The race is split into three legs.  The first leg (my leg) leaves Waterford on 3 July but the boats will be there for viewing by the public from 30 June.  From Waterford they race to Greenock where they are scheduled to arrive on 9 July 2011.  The route on this leg sees the fleet sail south from Waterford and then follows the west cost of Ireland before heading east to Greenock.  The competitors then cruise in company to Lerwick (via the Caledonian Canal) leaving on 12 July and arriving on 21 July. 

Race 2 leaves Lerwick on 24 July and the destination this time is Stavangar in Norway, where the fleet will be moored from 31 July to 5 August.  The final race leaves Stavangar to arrive at Halmstad in Sweden on 8 August 2011.

The 09-10 Route

The race will starts and finishes in Hull and the route will, after reaching Brazil, circumnavigate the world from west to east following, as far as possible the routes of the early tea clippers - hence the name of the organising company.  The Clipper yachts are designed for downwind sailing and will perform well across the southern oceans in particular where the absence of any land mass results in strong winds and high seas that produce some of the most exhilarating sailing.

So we will have just over 10 months away from our homes, friends and families.  35,000 miles will have been covered by the time we return.  We will have crossed 4 of the worlds oceans including 3 crossings of the Atlantic!  We will also have visited 14 ports around the globe experiencing a diverse range of cultures.  Above all we will have discovered a bit more about ourselves.

We want you to be part of that journey and hope that you enjoy following us through the race which starts on 13 September 2009 and finishes around July 2010.