Afshin hasn't been sailing for long and yet he has already explored half the world on the sailboat.
Text: Philine von der Reith, Photo: Clipper Race, Philine von der Reith
Afshin is a participant in the “Clipper Races”. An international sailing race that goes around the whole world. The participants are diverse: some have 30 years of sailing experience and others are setting foot on a sailboat for the first time. Afshin belongs to the latter.
Afshin had actually been working in the London financial sector for years until one day he discovered a Clipper Race poster in the London underground. His curiosity was piqued and he signed up “because why not?”…. he says.
Born in Iran, he has lived in London for half his life. He went there to study and had now built a life there. He left all this behind in the blink of an eye.
Afshin is accepted and qualifies for participation with the training units. In retrospect, these four weeks of training were more strenuous for him than the race itself.
“It was like learning a new language.”
“It was like learning a new language,” is how he describes this time.
However, he never questioned his decision.
He talks about his experiences during the race with almost boundless enthusiasm. He was impressed by lightning-fast weather changes and extreme sea conditions. He was never afraid. Not even with phenomena that even shocked experienced sailors on his team. During this time, Afshin experienced the boundless nature, but also how people destroyed it.
He tells of an experience in the Solomon Sea. Many small particles were floating on the surface of the water. At first he thought it was plankton until he pulled a bucket full onto the boat. “It was full of micro-plastic,” he says, still shocked. Afshin decided to change something in his everyday life on land. He wanted to live even more sustainably.
The corona pandemic brought an abrupt stop to the 2019 Clipper Race after just six months.
After a three-year break, the race is scheduled to continue this year. Afshin used the time to meet his relatives in Hamburg 
visit. He stayed at the window of a shoe store on Eulenstrasse 
hang. This is how his time at 8beaufort.Hamburg began.
“I just loved the concept!”
He was immediately convinced by the brand and philosophy. In order to contribute, Afshin cut sail for further production over the next few months. This is how he kept his resolution to live more sustainably.
He helped at 8beaufort.Hamburg until preparations for the Clipper Race started again in February 2022.
First he went to the Philippines for refresher training. The race started again at the end of March. Afshin and his team now expect four more months at sea. He can't say yet what his life will look like afterwards, but he would like to keep sailing.
One thing he knows, he wants to win this race.
We're definitely keeping our fingers crossed for him!
SailYourCourse!