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Episode 02 - August 2025
Welcome aboard,
I am super excited, and a bit nervous, I must say, to start writing this blog. Sharing my sailing adventure at the Clipper Race, combined with my learnings from corporate life in a simple, actionable, and fun way that sparks that inner fire, encouraging you to push boundaries and achieve big things, is my mission with Between Office and Ocean. I have not done anything like this before, and I feel the responsibility to make it meaningful and useful for you. My sailing adventure is big; however, there are bigger ones with amazing people doing solo circumnavigations, climbing the highest peaks, or diving the deepest seas. What I’m going to do differently is to tell my stories combining life at sea with corporate life, always with a bias for actionable insights.
In my first episode, I am going to talk about security, a topic critical on the high seas, as much as in the boardrooms of today’s organizations.
The Ocean's Unforgiving Security Lessons
Imagine yourself on a 70-foot ocean yacht, facing extreme weather conditions, the boat is heeling (sideways inclination) aggressively, it’s night, and visibility is poor. This situation makes a simple short walk through the deck a life-threatening task.
At sea, security isn't a suggestion; it's the basis of survival.
The Clipper Race teaches us the principle of Safety First. Every crew member, regardless of prior experience, undergoes rigorous, compulsory training to become an ocean racer. This isn't just about learning to sail; it's about instilling a standardized approach to safety, ensuring everyone uses the same techniques and commands to prevent dangerous mistakes. Onboard, specific security measures are non-negotiable, such as doing “Man Overboard” (MOB) drills.
Let me tell you about Bob. Bob loves sailing and is super experienced, having done many ocean crossings and explored the seven seas. However, Bob has this annoying habit of jumping overboard when no one is watching. We then have to perform the MOB procedure which involves several rigorous steps including immediately raising the alarm, stopping the boat, locating Bob, deploying safety equipment, and performing a swift recovery to bring him back on board.
As you might suspect, Bob is not an actual person, he’s a human size doll, a mannequin that weighs around 70kg and is used for the security exercises repeated several times at different situations, in order to make sure we are always ready to do what needs to be done if the real thing happens.
While Bob is not real (Sorry Bob, hope I don’t hurt your feelings), Man-Overboards are a real danger at sea. Occurrences are rare, however fatality rates are high, with nearly half (47%) of man overboard incidents from recreational boats reported to the UK MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) between 2015-2023 resulted in a fatality.
There are several other security-related aspects that we must learn, practice, and adopt at sea, particularly at an ocean sailing race.
Life Jackets and Harnesses: These are mandatory on deck, and every crew member must know how to properly fit, check, and inflate their life jacket.
Clipping On: This is a literal lifeline. Crew members must clip their safety tethers to designated strongpoints or jackstays when on deck, especially at night, in heavy weather, or on the foredeck, always on the windward side to prevent being swept overboard.
Knowing Your Boat: Sailors must know every system on their Clipper 70 yacht, from electrical power (generators, batteries) to the watermaker, fuel tanks, alarms, and bilge pumps. Routine maintenance and daily safety checks are paramount.
Focus and Awareness: In the chaotic environment of ocean racing, "situational awareness" is key. Crew must constantly observe their surroundings, anticipate the next move, and pay attention to even the smallest details.
From the Ocean to the Office: The CIO's Security Compass
Now, let's explore how this relates to the corporate world. Just as the ocean tests a sailor's spirit, the fast-changing digital world challenges organisations. Technology leaders, such as CIOs, must drive a "Security First" mindset.
Here’s how we can translate the sailing world to corporate technology and digital security:
Digital Security Literacy: Just as every sailor undergoes rigorous training, every employee, from the Board to the newest intern, needs cybersecurity awareness training. This isn't just an annual checkbox; it's about building "digital literacy" across the company.
Incident and Crisis Exercises: What are your organization's MOB drills? They are your cybersecurity incident response plans. Regular simulations of phishing attacks, data breaches, and system failures are crucial. Similarly are Board-level crisis simulations, which demand careful preparation, but are extremely effective to educate senior stakeholders.
Life Jackets: Your corporate "life jackets" are multi-factor authentication, strong password policies, data encryption, and robust access controls. "Clipping on" means ensuring every employee consistently adheres to these security protocols. It’s about making security practices as intuitive and non-negotiable as wearing a life jacket on deck.
Knowing Your "Boat" (IT Landscape): A CIO must have a complete understanding of their organization's IT architecture – the fragmented ERPs, the business platforms, the data platforms. This knowledge is essential for identifying vulnerabilities and proactively securing defenses, just as a skipper understands every part of their yacht.
Leadership in the Storm: Cybersecurity, like sailing, is full of unpredictable "storms." A CIO's role is to lead crises with purpose and clarity, keeping calm, balancing being supportive and decisive to guide the teams who are usually under huge pressure to fix things urgently.
Key Actionable Insight
When pushing beyond limits, whether you’re racing in the middle of the ocean or deploying leading-edge digital technologies, safety and security must come first, and your strongest line of defense are knowledge, preparation and collective responsibility.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If this resonated with you, consider sharing it with a friend who might benefit and also check my UNICEF fundraising, where you can make a difference to a child around the world.
May the fair winds be with you!
Breno.
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