Humans of Red Bull Illume – Jody MacDonald, photographer, Ted Talker
I started sailing from New Zealand and on my tenth day of sailing, we got in a really bad storm, the worst imaginable conditions ever! It was in between Vanuatu and Fiji, the part, where you have to sail against the wind! We were going to loose the mast and waves wouldn’t stop rolling in. Everything was soaked, I was naked, in total survival mode and seasick, when the captain asked me to get a tool in a cabin in order to fix the mast which was coming down. I crawled to the cabin on my knees, it broke open, and a guy appeared in front of me, vomiting over me! We’ve lost the mast, and the boat damage costed me 30’000 dollars! When we finally got to Fiji, instead of me saying I don’t want to sail anymore, I continued to sail for 10 years, because I wanted to document the beauty of the world, despite me being seasick every day. It was more important to me to live these experiences than having a comfortable life. It taught me to embrace adverse situations. Hardship has become really important for me. Instead of avoiding complicated situations, going towards them! It is one of the most important lessons I have learned. The boat can break down and you have always problems, but no matter where you are, you can always fix any obstacles with limited things and overcome almost everything! I can figure it out. It doesn’t matter what it is.
Photo: Red Bull Illume Lifestyle winning shot of Jody MacDonald, Canada with her mesmerizing image of her brother Ken MacDonald sitting on top of a 3 km train during their adventure through the Sahara Desert.
