Page 12 - link magazine

12 swindonlink.com • November 2010
‘Natural born sailor’ back on dry land in Greenmeadow
Stress & Anxiety
This is how Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the first
Pain man to sail solo, non-stop round the world in 1969, described Della Parsons, daughter of Sheila Parsons
from land-locked Greenmeadow, after she completed a 35,000 mile circumnavigation of the globe in seven
Health Problems stages and thirteen races.
Della, who used to but nevertheless busied herself re-
Does your life need to change? live in Swindon, signed organising the medicine chest and
We can help you. up as a crew member transcribing emails for the crew of
of the boat representing fellow race boat California who had
New Hope Association her present home town: lost their mast and communications.
Despite the hardships Della had
Hull and Humber. She
for Therapy & Healing told The Link before set- her own success whilst sailing, win-
ting off last September, ning the overall media award for her
Providing medical help, “after the introduction video footage of the trip.
counselling, hypnotherapy, and familiarisation to the By way of contrast, on return
complementary therapies. race, I just couldn’t do Della visited her mum in Green-
one stage, I had to do the meadow for a couple of weeks to
• Stress, fatigue whole thing.” calm down, and is now back at
On 19 July Sheila was work for the BBC in East Yorkshire.
• Sports and muscular in Hull to welcome home “I’m struggling to fit back into
• Anxiety disorders her daughter, and expe- Della in Singapore with Brendan Hall, who captained my old life,” she said. “So the plan
rienced the euphoria of Spirit of Australia and is the nephew of Vanessa is to change it completely and put
• Emotional problems the marina first hand, Morgan from Haydon Wick. The Link put Vanessa sailing at its heart. I want to get my
• Relationship issues although there was barely in touch with Sheila Parsons after she read about Yachtmasters certificates and see if
a mention in the national Della’s departure in the October 2010 edition. Brendan I can pick up work.”
• Chronic illness media at the time. stepped in as skipper of Hull and Humber for a time She added that her favourite
• Chronic pain “There were at least when their captain broke his leg childhood song ‘I was born under
30,000 people there to welcome the South Africa to repair a damaged a wandering star’ has been play-
• Weight loss crews home on the Saturday morn- hull, and Wiltshire based skipper ing in her head. “Looks like I’m
Call now to discuss your needs ing. The atmosphere was electric,” Piers Dudin having to be rescued on course to fulfil that prophecy
said Sheila. at sea after breaking a leg in a wild now,” she said.
01793 698048 Hull and Humber was placed Pacific storm, were amongst some Read Della’s trip account at: www.
fourth in the race overall, in what of the difficulties experienced by dellaroundtheworld.com
[email protected] had been an extremely challeng- the crew of the boat that became See some of her award winning
www.swindon-counselling.co.uk ing competition. A crew member known as ‘Umber.’ video footage at: http://www.you-
overboard in mountainous South Della herself sailed for three tube.com/user/MissDellarella
Atlantic waves, an enforced stay in weeks with a dislocated shoulder,

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