Storytelling that celebrates change
A big part of a copywriter’s job is storytelling. And really getting to the nub of what a person’s about.
Often what I find is a story of endeavour, determination, triumph and a will to do better.
Here’s a few of my favourites from the world of yachting.
Covering topics from ocean racing, Olympian grit, the plight of our ecosystem and plastic pledges to diversity, equality and inclusion:
First up…
Nick Bubb (top left) - Business Development Director for Fauna & Flora International (Feb ‘20). An ex Ocean Racer, Nick spent months at sea during his early career - connecting with the sea, his surroundings and wildlife - realising he wanted to utilise his skills for positive impact. Meeting the CEO of FFI culminated in a job offer to help drive their fundraising efforts; leveraging funding between financiers and conservationists.
Nick believes it’s vital we better understand the impact of our choices. Certainly, with superyacht owners, it isn’t always easy but bottom line, if we can all reduce our negative influences on the planet; by installing new technologies onboard to reduce carbon emissions, giving more thought to the yacht design and operation , with a greater respect for the environment; then we are moving in the right direction.
“Many superyacht owners have a wonderful understanding and knowledge of nature. We have benefactors who own superyachts, are passionate about protecting the natural world, support biodiversity projects and are looking to offset their emissions in the short term, whilst crucially developing decarbonisation strategies.”
Hannah Mills, MBE (top right) - British Olympic Sailor showed a steely determination to use her public persona to support ocean conservation; launching The Big Plastic Pledge to eradicate single use plastic in sport. During the Rio De Janeiro games, GB sailors witnessed human impact on oceans close up.
“We were incredibly focused on winning, but being in Rio also meant witnessing the effects of plastic pollution up-close. The constant visibility of plastic pollution was a turning point for a lot of us. Having to wade through meters and meters of waste to launch our boats. Sailing through water littered with plastic and debris.”
Since Rio, Hannah has been campaigning for change; working with sponsoring brands and organisers to remove single use plastics, packaging and plastic bottles from global sporting events.
Jenny Matthews (bottom left)- Superyacht Chief Officer, co-founder of the pioneering organisations, ‘She of the Sea’ and ‘Legasea’ and “diversity in yachting” campaigner; Jenny set off with the America’s Cup STEM Roadshow back in 2019, visiting UK secondary schools, inspiring girls aged 11-14 to consider science-based subjects for GCSE and a career in yachting.
With women significantly under-represented in technical and engineering careers, the roadshow, funded by the Department of Transport, was designed to reach, inspire and challenge young women; breaking gender stereotypes and talking through the range of interesting and challenging maritime jobs available to girls studying STEM.
“We’re so excited to be involved with the roadshow, bringing to life the great opportunities there are in this industry beyond the traditional stereotype. What a privilege to play a small part in inspiring the next generation of female scientists and engineers.”
Peter Burling & Blair Tuk (you guessed it, bottom right) - New Zealand Olympic sailors who set up Live Ocean, with a mission to be world-leading champions in ocean health. Supporting and investing in marine science, innovation, tech and conservation projects, inspiring others to preserve ocean conservation.
At the time of writing, one species in particular faced extinction - New Zealand’s Antipodean albatross - with the breeding population falling from 17,000 to 6,000 in 15 years - approx. 2 lost every day!
"The Antipodean albatross is an indicator of what’s happening in the ocean, we need to step up as a team because there are things we can do today to save them from extinction.”
Just tap their names to read their full stories.
If you have a story to tell, a project to celebrate or a stakeholder you’d like interviewed just get in touch vicks@vickswardcopywriter.com or call 0780 1103688.