Sailing for a Cause

Starting in 2025, I’ll be sailing around the world as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race — a grueling 40,000-nautical-mile circumnavigation that takes nearly a year to complete. It’s a journey of endurance, teamwork, and grit. But for me, this is more than a personal adventure. It’s a mission. A tribute. A fundraiser. A way to turn each mile at sea into meaningful support for those facing one of the most formidable medical battles there is: brain cancer.

Why I Sail

In 2012, my brother-in-law, Bob Spychalsky, passed away at just 44 years old after a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was an adventurer, a son, a husband, a father, and a friend whose loss left a lasting void in all of our lives. During his illness, Bob was cared for by the extraordinary team at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University. Their commitment to compassionate care and cutting-edge research gave Bob — and all of us — precious time, hope, and dignity.

Now, more than a decade later, I’m raising the sails in his memory and turning this journey into a platform to raise funds and awareness for the same center that supported our family.

Where Your Donation Goes

Every dollar raised goes directly to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, one of the world’s leading institutions in brain cancer research and patient care. Their team works on everything from groundbreaking treatments to clinical trials, pushing toward one ultimate goal: curing brain cancer.

The center relies heavily on philanthropy to fuel its mission. Your support can help:

• Fund innovative research and experimental therapies
• Support patients and families facing unimaginable stress
• Train the next generation of neuro-oncologists
• Keep hope alive for thousands battling this disease

Sailing for Bob. Sailing for You.

This isn’t just my journey. It’s one we can take together.

Whether you’ve lost someone to brain cancer, know someone currently fighting, or simply want to support vital medical research, I invite you to join me. You can:

• Donate directly to the fundraiser
• Share the story with friends and family
• Follow my journey here or on Substack or Instagram
• Honor a loved one by having their name added to my sail log — a list I’ll carry across the oceans

The Symbolism of the Sail

You may have noticed the logo for this campaign: a ribbon shaped like a sail, colored gray for brain cancer awareness and accented with black and gold to reflect my ties to the University of Central Florida — my alma mater and employer. It’s a symbol of movement, remembrance, and hope.

As that sail fills with wind and pulls our boat forward, I’ll be thinking of Bob — and of the many others still fighting.

Let’s Make Every Nautical Mile Count

There are more than 40,000 of them in this race. That’s 40,000 reasons to care. 40,000 reminders that we’re not powerless. That we can turn loss into purpose. That, together, we can move the needle on a disease that has taken too much from too many.

From the sun-scorched coasts of South America, to the frigid depths of the Southern Ocean, I’ll be carrying this cause with me. Please be part of it.

🧭 Click here to go directly to the supportdukehealth.org site
📬 TintypeTim.com
🎗 Learn more about the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University

Thank you for being a part of this voyage — not just across oceans, but toward healing, hope, and a better future.

—
Tim Telkamp
Sailor. Storyteller. Brother-in-law.
Sailing for a Cause