An ocean sailor turned entrepreneur is set to address 200 business leaders at the annual Southampton Boat Show lunch hosted by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce.
In a keynote speech, Pete Goss MBE will trace parallels between some of the skills involved in ocean navigation and those required in managing teams for business success in the corporate world.
Former Royal Marine Pete first captured global headlines while competing in the Vendee Globe single-handed non-stop round-the-world yacht race. Risking his own life in the face of a fierce Southern Ocean storm, he turned his yacht round to rescue a fellow competitor who had got into difficulty and sent a distress call.
After a two-day search sailing into hurricane-force winds, Pete found the man still alive in a life-raft dropped by the Australian Air Force and took him to safety in Tasmania before going on to complete the race, coming fifth.
Cornwall-based Pete has sailed more than 300,000 nautical miles in competitions, including seven transatlantic and two round-the-world races. He has trained amateur crews for sailing challenges and now draws on his many seagoing experiences to offer leadership and management talks, team-building exercises, lectures and training sessions.
Pete said:
“My message to business teams is that you need to plan for success while building the capacity to keep going when things don’t go as you would expect. You have to pick team members carefully and keep them feeling motivated, involved and valued so you can stick to your challenge."
"Your skillset needs to include the ability to listen, communicate, share and delegate well. I’m looking forward to meeting Hampshire Chamber members at the Boat Show lunch and the opportunity to discuss with them the many similarities between competitive yachting and the skills needed to succeed in business.”
The annual Southampton Boat Show lunch is the signature event on Hampshire Chamber of Commerce’s social calendar. It has been a popular fixture since the inception of the show, with Chamber leadership, in 1969, and remains the event’s only dedicated networking lunch for business attendees.
Ross McNally, Hampshire Chamber’s Chief Executive and Executive Chair, said:
“We are thrilled that Pete will be joining us at our most anticipated annual social occasion. His first-hand insights about navigating challenges and building resilience will be fascinating for our audience of members and guests. The Southampton Boat Show is Britain’s biggest festival of boating and a showcase that reinforces Hampshire’s place at the heart of the global leisure marine industry. We thank all our event partners for helping us stage what is shaping up to be a fantastic lunch.”
The charity partner for the lunch is Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance while business supporters include Boat Show organiser British Marine.
The Hampshire Chamber Boat Show lunch takes place at the Novotel Southampton on the opening day of the Southampton International Boat Show, Friday 19 September 2025.
