. The Raymarine Lively Lady Project is going to be a chance of a lifetime, although I am a bit scared about the plane as I have never flown before.

The fundraising has helped me and all the rest of the crew; through bag packing I have learnt better ways to talk to people and to help us to get one step closer to our goal. My goals on board are to prove to Alan that I can sail and that I am a good team member and to be serious about what is happening, I would like to do this so I can have the skills to sail a boat in the future.

While being involved in part of this I have found out that almost anything is possible. After all, I never would have guessed that I would be flying out to San Diego at the age 15!"