When did you first start sailing?

“I grew up sailing. I come from a family of sailors. As long as I could walk I’ve been on a boat. I can’t even remember. I think I was actually four or five.”

Katie Pettibone has sailed around the world at least twice, once when she was 22 on the women's team on EF Education during the Whitbread Round the World Race, and then on Amer Sports Too during the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001

What influenced you to want to sail as a kid?

"I just did family trips and cruising. I got out of sailing for a couple of years. When I was in intermediate school my stepfather got me back on the boat he was racing on, and with the help of some friends I got back into racing hard."

How has sailing affected your personality and life?

"I think it had a lot of effect. It showed me that you can be around people of all kinds of ages and work towards one goal and it isn’t about any hierarchy of age is any wiser or better, its all about just working towards one goal- which is making the boat go fast to win a race.

I also really enjoy the fact that you can sail with men and women- there are no gender differences, we are all just sailors out there and we are all just working towards the same goal. And that you can be competitive at any age in the sport and I learned that at a young which is one of the reasons why I chose this sport to get serious about."

How did sailing affect your school life?

"I ended up giving up a lot of varsity sports in high school to do sailing, as well as when I came to university I spent my Saturday’s sailing instead of going to football games. That was a decision that I made because that was what I was passionate about. Its given me an appreciation for the world and the different cultures, and certainly great contacts."

What do you enjoy about sailing?

"I enjoy the fact that it is teamwork, and that its more than one person working towards one goal. You’re out on the ocean, which is beautiful, I love the ocean. You are using nature to get from point A to point B, and that it is a clean sport. It’s a great sport. I do boat for pleasure."

The Volvo Ocean Race

"I think for the general public and children especially, [the Volvo Ocean Race] is an adventure, its exciting, its one of the last frontiers. Its’ incredible to learn the geography, I mean we are going around the world, and you can learn so much about the oceans and about the land masses and everything else. Also, just the interest of the fish life. There are so many components to it that it is so interesting.

What was your job on the sailboat  “AmerSports Too”

"As watch captain, I need to focus on the performance of the yacht, and what the wind is doing. That’s what I am most concerned about."

What has sailing taught you about life?

"Sailing has taught me a lot about life. It’s taught me that always expect the unexpected. You can be far ahead of a competitor and your luck could change in a minute, unplanned. And you could end up in last place, but in the same you could end up in first place, so – never say die!"

"It’s a sport that you can travel the world with, you can do it forever, meet great people and have a network of family worldwide. Its very special."