Alex Alley competed in the ‘Global Challenge' as Watch Leader on Team Stelmar. Dubbed ‘The Worlds Toughest Yacht Race', it sails the ‘wrong' way round the world against the prevailing winds and currents. Alex stepped in as a last minute replacement after the previous Watch Leader left just 2 days before leaving for the Southern Ocean.

Alex took on a de-motivated and disillusioned watch and then had the job of converting them into an effective, high performing team. The watch included an eclectic mix including several, highly successful company directors. On top of all this, Alex had to deal with the trauma and emotional loss of not 1, but 2 crew due to medical evacuations around the notorious Cape Horn.

Battling against gale force winds and mountainous waves, they had to divert 2000 miles to drop of one of the injured crew to enable him to be operated on. Then to keep the watch motivated for the remainder of the 54 day leg in the freezing cold expanse of the Southern Ocean, took all his skill and effort, despite being put under immense pressure to retire from the leg. By persevering and carrying on, they managed to record one of four 24 hour distance records for the team.

Team Stelmar finished the race as a very close crew. They gained a knowledge, trust and respect for each other that none of the other teams managed.

During the 10 months of the race, Alex covered over 35,000 miles in some of the world's most hostile oceans. This now takes his total racing mileage to over 70,000.
Alex began sailing as a child in Mirror dinghies. A highly competitive individual who after teaching himself to sail, began to become more and more interested in making his boat go faster. He was bitten by the yacht racing bug in Ramsgate whilst crewing on other peoples boats.