So here's the thing. I'm currently sitting on the roof of the house I'm living in right now, wearing three items of clothing I anticipate taking on the the boat race with me, and I'm as happy as I've been in quite a while.

I mean, the wind is shitty. It means regardless of the cover, I'm going to have to deal with a bunch of debris in the pool. And one of my neighbours has this extractor fan that gets moved when the wind is above half a knot, so I hear this incessant squeaking that would probably be solved with a squirt of WD40. My laptop has even hinted a couple of times that it would like nothing more than to take of and see how far the gusty, almost chilly wind would take it.

Almost chilly, cos I'm starting to put together the basics of the kit I'm going to need to make it round the world.

Pair of bamboo boxers, Harken pants, and an Icebreaker top.

And here's the thing. In looking in to the clothing I'll need for the race, I'm kinda changing how I look at clothing in general. Because bamboo isn't a traditional clothing textile, but if you've never tired it I would recommend you get a pair of bamboo undies now. Don't matter if yore sailing round the world, just try a pair. Trust me. Had bamboo sheets for a couple of years and they;re great, but bamboo underwear? You'll like it. And so will your partner.

So the Harken pants. I like them, I just haven't really had the chance to try them properly. But they're flexible, not cold as I sit on the roof in what feels like a force seven wind.

And the Icebreaker top. I didn't buy it. My parents got it, on a day they went swimming with wild dolphins they still remembered that I mentioned pure merino wool base layers, and got me one. And it's brilliant. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sat on the roof and chilly, but it's taken me half an hour, squinting out one eye and clumsily hammering away at my keyboard to get this far, and actually feel cold. And what I'm wearing isn't supposed to do what it's doing pretty well right now, and that's why it's brilliant.

That, and the fact my folks decided to get it for me even on a day they should have only been thinking about themselves, kicking off an item from their bucket list. And it's why I'm doing the race and sailing round the world, instead of being a fully signed up member of society. I'd rather buy and try and wear the clothes. The thought of being on this roof and having to worry about a child is enough to make me run for cover. Wait, no, that's the wind. Bloody thirty or forty knots right now.

But I'l be back down soon enough, and wearing non-sailing clothes, and eagerly awaiting the next batch that I can drunkenly test. So watch this space cos it's all for science.......