SEA CHANGE
With her sun-kissed skin, mane of long curly hair, warm smile and Silicon Valley credentials, American round-the-world sailor Elana Connor appears to embody the footloose Californian dream. But her life story is complex and is the reason she’s reaching out to young New Zealanders with difficult lives.
Finding herself on an unexpectedly long stopover in New Zealand Connor’s partnered with charity Voyce – Whakarongo Mai to create scholarships for young people in care to experience the 10-day journeys on board the sailing ship the Spirit of New Zealand.
During a seven-month circumnavigation of New Zealand, she spoke to yacht clubs around the country and to date has raised $45,000 – enough to fund the first 20 scholarships. Connor’s fundraising efforts will continue as well as her frequent talks to children in care and chances for them to explore her 10.3m floating home.
Connor’s idea for the scholarships came about because, in her own experience, being outdoors as
