Today marked one hundred days until the start of the OSTAR. At this point I am thinking about the race constantly. As anyone who has pursued a stupidly ambitious personal goal knows, once the blinkers are on it can get rather lonely, as one is compelled to forego many social and cultural events in order to focus on preparation and training. But when a friend offered me a ticket she was unable to use to The Story 2017, a one day conference on stories and storytelling, I couldn’t resist. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to forget about the race for an afternoon? Or perhaps I might learn something useful?

As I settled into my seat in Conway Hall, I glanced to my left and noticed the number on the seat next to mine. 100. And as if to underscore the message: some brass tacks. There would be no forgetting my mission today.

I did enjoy catching up with many friends I see far too little of lately, and the talks I saw were, without exception, excellent and thought-provoking. I took particular delight in learning about Patrick Tresset‘s drawing robots and hearing Lara Pawson read from her memoir This Is the Place to Be. But by far the most exciting and useful presentation for me was Victoria Mapplebeck talking about and then showing her short film 160 Characters, a very moving story told with the help of a set of text messages she rediscovered on old Nokia phone, and filmed on an iPhone. I was really impressed with how much she was able to accomplish which her shoestring budget and a creative approach, and I came away full of enthusiasm for exploring ways to document my adventures at sea. Stay tuned!

Many thanks to Matt Locke and his team for having organised yet another great event, and to my anonymous benefactor for having given me her ticket.