News

Clipper 07-08 fleet returns to HQ

15 July 2008

With this afternoon’s arrival of Jamaica, all ten of the Clipper 68s have now returned to their home base at Royal Clarence Marina on the south coast of England following their epic 35,000-mile race around the world.

They waved farewell to Liverpool on Monday 7 July following the amazing welcome from the people of the European Capital of Culture 2008 at the end of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. The ten month race was won by New York, skippered by Scotsman, Duggie Gillespie. Hull & Humber, with Danny Watson in charge, pushed them hard all the way to earn second place overall in their debut Clipper campaign, and Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, led by Hannah Jenner, the only female skipper in the competition, finished third.

The crews for the delivery back to Clipper HQ included some of those who have already signed up and begun their training for Clipper 09-10, sailing alongside Clipper 07-08 crews who wanted to sail back to where their adventure began almost a year ago.

Nine of the 68-foot yachts, which are all backed by cities and territories around the world making it a truly international competition, arrived at the end of last week, while Jamaica sailed to Holyhead to pick up new crew who are in training for the RORC Madeira Race.

The Clipper maintenance team are in full swing, preparing the fleet for this summer’s busy corporate programme of events, beginning on 25 July with the first regatta in the Clipper Industry Series, the Clipper Finance Cup in association with Nautica Watches, in aid of Sail4Cancer. More information about the Clipper Industry Series is available on www.clipper-events.com.

All ten of the yachts which have just raced around the world will be competing at Skandia Cowes Week which begins on 2 August and then Jamaica will be off on another offshore race, the RORC Madeira Race, in which she is expected to be the largest of the 20 yachts competing in the 2,600 nautical mile race from Cowes. The route will take them across the English Channel, past the Channel Islands, along the stunning west coast of France, through the unpredictable and challenging conditions of the Bay of Biscay on towards the island of Madeira off the west coast of Africa. After a short stopover for victualling and crew changes they will race back to Cowes.

Double circumnavigator Simon Bradley will skipper the entry, assisted by Clipper Training skippers Jan Ridd and Juan Coezer. The crew have already completed a condensed three-day training course and a 500-mile qualifying passage from Holyhead back to Clipper’s south coast base.

Training for Clipper 09-10 is well and truly underway and more than 200 crew have already completed Part A of their compulsory Clipper Training. With the return of the race fleet to Clipper HQ Part B training courses will get underway immediately after Skandia Cowes Week. The Big Boat Racing course will consolidate the lessons of the first Big Boat Sailing module which takes complete novices, as well as experienced sailors, and teaches them the seamanship and safety skills necessary to become a useful crew member onboard a large racing yacht. The final part of their training won’t take place until after crew allocation next summer when they will discover who their skipper and their team mates will be.

For more information on the courses offered by Clipper Training, visit www.clipper-training.com or email .

There are still berths available for the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race which will start from the Humber on 13 September 2009, returning 3 July 2010. No sailing experience is necessary – about 40 per cent of the people who apply to take part in the Clipper Race have never set foot on a boat before, never mind a 68-foot ocean racing yacht. What they all have in common is a thirst for adventure, a desire to do something with their lives that will push them to the extreme, demand more physically and mentally than they ever thought possible and allow them to experience the camaraderie that only a world-class event like the Clipper Race can offer. While the racing is deadly serious, the bonds of friendships that develop among the crews are life-long. You just have to go to the team pages to read the last few blogs that have been sent back by the Clipper 07-08 crews to know that the Clipper Race is the challenge of a lifetime and, for many, a turning point in their lives.

Jamie Weeden, watch leader on the Clipper 05-06 winner, westernaustralia.com, posted this comment in reply to the team’s Clipper 07-08 skipper Martin Silk’s blog at the end of this race.

“Although our races were very different in so many ways, we did share so many ups and downs, highs and lows, challenges and adversity, and something very very special.

“I remember fearing the future at the end of the race. Do not fear, there is no need. You are all so much stronger from your experience and will be able to achieve whatever you wish. I have readjusted to life ashore, however my feet are always itchy and I know that I have lots more dreams and challenges to chase.

“This is only the beginning for us all.

“Celebrate your achievements as I know you will.”

For more information on how you can apply to take part in Clipper 09-10 email or call +44 (0) 2392 526000

Visit Clipper Round The World Yacht Race for more exciting updates.