Lifelong Calgarian quits his job to sail around the world

Not one to settle for dipping his toes in the water, Mark Hagan is ready to set sail around the world.

That would be a magical feat in itself if he had a long history of sailing, but 51-year-old Hagan has never sailed before in his life—other than the hours of training he’s been doing for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Sailing the world was never on Hagan’s radar until the avid adventurer completed his bucket list goal of travelling to all seven continents, a feat he finished in 2017.

“A guy that was on the same trip with me asked me what was next for me, and I said ‘I have no idea.’ He said I should look into this race and I fell in love with it,” Hagan explains.

“I love to travel. That's me in a nutshell.”

A race like no other

The race he is referring to is the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, billed as one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other.

The first Clipper Race took place in 1996, and since then, almost 6,000 participants from around the world have trained for and competed in it.

While no previous sailing experience is necessary, the 40,000 nautical mile journey is a challenging one that puts people on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht. The route is divided into eight legs with six ocean crossings.

What would compel someone with no previous sailing experience to sign up for something so daunting and that so few people have completed?

“If you watch the videos from their website, they’re very inspiring. I've always liked the challenge. Anytime I’ve been near water or on water, I always feel calmer,” Hagan says, adding that he almost died while whitewater rafting once, but it hasn't stopped him.

“So, I do have a healthy fear of the water. But I like to do things that are outside the norm. And this one was a challenge.”

Only a fraction of the population

It’s not lost on Hagan that only a very small minority of the world has even thought about taking part in this challenge, let alone accomplishing it.

“There are more people that climb Mount Everest than sail around the world, so to be and do something completely different and wild was the draw.”

Because he has to train and the journey begins in late summer and lasts for 10 months, Hagan had to give notice in January to his employer, where he worked in oil and gas.

“My boss was shocked, but once I explained what it was for, she was extremely supportive. Sad to see me go, but she was amazed that I was trying to do something out of the ordinary,” Hagan says.

Despite having no previous sailing experience as a self-described “landlocked Calgarian,” Hagan has been training vigorously for the race, including with his trainer Kai Peters who is helping him reach the fitness level required.

“Up until my first two levels of training, I would have thought ‘Oh, yeah, this is gonna be great,’ and I was eager,” he says, adding he first had to pass the “hardest” interview of his life before even starting four levels of training.

A stormy start

The level-two training took place in the UK and involved having to endure a big storm with winds that reached up to 80 km/h and five-metre waves.

“And it scared the heck out of me to be 100% honest. But I was more terrified of hurting others in the boat, like capsizing or breaching the boat, than I was for myself,” he says, adding he got a taste of what Mother Nature is going to dish out at sea.

“After I came back from that, it did take me probably a month to figure out if I really wanted to do it again. Instead of it being inspiring and amazing and great, this is going to be tough and hard—but rewarding.”

Hagan’s love for travel started young, and not one to sit around and wait for travel companions, the born-and-raised Calgarian has spent most of his life visiting other countries.

Bit by the travel bug

It took him 20 years to complete his seven-continent bucket list goal. He’s even been to Ireland 20 to 30 times already. But his favourite?

“Antarctica was probably one of the most spectacular places I’ve been in my life. It was way beyond anything I had even imagined,” he says, adding he also loved visiting the northern and central parts of Australia.

“It's just spectacular. Driving through the Outback finding an oasis in the middle of nowhere, that’s probably way up there. And then Kruger National Park in South Africa. Just the safari that I did there, and we saw the big five animals— it was magical.”

Hagan hopes his journey raises awareness about the race and inspires others to chase their dreams, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.

“I'm hoping that I can promote it in non-sailing areas. My friends that have kids have already talked to teachers and schools. They’re all about helping in their geography lessons, and they’re going to follow the race,” Hagan says.

“If I can help make kids or friends think just a little bit outside that box of the norm, I'd like to do that. If I can do this, honestly, anybody else can.”