WELCOME TO THE SOLENT Hello and welcome to the Solent, a stretch of water like no other. As an Islander, I’ve grown up exploring the Solent and it’s helped shape my life, my business and my WELCOME TO THE SOLENT passions! I’m Xavier Baker, co-founder of the Isle of Wight Distillery, the home of Mermaid Gin. Sailing, surfing, coasteering, rowing – all my adventures on the water have started here. I love the Solent, it’s a Xavier Baker by Gianpaolo Giancovich familiar part of the world to me. I was fortunate to grow up sailing the Solent at weekends with my family. A great playground, exploring all the harbours, rivers and creeks around Southampton Water, Hamble River, Ashlett Creek and Chichester, spotting seals at Newtown Creek and even the occasional dolphin between Cowes and the mainland. The Solent with it’s crazy tidal systems is the passageway between the Island and the big island and there’s so much to explore in one area. Those who love the sea often thrive on the thrill of adventure. It fosters independence, camaraderie among crew mates and a can-do attitude. As an entrepreneur, I’m sure the learnings I received on the water has helped me understand the power of a great team, optimism and persistence. Mermaid was inspired by the ocean that surrounds us and this resonates with so many people, both locally and around the world. Now a little older and wiser (or not), I’ll be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime with two other Island seamen this December, as part of the rowing team mermaidatlantic.com. We’ll be rowing 3000 miles across the Atlantic as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, to raise funds for charities Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Surfers Against Sewage and The Seahorse Project. Alongside fundraising and raising the profiles of some brilliant charities, the row is also a huge personal challenge for us. Paul had previously rowed around the Island, myself and Manni hadn’t rowed before we started training for the challenge. Hearing tales of marlin strikes, shark sightings and capsized boats from former competitors, we’re heading into the adventure with a healthy dose of caution as well as excitement. The expedition takes most teams around 35- 50 days and we’ll be heading off on 12 December 2023, so we’re preparing to spend Christmas and New Year at sea. Training is now full speed ahead as we get to grips with learning the techniques needed to manage the rolling waves of the Atlantic! If you see three men in a rowing boat while you’re sailing the Solent, be sure to give us a wave! Xavier Baker Co Founder Isle of Wight Distillery 8 solenthandbook.com