Clipper Race - 20th Anniversary Ball Official Programme

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Clipper Race

Where it all started

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Andrew Ward & William Ward

CEO William Ward recalls the day the future changed I was initially drawn into the Clipper Race based on the early crew applications and the overwhelming enthusiasm people showed towards the challenge. I knew there was a future there if we would just take the initial leap of faith. My own son was the youngest person to complete the race early on and I am still immensely impressed of what it gave him.

We have come a very long way since our early days when Clipper Ventures employed just a handful of people, but like all good start ups you have to do all the hard work yourself before you can grow. Today we have a fantastic team which peaks at almost 100 staff who take care of the operations and logistics and I no longer need to catch the lines or plan the victualling, though I always hold those memories dear.

Sir Robin has grown to be one of my closest friends over the years, we rarely disagree in business and in the early days when it seemed the world was against us we stood shoulder to shoulder. That sort of bond is hard to find.

The race is not just a powerful personal experience, it’s also a remarkable platform for global tourism and business.

The first eight race teams were named after famous tea clippers but it was soon clear that cities and countries wanted to use the race to promote their assets and industries, which opened up new opportunities.

“ We have come a very long way since our early days” A vast range of destinations including New York, Jamaica, Hull and Humber, Cardiff, Liverpool, Finland, California, GoldCoast Australia, Switzerland, Durban, Singapore, Derry Londonderry, Seattle, Da Nang, GREAT Britain, and Qingdao, our longest standing team and host port, have led impactful international campaigns with us and hosted stopovers that will live forever in the memories of our crew.

All good businesses must evolve of course and along the way our partnership model developed with the rest of the world’s sponsorship trends as we attracted leading brands such as Land Rover, Sony, ARM, Garmin, Old Pulteney, Henri Lloyd, Hyde Sails,

LMAX Exchange, Keppel, Harken, DLL, Olympus, and more, whose support and collaboration has bought new depths to our business, and in turn added huge value to their global objectives.

We also ran three editions of the Velux Five Oceans Race and set up our highly successful Clipper Events division.

The infectious and ever increasing desire to live without regret, and the fact that the Clipper Race remains the only place people can take on this kind of challenge is what drives me every day.

Over the years we’ve shared incredible achievements in outstanding places around the world and built a very exclusive network which feels much like a family in the process.

I thank all those who have dared to live a life less ordinary, our business partners who share our unique ambitions, and my team who work tirelessly round the clock and round the world to provide this once in a life time experience and help us to keep the race evolving on its journey.

Long may the adventure continue…

Founder and Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston reflects on the incredible journey so far On Wednesday 16 October 1996 the first Clipper Race fleet departed the UK. They embarked on an adventure which continues to thrill and inspire to this day.

Twenty years ago tomorrow, eight 60foot yachts sailed out from Plymouth in the maiden Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. This was the beginning of what continues to be a unique experience for Corinthian sailors, which myself and William feel enormously honoured to be celebrating with you two decades later.

The idea for the Clipper Race first came to me on a mountain in Greenland when I was climbing with Sir Chris Bonington.

One night at our camp on a glacier as we made our way towards our objective, we discussed the cost and challenge of climbing Mount Everest. If Mount Everest is the ultimate in mountaineering, what was its equivalent in sailing and how many people would be willing to pursue the challenge?

As President of the Sail Training Association, a youth development organisation that ran the annual Tall Ships races, I had seen first-hand how even a short time on a sailing boat could change lives and boost self-confidence levels. If we could provide the boats and the training to arm people the skills and fortitude to race across the oceans of the world, we could open up sailing opportunities to thousands of people.

The idea was born.

“Over 4,000 people and three generations of ocean racing fleets have now participated” We placed an ad in a national newspaper and received more than 8,000 applications, and that’s when we knew we had something.

In that first race some 80 crew achieved the entire circumnavigation with three times as many sharing the adventure on various legs.

The formula clearly worked and we ran the second race two years later, thereby establishing a biennial cycle

that continues to this day which over 4,000 people and three generations of ocean racing fleets have now participated in.

A team of just five staff ran the first race, but the current full time Clipper Race of almost twenty times this now handle crew enquiries, training, maintenance, finance, race organisation, partnerships, communications and marketing, and general requirements of running a successful global operation have evolved over the years, as have our crew numbers, growing from 186 in 1996 to 690 in 2015.

know why the Clipper Race is so special.

It is an achievement which lasts a lifetime.

It can never be taken away from you and no matter how many years pass or how life continues, that feeling of pride which stays and inspires future generations is timeless.

“An incredible opportunity to exceed ordinary human limits and really discover just how strong you are as an individual�

I am immensely proud of the team we have built and together we work very hard to provide a memorable experience as well as trying out all sorts of new ideas together to keep the race evolving with the times.

Whether you have competed in the whole race, a single leg, are training for an upcoming edition, or have been one of our valued business partners, you will know just what a powerful and unique unifying experience the Clipper Race is.

The challenges of crossing an ocean, facing fears in tough conditions, digging deep with your crew mates to reach a finish line which often seems never ending, and overcoming fatigue and extreme temperatures over enduring periods of time provides you with an incredible opportunity to exceed ordinary human limits and really discover just how strong you are as an individual.

Couple this with the incredible highs and jubilant celebrations that come with completing something that few people on this planet dare to experience and you

I have always believed strongly that we only have one life and we should never spend our latter days regretting the things we did not do. The Clipper Race may have grown and evolved over the years but the raw adventure of traversing our planet through its untamed oceans is still the basis of what the Clipper Race experience is, and will continue to be for many decades to come.

Thank you for being a part of our history.

We are proud to have all you in our Clipper Race family.

Long may our adventures continue‌

CONGRATULATIONS

ON 20 YEARS OF PUSHING THE LIMITS To beat Mother Nature is one thing, to do it faster than anyone else is quite another. You need competitive drive, a winning attitude, and you need a boat and sailing gear that lets you concentrate on being the best.

As the Official Technical Clothing Partner since 2002, we have supplied the kit that keeps Clipper Race sailors protected from all Mother Nature can throw at them.

Auction & Raffle Prizes Through the generosity of our partners around the world we present a range of luxury lifestyle items, vacations and valuable artwork. In aid of Unicef, raffle tickets will be sold for the prize draw this evening following the live auction.

Our thanks to • Alex Thomson Racing • Elliot Brown Watches • Garmin • GREAT Britain Campaign • Henri Lloyd • Jamaica Tourist Board • LMAX Exchange • Old Pulteney Whisky • Qingdao Yachting Association • Rickety Bridge Winery Manor • Rocktails • Stormhoek • Vin Pearl and Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Package including air travel kindly donated by Vietnam Airlines and luxury resort accommodation at the Vin Pearl Golf Land Resort and Villas

Generously donated

by Qingdao Yachting Association, “The Buddha Manjushri” depicts one of the major Buddhas in the traditional Thangka style

Ken Done painting of the Clipper Race fleet donated by Henri Lloyd

Rickety Bridge Winery Manor House Stay

Clipper Race Timeline

Clipper 2002-03 Race Winning Yacht / Skipper Jersey / Simon Rowell Number of crew: 230

Clipper ‘98 Race Winning Yacht / Skipper Ariel / Alex Thomson Number of crew: 230

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and William Ward create Clipper Ventures 1969

1996 1995

Sir Robin becomes the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world, when he won the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race

2000 1998

2004 2002

Inaugural Race Clipper ‘96 Race

The Times Clipper 2000 Race

Winning Yacht / Skipper Ariel / Ras Turner Number of crew: 186

Winning Yacht / Skipper Bristol / Bob Beggs Number of crew: 263

New Clipper 68 Fleet (x10)

New Clipper 70 Fleet (x12)

Clipper Race 20th Anniversary

Clipper 2005-06 Race

Clipper 2009-10 Race

Clipper 2013-14 Race

Winning Yacht / Skipper westernaustralia.com / Mark Preedy Number of crew: 310

Winning Yacht / Skipper Spirit of Australia / Brendan Hall Number of crew: 392

Winning Yacht / Skipper Henri Lloyd / Eric Holden Number of crew: 670

2007 2005

2011 2009

2006 Sir Robin races in the Velux 5 Oceans (formally Around Alone) on SAGA Insurance

2015 2013

Clipper 2007-08 Race

Clipper 2011-12 Race

Winning Yacht / Skipper New York / Duggie Gillespie Number of crew: 352

Winning Yacht / Skipper Gold Coast Australia / Richard Hewson Number of crew: 448

2017 Race training hub launched in Sydney, Australia

Clipper 2015-16 Race Winning Yacht / Skipper LMAX Exchange / Olivier Cardin Number of crew: 690

Evolution of a Legend Since the Clipper Race started in 1996, there have been three iterations of the Clipper yacht The current twelve-strong fleet is a stark comparison to the one which began the very first Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1996.

Their debut in Clipper 2013-14 Race marked yet another milestone in the history of the race.

Designed by the renowned naval architect Tony Castro, to be faster and more dynamic then the previous Clipper Race yachts, the Clipper 70 was developed from the best ideas from both the previous yacht designs: the Clipper 60 and the Clipper 68. The culmination of several years of careful planning has seen the new yacht go from the drawing board to the start line and now twice around the globe in the largest ocean race.

Clipper 60 The fleet for the 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002 races featured the “Clipper 60�, a 60-foot yacht designed

by David Pedrick and built

by Colvic Craft. The design was based on the Camper and Nicholson Bluewater 58 cruising yacht. Modifications were made to the cruising version including a new deck layout better suited to ocean racing and an enlarged rig.

Hull type

Monohull

Builder

Colvic Craft

Displacement

24,000 kg

Designer

David Pedrick

Engine

Diesel 130 hp, Perkins M165

Length

59ft 11in (18.26m)

Beam

15ft 7in (4.75m)

Draft

7ft 3in (2.21m)

IRC Handicap

1.068 (2010)

Clipper 68 For the 2005 race, a new fleet of Clipper 68s was built to replace the Clipper 60s.

The 68-foot yachts were designed by Ed Dubois and the fleet increased from eight boats to ten. The Clipper 68’s longer hull line, taller mast, lighter overall weight (two tons lighter than its predecessor), and a flatter bottom meant faster boat speeds.

Clipper 70 Introduced for the Clipper 2013-14 Race the Clipper 70 was designed by Tony Castro Naval Architects. The fleet of twelve Clipper 70s were built

by Mazarin Yachts in Qingdao, China and will continue to compete in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 editions of the race.

Hull type

Monohull

Rig

Masthead Cutter

Hull type

Monohull

Rig

Masthead Cutter

Builder

Shanghai Double Happiness Yacht Co. Ltd

Builder

Mazarin Yachts, Qingdao, China

Displacement

31.2 tonnes

Designer

Dubois Naval Architects

Length

68 ft (21 m)

Beam

5.76m or 18’ 10”

Draft

3m or 9’10”

Mast height

29 m (95 ft)

Mast height

89 ft 7 in (27.31 m)

IRC Handicap

1.290 (2015)

IRC Handicap

1.215 (2015)

Displacement

31.7 tonnes

Designer

Tony Castro Naval Architects

Length

23 m (75 ft)

Beam

5.65 m (18.5 ft)

Draft

3 m (9.8 ft)

Changing Lives The Clipper Race has worked with many social responsibility projects around the world

Lerato Bridgette Masombuka

One of many companies that have provided bursary schemes is The Sapinda Rainbow Foundation, the brainchild of its CEO, Dirk van Daele, who saw first-hand during his own participation in the Clipper Race how sailing could be used to promote leadership and life skills for vulnerable youths.

Lerato Bridgette Masombuka, 20, is from the small township of Zithobeni in Bronkhorspruit, South Africa. She lost both parents and was brought up by her grandmother and aunt. Most young people in Zithobeni drop out of school and those who manage to graduate from high school find it hard to further their

studies, exposing them to other negative pressures. Lerato was part of the second Sapinda Rainbow relay team and completed Leg 7 of the Clipper 2015-16 Race on IchorCoal, sailing from Seattle to New York.

“Promote leadership and life skills for vulnerable youths” Lerato explains how she has been adapting to life back on land and putting lessons learnt on the race into practice.

“Initially things were a bit strange. I felt like I was still on the boat… I would wake up in the middle of the night with no reason, craving Oreo biscuits.

Sometimes I felt like my bed was leaning over. I wanted to pump instead of flush every time I was in the toilet and experienced other unusual things.

“I soon had to go back to school and had to write all the assignments I missed while I had been away. Sometimes I even wrote two modules in one day which was straining. The watch system on the boat really helped me though, I didn’t struggle to wake up to study, and could do with

only a few hours of sleep while catching up on all the school work I missed. I am happy to say that I passed all my assessments; I also got an award from one of my lecturers for getting the best mark in Applied English!

“I enjoy working in a group now, though groups are usually challenging. My group members were very passive at first; they were always late and didn’t contribute towards the group work. I had to take charge and teach them a few things that I’ve learnt from my sailing experience, such as the value of punctuality, participation, cooperation and the importance of working as a team.

I enjoy sharing my sailing experience.

I truly love the challenging adventure that I took on, I am really proud of myself.

All thanks to the Sapinda Rainbow Foundation and my Clipper Race Skipper and crew mates.”

To learn more about the Sapinda Rainbow Foundation visit sapindarainbow.com

Our valued Partners Around the world, our partners play a vital role in the continued success of the race: 1080 Media

Ellen McArthur Cancer Trust

Jersey

Qingdao Yachting Association

ARM

Elliot Brown Watches

Keppel

Rickety Bridge Winery

Arthur J Gallagher

Euronav Limited

Land Rover

Rotary Watches

Benromach

Exterion Media

Liverpool City Council

Sapinda Rainbow Foundation

Cape Breton Island

Garmin

LMAX Exchange

Singapore

Cape Town

Glasgow

Marine Travel

Sony

ChartCo

Gold Coast Australia

Marlow Ropes

St Katharine Docks

City of Albany

GREAT Britain Campaign

Mission Performance

Stormhoek

ClipperTelemed+

Harken UK

New York

Switzerland

Cork

Henri Lloyd

Nobeltec

Team Finland

Creative Torque

Hill Dickinson

Nova Scotia

The Times

Da Nang - Viet Nam

Hull and Humber

Ocean Safety

Unicef

Den Helder

Hyde Sails Limited

Old Pulteney

Velux

Derry~Londonderry~Doire

ICHOR COAL

Olympus

Visit Seattle

DLL

ICON

PRAXES Medical Group

Xerox

Edinburgh Council

Jamaica Tourist Board

PSP Logistics

Yorkshire Forward

The Races

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure information is correct, we apologise for any error or omission.

On the 16 October 1996 the matched fleet of eight 60 foot yachts left Plymouth taking a westwards route around the globe. Stopping at fourteen ports, the inaugural Clipper Race set the course for the following three editions of the race. Skipper Ras Turner and the race crew of Ariel took first position. A total of 186 took part, and approximately 32% were female.

Race Results

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

1

Ariel

Ras Turner

24

5

Blackadder

Andrew Spedding

77

2

Mermerus

Jim Thom

47

6

Serica

Bluey Neale

82

3

Taeping

Adrian Faiers

61

7

Thermopylae

Mervyn Wheatley

91

4

Chrysolite

Colin de Mowbray

64

8

Antiope

Charlie Osborne

93

1 16 15 2

3

8

7

9

6 4 5

11

10

14

13

12

Clipper ‘96 1. Plymouth 2. Madeira 3. Fort Lauderdale

4. Panama 5. Galapagos 6. Hawaii

7. Yokohama 8. Shanghai 9. Hong Kong

10. Singapore 11. Seychelles 12. Durban

13. Cape Town 14. Salvador (Brazil) 15. The Azores

16. Plymouth

Race Results

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

1

Ariel

Alex Thomson

24.5

5

Taeping

Nick Fleming

71.5

2

Antiope

Keith Harris

50

6

Serica

Rupert Dean

76

3

Chrysolite

Tim Hedges

58.5

7

Thermopylae

Malcolm Todd

82.5

4

Mermerus

Barney Sollars

67

1 17 16 2

3

9 10

4

7

8

5 6

12

11

15

14

13

Clipper ‘98 1. Plymouth 2. Madeira 3. Nassau

4. Havana 5. Panama 6. Galapagos

7. Hawaii 8. Yokohama 9. Shanghai

10. Hong Kong 11. Singapore 12. Seychelles

13. Durban 14. Cape Town 15. Salvador (Brazil)

16. The Azores 17. Plymouth

Famously won by the youngest Skipper to date Alex Thomson, 25, and the crew of Ariel, the race followed the same westward route as in 1996, calling briefing at Nassau in the Bahamas.

Seven yachts, crewed by over 230 people from all walks of life started and finished in Plymouth.

The Times became title sponsor of the ‘new millennium’ race which departed from, and returned to, Portsmouth. Due to unexpected stops on Okinawa and Christmas Island there were sixteen port stops and five ocean crossings.

The race between the eight yachts, with more than 260 crew, was won by Bob Beggs and the crew of Bristol, who were awarded The Times 2000 trophy.

Race Results

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

1

Bristol

Bob Beggs

97.4

5

Plymouth

Matt Baker

75

2

Jersey

Paul de la Haye

96

6

Portsmouth

Martin Clough

72

3

London

Stuart Gibson

82

7

Leeds

Simon Rowell

40

4

Liverpool

Rupert Dean

77

8

Glasgow

Ed Green

38

1 18 17

16

2

9

3

4

11

5

8

10

6 7

12 15 13 14

The Times Clipper 2000 Race 1. Portsmouth 2. Portugal 3. Madeira

4. Nassau 5. Havana 6. Panama

7. Galapagos 8. Hawaii 9. Yokohama

10. Okinawa 11. Hong Kong 12. Singapore

13. Mauritius 14. Cape Town 15. Salvador (Brazil)

16. New York 17. St. Hellier 18. Portsmouth

Race Results

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

1

Jersey

Ras Turner

97.5

5

Glasgow

Rupert Parkhouse

65

2

Bristol

Richard Butler

95.5

6

London

Rory Gillard

57.5

3

Liverpool

Adam Kyffin

74

7

New York

Sam Fuller / Ross Daniel

55

4

Hong Kong

Justin Taylor

71

8

Cape Town

Roger Steven-Jennings

30

1 16 15 14

6

2

7 9

3

8

4 5

10 13 11 12

Clipper 2002–03 Race 1. Liverpool 2. Portugal 3. Havana

4. Panama 5. Galapagos 6. Hawaii

7. Yokohama 8. Okinawa 9. Hong Kong

10. Batam Indonesian 11. Mauritius 12. Cape Town

13. Salvador (Brazil) 14. New York 15. Jersey

16. Liverpool

The fourth and final circumnavigation of the Clipper 60 fleet was crewed by 230 people.

Leaving Liverpool, an estimated 40,000 spectators came to see the fleet depart despite a delayed start due to extreme weather. Samantha Fuller was the first female skipper in the history of the Clipper Race on New York.

Jersey, skippered by Simon Rowell won the race which returned to Liverpool to double the crowd numbers in October 2003.

The fifth race, and the first for the Clipper 68 fleet of ten saw over 310 crew participate from around the world. It was also the first race to run west to east introducing the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific into the route, altered to take account of the new faster yacht design.

Qingdao became a host port for the first time. The winning yacht westernaustralia.com skippered by Mark Preedy, led the fleet back into Liverpool.

Race Results Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

25.5

23.5

1

westernaustralia.com

Dave Pryce/ Mark Preedy

94.5

5

Uniquely Singapore

Richard Falk

68.5

9

Jersey

Mark Taylor/ Simon Rowell/ Richard Franklin/ Mervyn Wheatley

2

Durban

Craig Miller

85

6

Victoria

Ewan Hind

65

10

Glasgow: Scotland with Style

Graeme Johnston/ Rory Gillard

3

New York

Joff Bailey

82

7

Qingdao

Danny Watson

59

Liverpool ‘08

Tim McGee/ Sam Fuller

Cardiff

Conor Fogherty/ Mervyn Wheatley

51.5

4

90.5

8

14

9 12

1 15 13

2

8

11 7

10 6 3 4

Clipper 2005–06 Race 1. Liverpool 2. Cascais 3. Salvador

4. Durban 5. Fremantle 6. Singapore

7. Subic Bay 8. Qingdao 9. Victoria

10. Panama 11. Jamaica 12. New York

13. Jersey 14. Holyhead 15. Liverpool

5

Race Results Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

1

New York

Jerry Crew/ Duggie Gillespie

103.5

5

Liverpool ‘08

Ben Galloway

75.5

9

Nova Scotia

Rob McInally

50.5

2

Hull & Humber

Danny Watson

98

6

Ricky Chalmers

70

10

Jamaica

Simon Bradley

40.5

3

Glasgow: Scotland with Style

Hannah Jenner

87

7

Uniquely Singapore

Mark Preedy

69

Qingdao

Marcus Cholerton-Brown

8

Western Australia2011.com

Martin Silk

65

4

77.5

15 13 14

2

12

9

1 16

7 11

8

10 6 3 4

5

Clipper 2007–08 Race 1. Liverpool 2. La Rochelle 3. Salvador

4. Durban 5. Fremantle 6. Singapore

7. Qingdao 8. Hawaii 9. Santa Cruz

10. Panama 11. Jamaica 12. New York

13. Halifax 16. Liverpool 14. Cape Breton Island 15. Cork

Starting and returning from Liverpool the ten strong fleet raced eastwards with only twelve port stops in the route. The fleet encountered storms between Hawaii and Santa Cruz in which two yachts lost their masts.

Over 350 race crew participated in the sixth edition of race which was won by the team skippered by Duggie Gillespie on New York.

Kingston upon Hull hosted the fleet’s send off and the return eleven months later. Almost 400 race crew took part and for the first time, the option of Stealth Mode and Scoring Gates were introduced to the route. Skipper Brendan Hall and the team of Spirit of Australia won the coveted trophy for the seventh edition of the race.

Race Results Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Matt Pike

53

Pete Rollason

42

1

Spirit of Australia

Brendan Hall

128

5

Jamaica

Pete Stirling

98

9

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital

2

Team Finland

Eero Lehtinen/ Rob McInally

105.3

6

Uniquely Singapore

Jim Dobie

76

10

California

3

Cape Breton Island

Jan Ridd

104

7

Qingdao

Chris Stanmore-Major

74

Hull & Humber

Piers Dudin/ Justin Taylor

Cork

Richie Fearon/ Hannah Jenner

56.8

4

98

8

13 12

14

2

11

8

1 15

7 10 9 6 3

5

4

Clipper 2009–10 Race 1. Hull 2. La Rochelle 3. Rio de Janeiro

4. Cape Town 5. Geraldton 6. Singapore

7. Qingdao 8. San Francisco 9. Panama

10. Jamaica 11. New York 12. Cape Breton

13. Cork 14. IJmuiden 15. Hull

Race Results Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

1

Gold Coast Australia

Richard Hewson

151

5

Welcome to Yorkshire

Rupert Dean

86

9

2

Visit Finland

Oli Osborne

103

6

New York

Gareth Glover

77

3

Singapore

Ben Bowley

101

7

Geraldton Western Australia

Juan Coetzer

77

4

De Lage Landen

Mat Booth/ Stuart Jackson

99

8

Derry-Londonderry

Mark Light

62

14 13 12

10

10

Skipper

Points

Qingdao

Ian Conchie

58

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital

Gordon Reid/ Flavio Zamboni/ Piers Dudin

40

1 16 15

2

9

11 8 3

4

Clipper 2011–12 Race 1. Southampton 2. Madeira 3. Rio de Janeiro

4. Cape Town 5. Geraldton 6. New Zealand

7. Eastern Australia 8. Singapore 9. Qingdao

10. California 11. Panama 12. New York

5

7 6

13. Nova Scotia 16. Southampton 14. Derry-Londonderry 15. Den Helder

The race started in the Solent, home of the Clipper Race led by HMS Illustrious.

Almost 450 race crew from 40 nations took up the adventure. The fleet of eight Clipper 68s again embraced the challenges of ocean racing when some yachts reported steering gear failures resulting in a re-routing of the course. Returning to Southampton, Gold Coast Australia, skippered by Richard Hewson led the fleet home.

The introduction of the new Clipper 70 fleet allowed over 670 race crew to participate on the twelve identical yachts. The race route was amended to accommodate the faster design which also saw the fleet compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race for the first time. The crew of Henri Lloyd, skippered

by Canadian Eric Holden, triumphed in the return to St Katharine Docks, London, where thousands lined the River Thames to celebrate the homecoming.

Race Results Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

1

Henri Lloyd

Eric Holden

166.9

5

Derry~Londerry~Doire

Sean McCarter

113

9

PSP Logistics

Chris Hollis

87.3 83

2

GREAT Britain

Simon Talbot

150

6

Old Pulteney

Patrick Van der Zijden

104

10

Garmin

Damian Parnham/ Jan Ridd

3

One DLL

Olly Cotterell

137

7

Qingdao

Gareth Glover

96

11

Invest Africa

Rich Gould

66

4

Switzerland

Vicky Ellis

133

8

Jamaica

Pete Stirling

92

12

Mission Performance

Matt Mitchell

37

15 14

11

1 17 16

2

10

13 12 9 3 8 4

Clipper 2013–14 Race 1. London 2. Brest 3. Rio de Janeiro

4. Cape Town 5. Albany 6. Sydney

7. Hobart 8. Brisbane 9. Singapore

10. Qingdao 11. San Francisco 12. Panama

5

6 7

13. Jamaica 16. Den Helder 14. New York 17. London 15. Derry-Londonderry

Race Results Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points 79

Position

Boat

Skipper

Points

9

ClipperTelemed+

Diane Reid/ Matt Mitchell

74

1

LMAX Exchange

Olivier Cardin

152

5

Qingdao

Igor Gotilbovych/ Bob Beggs

2

Derry~Londerry~Doire

Dan Smith

145

6

Mission Performance

Greg Miller

78

10

Unicef

Tim Prendergast/ Paul Atwood/ Martin Clough

65

3

GREAT Britain

Peter Thornton

126

7

Da Nang - Viet Nam

Wendy Tuck

77

11

IchorCoal

Darren Ladd/ Rich Gould

54

4

Garmin

Ashley Skett

125

8

Visit Seattle

Huw Fernie

76

12

PSP Logistics

Max Stunell

45

13

10

1 15 14

12

9 8

11

2 7 3

4

Clipper 2015–16 Race 1. London 2. Rio de Janeiro 3. Cape Town

4. Albany 5. Sydney 6. Hobart

7. Whitsundays 8. Da Nang – Viet Nam 9. Qingdao

10. Seattle 11. Panama 12. New York

5 6

13. Derry-Londonderry 14. Den Helder 15. London

The tenth edition of the race With almost 700 crew from 44 nations, again started from St Katharine Docks, London. For the first time, the race suffered the loss of race crew Andy Ashman and later Sarah Young, whose passion for sailing and adventure remain core values for the Clipper Race. Almost twenty years after the first race began, the fleet returned to London led by the winning team LMAX Exchange skippered by Frenchman Olivier Cardin.

www.LMAX.com

2015-16 WINNERS

Team Spirit Brendan Hall led the Spirit of Australia crew to overall victory in the Clipper 2009-10 Race, aged just 28 It was the second of three times the trophy has gone to an Australian team.

Following the win, Brendan wrote the book Team Spirit, based on his race insights into the teamwork, leadership, skill, courage and focus required for performance.

Here he talks us through his memories.

Q. Looking back at your experience, what remains your race highlight?

Being reunited with my crew after crossing the North Pacific. Not many days go by when I don’t think about this actually.

I’d had to take over Hull and Humber on Day 10 of the race when their skipper Piers Dudin suffered a bad leg break and was medevaced from the yacht.

Approaching my crew in port, they were

all stood there on deck with the city lights behind them meaning I could only see their shadowy outlines. Their relief and pride was clear in their body language.

As I got back on board the boat I gave every one of them a big hug and told them how proud I was of them.

They had just faced the ultimate challenge and one that they could never have been prepared for but circumstances dictated that they sail across the world’s largest ocean at a particularly fearsome time of year, on their own.

“As I got back on board the boat I gave every one of them a big hug and told them how proud I was of them” They had pulled together in the true sense of teamwork, and kept each other safe. I feel it was their greatest achievement, and it was mine by association as I had got them to the point where they could take on that challenge. Ultimately that experience and those qualities led to our overall result.

Q. What winning qualities did your team possess?

My crew were the same raw materials that every other boat had. We had our characters and we had our influential people and our leaders, together we made a great leadership team.

The approach we always took was to empower everybody throughout the race and my goal was to get to a point where I myself was redundant on deck and I could concentrate on everything else, the weather routing and the navigation etc.

Q. What were your goals as a team?

taking the lessons from the race into the world of business.

After Crew Allocation I asked people to really think about what they wanted and what their motivations were. I got the full spectrum back, from those ultra-competitive types to one lady who confessed quite freely that she was here to meet a husband. My work was cut out to create a team ethos which would meet all ends of that spectrum! During our team building, we came up with the motto, ‘To do all we can to win the race and feel fulfilled.’

There is so much crossover between the Clipper Race and the business environment and it is such a great place to study how teams work. Why does one team flourish and another gets off the dock at the end disappointed? I wanted to study all the factors involved in a compelling, effective way by sharing my story and in the hope of replicating that success in different formats.

We had some very good early results so the people who at first perhaps thought we were pushing too hard, saw the results of the efforts.

We built a momentum and by the end, some of those who appeared least competitive at the start, were the ones who were most obsessed with checking the scheds and positions.

Q. What have you been up to since the race finished?

I met my wife on the Clipper Race, during the first level of training actually, and we’ve just had a baby girl. After the race ended we worked on super yachts and I wrote the book ‘Team Spirit’. Now we’re back in the UK and I’ve started up my consultancy,

“The Clipper Race is a way for ordinary people to realise one of the most extreme challenges that exists in life” I’m also loving sailing the 70s now with the Clipper Events team. They are great boats and I’m enjoying some of the shorter inshore racing which fits in best with my family life.

Q. Why do you think the race has grown from strength to strength over the decades?

The Clipper Race is a way for ordinary people to realise one of the most extreme challenges

that exists in life. Quite rightly it is compared to an Everest ascent. People will always be drawn to that extreme lifestyle, that ultimate life changing challenge, and the way Clipper Race organises it and trains the crew to such a high standard is very, very good.

It gives people the opportunity to do something extraordinary, which is what Sir Robin, and William, really set out to do all those years ago.

That DNA of the race has stayed the same and it is a great formula which really works.

Sailors’ Salute “ C ongratulations to everyone who has taken part in the Clipper Race.

A circum-navigation remains one of the great sporting challenges and I have thoroughly enjoyed following your adventures. Well done to all the skippers and crew who took on the challenge!”

Ian Walker Olympic Silver Medallist (1996, 2000), Winning Skipper of Volvo Ocean Race on Abu Dhabi, and 2016 Yachtsman of The Year.

“ The Clipper Race has given so many people the opportunity to endure the harsh remoteness of the oceans, experience nature in its true environment and excel in the pure, thrilling exhilaration of our sport. Our common bond is unique and inexplicable to those that have not ventured there. We will forever be united by our voyage of discovery, our experience of extremes and we will always have each other’s backs, because we have become a very special family. Thank you to Sir Robin and a pat on the back to all of you who have now, thanks to The Clipper Race, achieved your dream.”

Dee Caffari MBE The first woman to sail singlehandedly and non-stop around the world westward, against the prevailing winds and currents.

“ Congratulations to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on twenty years of facilitating extraordinary achievements for Clipper Race crew around the world. The race has provided young people from the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust life-changing experiences, helping them to imagine a future after treatment for cancer. Thank you for letting the Trust be part of the Clipper Race family.”

Dame Ellen MacArthur Broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2005. Founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

“Seventeen years since winning the Clipper 98 race and I am still immensely proud of what myself and my Ariel crew achieved. The Clipper Race is a test unlike any other in sailing and I congratulate Sir Robin and William, along with all crew and Skippers who have taken on its challenge.

Not only was the Clipper Race a momentous accomplishment for me as a young Skipper, it undoubtedly helped me progress my career as a professional racer and I will always be grateful for the opportunities it has given me.”

Alex Thomson Record holding around the world solo sailor, and the youngest Skipper to win a round-the-world yacht race, the Clipper ’98 Race.

First Person Wendy Bird [née Pankhurst] was one of the first people to sign up for the Clipper Race in 1996 She joined her crew on Mermerus in Hong Kong to race to Singapore and the Seychelles in Leg 4. The team, led by Jim Thom, finished in second place overall.

Learning the ropes I had never sailed before my first training level. My husband had sailed all his life, as had his brother and Dad. So they were all sailors and I was this mad woman who was sitting reading the Sunday Times one afternoon, saw the ad and thought “I fancy doing something a bit different, a bit of a challenge.” It was minus 3 degrees for our first training session on “Maiden” with Adrian Faiers, who was the skipper of Taeping.

I remember him telling me to let go because we were going down the Solent totally heeled over in the freezing cold, with me never having sailed before. He was saying “one hand for the boat, one hand for you” and I was saying “No, two hands for me!” He had to say “No, you have to work with the boat.”

Timing is everything I was in a secretarial role for an engineering firm which worked on projects like the Channel Tunnel, Millennium Dome and out in Hong Kong we were working on the construction of the new airport.

“ Because the Clipper Race was new, no one had heard of it and they all thought I was mad!”

Going back to my training experience, I knew I would much prefer to sail in warm weather than the ice cold conditions I’d experienced in the Solent so the thought of racing from Hong Kong to the Seychelles was much more appealing and as I was able to work for a bit in HK before joining the race.

A new family On one of the training levels we sailed from the south coast up through the Thames Barrier, it was absolutely fantastic because it had never happened before. Everyone worked really well together straight away, we were a family and there was a lot of camaraderie, a lot of like-minded people. Through the training we had some absolutely fantastic sessions which are just etched in your mind as much as the race because of the people you met and it was often really good fun on board.

I think we are all in absolute shock that the race was twenty years ago. Some of my team mates have since got married, Alistair and Laura Johnson, and Emma and David Cullen, who all circumnavigated in 1996. Their families are potentially the first of the Clipper nippers!

When good comes out of bad One of the highlights was after we had been through a broach and the boat had righted itself, but we were still in the cyclone for another five days. The broach itself was one of those surreal moments which you see in slow motion. I had just finished mother duty and had my first shower in a week when I

was turned upside down in my bunk and I knew how wrong that was.

The girls seemed to cope with it a bit better than the boys on board. So even as a novice I remember helming through crazy, crazy waves. Our Skipper Jim would be up there reigning in the mainsail singing Molly Malone at the top of his voice and it was really just an amazing experience when you realised how fast you were going, and also that you had come through this terrifying experience and everyone was okay. We were trying to get the boat back shipshape again because there was quite a bit of damage, but there was this amazing feeling that we had survived, we’re

“ You had come through this terrifying experience and everyone was okay” speeding along in the right direction and that definitely remains a highlight for me.

How times have changed One thing that has massively changed is technology and the amount of information that is available immediately. We had the Clipper News which was a paper copy with current race positions, and articles on various crew members and skippers. There was less knowledge of what was going on before everything arrived back home, we would fax out our team blogs ‘Murmurs’ to crew and their families. This was a lifeline for those at home and those yet to join the race.

Having said that I think the core elements of the race are probably pretty much the same in terms of the camaraderie and team work. The boats are bigger and I’m sure they are better but the family side never changes and many of us are still in touch from twenty years ago.

Make valuable connections with Clipper Connect Clipper Connect is an international business network created for like-minded professionals with a link to the Clipper Race who inspire courageous leadership and business development.

By fusing the unique experience of the Clipper Race with strong business minds Clipper Connect is the ideal platform to build professional networks, share exclusive research on leadership and team development, and create collaboration opportunities.

To find out more email: makeconnections@clipper-connect.com

The Clipper Race journey doesn’t end when the crew disembark at Race Finish In fact, that only marks the beginning of friendships which will last a lifetime and, for many, a new found love of the ocean.

In 2009, the Clipper Race Yacht Club was created to nurture this very special family so race crew from all editions could continue to share experiences, create more memories and keep sailing together.

Membership is open to Clipper Race alumni and those who have competed in another approved event.

Find out more about how you can get involved at www.clipperraceyc.com

Design, branding & communications

The team at SandisonPay would like to congratulate the Clipper Race Teams for 20 years of amazing adventures We thoroughly enjoyed creating the ‘Play among the Stars’ branding.

We are delighted to be sponsoring what promises to be a fantastic evening for Clipper and Unicef.

www.sandisonpay.co.uk

Inspiration Expedition British mountaineer extraordinaire Sir Chris Bonington reflects on his friendship with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and the expedition that inspired the Clipper Race Sir Chris, who has completed nine expeditions to the Himalayas, four to Everest and counts his greatest challenge as leading the first ever ascent of the south face of Annapurna in the Himalayas, tells us how his friendship with Sir Robin started almost forty years ago.

I met Robin in 1979 when I was writing a book called ‘Quest for Adventure’ about the major innovative adventures of the post war period and I had contacted him about featuring his Golden Globe voyage.

“He’d had this brilliant idea, that we should sail to Greenland where I would then take him for a climb” He was actually sailing off the West coast of Scotland and said I was very welcome to join him. So Robin, myself, his wife and daughter all sailed to Skye on Suhaili where I took him climbing in Cuillin Mountains. We had all kinds of adventures, and started a friendship that has lasted ever since, which I value greatly.

It was 1990 and I was in New Zealand at the time when Robin called my home and told my wife he’d had this brilliant idea, that we should sail Suhaili across to Greenland where I would then take him for a climb. Of course I said yes without a second thought, and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever had.

There were six of us and we were hot bunking. In the middle of the night it was sometimes a Force 6 gale and the big white breakers came rushing down on us from behind.

I will never forget trying to follow the compass course at night, and if I went even a couple of degrees off I’d hear a bellow from below from Robin “you’re off bl***y course!” which of course I was because I had dropped off to sleep. He was fantastic fun to sail with.

It was amazing to see how fast Robin could shin up the mast in rough weather with it shimmying around in the wind. I found that very scary. But when it came to rock climbing, and he would be the first to agree I think, some people are natural climbers and others are not, he wasn’t a natural climber but he was 100 per cent guts and determination so he worked his way through it and was a terrific person to have along.

“ Neither of us wanted to let each other or our fellow crew down” No matter our inexperience in each other’s pursuit, neither of us wanted to let each other or our fellow crew down, and that was something we both have in common, that resolute determination to endure and complete challenges, no matter what.

Having sworn that I would never do it again, I have now been on, or at least attempted three further sailing trips with Robin. On one of the trips we sailed from South Greenland to Reykjavik. There was a great gale blowing the entire time, it was wild.

We talked at length in Greenland about the challenge of climbing Everest, and what

the equivalent sea expedition would be.

The Clipper Race, a circumnavigation, is a huge challenge, especially for those who have never sailed before.

What I admire about the Clipper Race in comparison to climbing Everest is that the people who go on the better commercial climbing trips are really looked after on the way up. There are fixed ropes which go from base camp to the summit, there are Sherpa guides, their tents and sleeping bags are put out, and their food is cooked for them. It still requires a lot of determination to get to the top but they are looked after and guided the whole way. Whereas Clipper Race crew are genuine crew members. I know from my own experiences with Robin how tough it can be.

The Clipper Race is a great legacy of Robin’s Golden Globe, which I believe was one of the greatest adventure achievements of all time.

I think it is absolutely fantastic that he has enabled so many to follow his experience and discover something few people get to do.

Congratulations to Robin and to all those who have shared the guts to take on the challenge over the twenty years.

clipperroundtheworld.com

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