The Clipper Round the World Race 09-10 has now finished but there will be a number of review articles appearing over the next few weeks.  We have so far raised nearly £7,000 for the Rainbow Centre for Conductive Education and we hope to crack the £10,000 target before the end of the year.  Please feel free to contribute by clicking here

August 7th 2010:  Tips and Tricks for 11-12 (Clothing)

I seemed to spend a lot of time and money leading up to the race buying clothes and equipment that would see me through the race.  The following summary of successes and disasters is offered in the hope that at least one future crew member will save a bit of money and get it right first time.

There are places you can get quite cheap base layers but in reality you only need four or five sets for even the longest crossing.  If I could turn the clock back I would go for Merino Wool every time as it keeps you warm when wet and tends not to smell so quickly.  Icebreaker are probably the market leaders. They are more expensive but worth every penny.  The Henry Lloyd base layers are pretty good too but make sure they have the ‘silver ion’ technology that gives the anti bacterial and wicking qualities you need.

There are no better socks than the ‘Sealskinz ‘which mean even if your boots get wet on the inside,your feet will not but make sure they are big enough.  They have a sort of plastic bag in between the layers of material and if it is too tight your nails will go black!  Also, if you suffer from smelly feet, Sealskinz will not help at all!

Keeping warm is pretty easy on the boat – you just put more layers on.  For this reason, thinner layers are more effective than thick fleeces as they trap the air you need to keep warm without making you look like an advert for Michelin tyres.  Try to go for proper sailing gear though with taped seams.  The standard crew issue you get from Clipper (fusion jacket) serves as a good mid layer but it is worth getting a couple more.  The best mid layer I bought was the fleece lined fusion jacket (teddy bear fleece) and a fleece lined mid layer salopettes.  Mine were Henry Lloyd but it is worth shopping around.

All of those items of clothing mentioned so far will still get wet but are most effectively dried by either wearing in your sleeping bag to sleep or at least taking it off and keeping it alongside you in the bag.

As far as footwear is concerned, boots are the popular choice and boil down to a choice of Henry Lloyd or Dubarrys (some had Musto and the more affluent crew members swore by Le Chameau boots).  Dubarrys won the head to head quite easily with most Henry Lloyds eventually developing leaks.  Even the ‘free’ replacements they got leaked!  My Dubarrys stayed dry right back to Hull and the only treatment I gave them was a hose down with fresh water in each port. Whatever boots you get though – make sure you also invest in a pair of gaiters to stop the water shooting up the legs of your foulies!

For the hotter legs, I tried a few different types of footwear – most of which either failed to keep dry or smelt very badly!  In the end the best solution was waterproof Keen sandals which have good toe protection and don’t smell when they get wet.  Some people like the Crocs but I could not bring myself to wear them personally…

Also for the hotter legs, a few T shirts are useful (make sure they have UV protection) – making sure you get some with long sleeves.  Padded shorts are useful to while away the hours on the toe rail too.  In actual fact, I never wore trousers.  As it got colder, I added long johns and then the mid layer salopettes under the Clipper provided foulies.  Trousers just tended to scrunch up around the knee as I put the foulies on.

I tried numerous gloves – all without success.  In the end I suffered with bare hands.  This was marginally less uncomfortable than wet gloves.  It at least had the advantage of hardening your hands up a little quicker.  Sealskinz do some decent mitts but it is worth keeping those for helming rather than using them for other deck work.  The last thing you want is to risk getting a glove near a winch as it can draw your hand in if caught.

Foulies are provided by Clipper and are pretty good.  Don’t be put off by the smock.  In really rough weather it is so much better than a jacket.  They do need to be treated in every other port to keep them waterproof and experience shows you need to do that yourself rather than relying on the local launderette!  I bought a coastal jacket for the more moderate climates.  I went for Henry Lloys and regretted it.  They are not too good with Velcro and zips.  Musto got a mixed reaction from crew but Gill currently seems to be the market leader in terms of quality.  If you are spending a lot of time on the fore deck it would also be worth considering a dry suit

A good woolly hat and a balaclava is absolutely essential on the colder legs and I had a series of buffs to wear for the hot legs (which give UV protection).  I lost 3 buffs going round, two hats and 5 pairs of sunglasses so my advice is not to take anything too expensive unless you are prepared to write it ofl as a loss!

Keeping your clothes organised in dry bags for quick access (in pitch black and rough seas) is essential.  I had 5 dry bags for base layers, mid layers, deck gear (hats and gloves), personal possessions, and shore gear.  Maybe worth having one more for dirty laundry.  Make sure you get colour coded bags in thick plastic with clear panels.  Do not buy the grey Henry Lloyd lightweight dry bags as they slowly absorb moisture and are not as waterproof (might be OK for dirty laundry as that is often wet anyway!).

Don't be too suckered in by the Henry Lloyd discounts.  They are probably not the best quality wearing apparrel and many suppliers will equal the discount if you tell them what you are doing.  There a couple of web sites that offer regular clearance bargains too including -

www.Force4.co.uk , www.sailingclothingstore.co.uk, www.marinescene.co.uk/ and www.jimmygreen.co.uk

August 6th 2010:  Highs and Lows of the 09-10 Race

Where do you start?  Not only was this the challenge of a lifetime but it was also the emotional rollercoaster of a lifetime!

For me the highs and lows often revolved around the same incidents.  Race 5 saw us heading north from Australia and after briefly leading the race we dropped to 5th place in a squall.  The next few hours saw us making ground on Cork who were just ahead of us before they got stuck on a reef at Gosong Pampango.  Circling the island the next day was undoubtedly one of the low points of the whole race as we watched Cork start to break up on the reef.  However we did not have too much time to dwell on that as there were 17 crew to rescue and, with the help of California, we worked hard as a team to achieve that.  We also worked hard to make sure they were comfortable on board later that day and for the next five days as we sailed up to Batam.  The success of that rescue operation and the gratitude the Cork crew showed was undoubtedly a memorable and highly satisfying part of the race.  For those five days, however, we had 25 people on a vessel designed for 18.  Beating into the wind in choppy seas and in temperatures of 40 degrees - this was no fun and everything down below was running with water making clothes and mattresses permanently damp.  With very little ventilation, the air quickly became putrid and we were all glad of a chance to freshen up in Batam!

Race 6 once again saw us leading as we passed Taiwan in huge seas and we were confident that we could keep the pace up and secure our first win since Australia.  Our ability to slide down backless waves was proving to be a skill to be proud of but with a new moon we would inevitably miss one or two.  It was one of these misses that did for us, as we crashed down off a freakishly large wave and saw our 90 foot mast fold into 3 pieces – the top half becoming detached and sliding off into the sea along with the staysail.  It was undoubtedly a low point although we did not have too much time to dwell on it as we cleared the deck of debris and once again made the deck weatherproof.  The buzz we got from actually making it back to land, constructing a jury rig, arriving safely in China and getting involved in the rebuild of the replacement mast more than compensated for the low of actually losing the mast.

The subsequent crossing of the Pacific was undoubtedly the biggest low since we sailed two weeks after the fleet and had no boats close to help in case anything went wrong.  With no water maker, a dying generator and batteries that failed to hold their charge, it was a difficult 35 days to say the least.  However, we made it in one piece (apart from a tear in the main sail) and, as they say, if it does not kill you it makes you stronger!

Undoubtedly the remaining highs centred around our race wins.  The run in to Australia was close and we ended up pipping Spirit of Australia into their home port by less than 30 minutes.  After 3,000 miles of racing that is nothing short of amazing.  What was particularly pleasing was the way we used stealth mode to disguise the fact that we had become becalmed in the approach, ensuring that Spirit of Australia followed us into the same weather pattern.  Without that ploy we almost certainly would have finished second!  Despite losing our mast, we came back strongly in the latter stages of the race with back to back wins into Kinsale and Ijmuiden.  The wins were just rewards for our efforts and for the combined work of the whole team.  The win into Kinsale will always stand out as one of the most memorable moments.  You definitely need to be on the receiving end of a beating (as we were going into Cape Breton!) to really appreciate what a privelige it is to be on the winners rostrum!.

Away from sailing, San Francisco will always be a low point because I missed so many friends and family who were planning to come out and meet me before we lost our mast and our arrival was delayed by two weeks.  That was more than compensated for by the surprise visit of my sister and her partner in Cape Breton where we spent several days taking in the scenery (and bars…).

For the same reason, Australia and Singapore were good stopovers and Cape Town and Kinsale are both locations I would like to return to in due course.  Qingdao will also be remembered for their wonderful hospitality and profiling of the race.  We spent a long time there rebuilding the mast – even allowing for a memorable trip back to the UK – and were always treated like conquering heroes!

The last mention goes to the crew for whom I have the utmost respect without a single exception.  Everyone has their own reason for competing in the race and everyone steps out of their comfort zone in different ways.  I will freely admit one or two annoyed me on occasions.  I have no doubt that I annoyed others on occasions, but we never really fell out.  Those that I had the more colourful exchanges with probably ended up as my favourites!!  So thanks to all the crew for making it a memorable year and thanks to all those back home for putting up with me (and being there for me when I arrived back in Hull)

July 21st 2010: Review of Race 14

Race 14 to Hull was nothing more than a 24 hour dash across the North Sea and having built up a comfortable lead over Cape Breton Island (3rd place overall) we were reasonably confident of securing a 2nd place overall pennant in Hull.  Confidence is a dangerous thing!

In relatively strong winds we raised our main sail with one reef but as we gybed the boat approaching the start line there was a horrible rip as the main sail virtually tore in two.  The tear was just below the second reefing point so with a main sail half the size of anyone else’s we were still able to take part in the race.  Cape Breton must have been buzzing.  Assuming we would struggle to finish with the rest of the fleet, all they needed to do was finish 3rd in this race to take 2nd place overall from us.  With light winds to start the race we soon dropped several miles behind the fleet and Cape Breton were well positioned in 2nd place.  We attempted to make up ground first with our heavyweight, then our lightweight spinnakers but both ended up damaged so we were reduced to white sails for the remainder of the race.  As we wove our way past innumerable oil and gas platforms, the wind picked up and everyone had to reef in their mainsails.  For a while, we were on an even footing again and we took full advantage, not only catching the fleet but actually passing California into 9th position.  Meanwhile, our old friends on Cork were proving to be our saviours, crossing the finish line first and pushing Cape Breton down to 3rd.  That probably would have been enough to secure us 2nd overall but just to make sure, Spirit of Australia overtook Cape Breton just before the line to make it absolutely certain.

A difficult last race with frustrations threatening to undo some of our strong team work but once again we dug deep and held on for a thoroughly deserved podium finish.

A dash up the Humber saw us finish 2nd in the Harrison Cup despite our lack of sails but by then we were more focused on reuniting with friends and family who had patiently been lining the shores since early morning.  It was almost 3pm by the time we were able to enjoy the warmth of their welcome but it was well worth the wait!

July 14th 2010:  Review of Race 13

We were fired up by the impressive win into Cork.  We had regained our 2nd place in the overall race but only 4 points separated us from the two teams below us.  We needed another good performance to ease the pressure on us for the last race to Hull.

We started race 13 well, leading the fleet away from Ireland with Hull and Humber before we lost our yankee sheet and had to tack away from the fleet to recover control of the sail.  We were soon back racing again and followed Hull and Humber around Lands End into the English Channel.  The light winds that were predicted had not yet materialised and we were flying under our middleweight spinnaker until someone spotted a small hole.  The skipper was called to authorise a drop but before he was able to pass comment the wind had found the hole and managed to rip the whole sail out of the taped seams.  Beyond repair, we were forced to use the heavyweight to get us up to Dover and that cost us several places in the fleet.    An inspired tack took us inshore and catapulted us from 7th to 1st pace in little over 20 minutes.  At Dover, we did encounter light winds and whilst others struggled to keep the boats moving forward, we dug deep and somehow managed to get away from the pack.

As we approached Ijmuiden in the Netherlands we were flying with a poled out headsail whilst our nearest competitors were closing fast on their mid weight spinnakers.  It was a tense finish with many of us holding our breath but we crossed the line for our 5th gold pennant.  No sooner had we dropped our mainsail we looked around to see another four boats had already finished behind us – it was that close!

June 30th 2010:  Review of Race 12

This was to be our last ocean crossing. For round the world crew it was our 3rd crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. For leg 7 crew, it was their first ocean crossing. We were hoping for some challenging conditions and, in that respect, we were not disappointed! The format of the race was slightly different with Cork leaving 2 days early and the rest of the fleet engaging in a full ‘pursuit’ race.

As we left Cape Breton Island, air and sea temperatures dropped quickly as we sailed over the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap; fishing grounds made famous by the film ‘Perfect Storm’. The seas got progressively larger with swells up to 40 feet and the wind touched 47 knots on occasions. All this made for some glorious sailing conditions and with most boats averaging over 11 knots, it was clear this was going to be a record crossing. The question was, who could look after their boat in these conditions? By mid Atlantic, no less than four boats had shredded their spinnaker and later, three boats were to experience problems with the mast track that holds the inboard end of the spinnaker pole. Fortunately all boats made it to Ireland safely.

At one point we lay in 8th place but still had the benefit of seeing all of the boats (apart from Cork) around us. We plugged slowly away to 6th, 4th and finally 2nd behind Jamaica but with a big lead on the other boats. We eventually took the lead with a poled out headsail helping to maintain top speeds. On the surf I managed a personal best of 18.9 knots which was later beaten several times by other helms including one massive 23.8 by the skipper!

With just a few miles left in the race, Jamaica appeared behind us making much better speed with a medium weight spinnaker. Despite the small risk of raising a spinnaker in heavy seas, we had to do it to preserve our first place. You could cut the tension on deck with a knife as we attempted a smooth hoist and a gybe round the Old Head of Kinsale. We entered the harbour and crossed the line under a lightweight spinnaker with Jamaica less than a mile behind. The relief of securing another win was clearly visible on everyone’s face. A great morale lift with just two races to go!

June 13th 2010:  Review of Race 11

In many ways, this was the most exciting race of the 09-10 series so far. We all felt we were very close to recovering our best form but sometimes you can try too hard! As the race started we were a little indecisive on choice of sails and reefs so it was probably not our best start but we were soon at the front of the fleet pursuing Hull & Humber who had taken the role of pace setters.

Despite the expectation of a fast race, we soon hit light winds and although we initially struggled with a couple of spinnaker hoists, we were soon peeling one off behind the other as we ‘changed gears’ to cope with even lighter winds. We found ourselves in an entertaining duel with Cape Breton for second place; securing the lead and then conceding it several times over a 3 hour period.

In second place, with Hull & Humber in our sights, we were confident of a podium finish. But light winds, bad luck and maybe some tactical errors conspired to make this our worst finish to date. We slipped from 2nd to 4th and in an attempt to retrieve the situation, we took our eye off the ball allowing both Singapore and California to slide past and leave us in an embarrassing 6th place.

The quality is undoubtedly still there and a good team will be capable of using this disappointment as a platform for a good race12. Time will tell!

June 5th 2010:  Review of Race 10

Life isn't fair sometimes.  This was our best race for some time and convinced us that we are regaining our early form.  We had a cracking start in light winds and led the fleet north as we headed for the Bahamas.  Along with Australia, we chose a westerly route through the islands and whilst this appeared at first to be a good decision, we soon found ourselves stalled in a 'dead calm' situation.  The other boats, seeing the situation develop ahead of us took full advantage of the situation and headed east.  The rest is history.

7th place hurt our pride a little and as I type this entry looking across the marina to the NYC skyline, I can tell you we are fully motivated to do well in race 11.  If we can keep up our good helming, good trimming and good grinding I am confident we will do well.

May 23rd 2010:  Review of Race 9

After a truly amazing trip through the Panama Canal, race 9 saw our first ‘Le Mans’ start of the 09-10 race and we performed exceedingly well, taking an early lead on the fleet. But the Aussies started to show some good form taking a lead overnight as we battled with a reefed mainsail. Some stitching failed close to the 3rd reefing pennant and we had to severely reduce the size of the sail to protect it from further damage. It would be easy to use this as an excuse for not securing a podium position but in reality we secured some of our best speeds whilst the 3rd reef was in.

This was without doubt the most difficult race in terms of living conditions. Temperatures above deck exceeded 40 degrees with lots of water coming across as we beat into the wind. Not only was it hotter below but it was running with condensation and airless. Many crew started to suffer heat rashes which are particularly debilitating.

As we approached Jamaica, we lay once again in 4th place with the lead boats just visible on the horizon. In one final twist we almost secured a podium position as all three boats ahead of stalled in a wind hole. The distance fell from 8 miles to just a few hundred metres before Australia finally made it over the finish line with Hull & Humber and Cape Breton in hot pursuit.

May 9th 2010:  Review of Race 8

This was probably our best race start since Cape Town. Despite arriving at the a start line 2 or 3 seconds early, we quickly recovered the situation and by the next morning held a slender lead over Spirit of Australia and Hull & Humber. The Aussies took the lead after a sortie west and we recovered ground in a similar manoeuvre. Later we stayed west, hoping for a better angle to the finish and although we secured 2 bonus ‘gate’ points, light winds saw us drop to 8th place. We had to dig deep to get anything out of this race and having clawed ourselves back to 4th we had a glorious run through a squall which brought us right back amongst the leaders. Although we were eventually unable to improve our position further, we gave it everything; evidenced by the fact that barely 10 minutes separated the first five boats. Given the excessive heat of this leg, and the fact that we had been at sea for 56 consecutive days (other than the 36 hours in California) we felt reasonably happy with our result.

April 15th 2010:  Review of Race 7

We left Qingdao two weeks after the main fleet so were not racing against other boats. We would later be informed that we had been awarded 8.3 points based on our average score to date. This was, however, a race against the clock. We had to be in California by the time race 8 to Panama started. The main risk for us was that we were crossing the largest expanse of water anywhere in the world without the security of knowing there may be another race boat within a few hundred miles to offer assistance if needed.

In the event, things started quite badly. Our water maker failed to produce fresh water, our Chinese batteries failed to hold their charge and our generator finally died. All items were later replaced in record time at San Francisco but in the short term we used the engine for electric power and stopped off at Yokohama in Japan for adequate supplies of bottled water.The sea conditions were the worst we had seen since leaving Hull with huge waves, high winds and freezing temperatures battering us for 5 or 6 consecutive days. At one point, we turned south in the hope of outrunning a hurricane that had been forming over Japanese waters. Whilst protecting us from the worst winds, the decision would ultimately cost us as we found ourselves moving in the wrong direction or stalled by light winds. Our plan was to complete the 6,000 mile crossing in 28 days rather than the usual 35 days but in the end, 35 days proved to be an unbeatable benchmark.

We were very grateful to the new leggers as well as crew from other boats for their hard work and support to make sure we started race 8 with the rest of the fleet.

March 5th 2010:  Race Interrupted

The logistics of getting a replacement mast constructed and shipped out to China has meant that Team Finland's drive to win the Round the World Yacht Race has been temporarily put on hold.  Race seven started as planned on 2 March and Team Finland do not expect to sail until around 14 March.  They will then be playing catch up as the fleet journey nearly 6,000 to their next destination in California.  At the time of writing, the mast is en route to Luxembourg from where it will be flown to China and installed on the boat early next week.

This has meant an impromptu break for the crew; some of whom have taken the opportunity to visit family and friends following a very dramatic couple of races from Geraldton in Western Australia, to China.  Team Finland effectively retired from Race 5 to Singapore so that they could lead the rescue operations following Cork's grounding on the small Indonesian island of Gosong Mampango.  Then on Race 6 we were dismasted off the east coast of Taiwan and had to construct a jury rig before motoring the rest of the way to Qingdao.

The highlight of the trip home for me was undoubtedly being able to celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary with my wife and visiting the young people at the Rainbow Centre for Conductive Education - my nominated charity for the race.  Special thanks to David, Dylan, Geoff, Liam, Alex and Matthew for allowing me to join them for their morning lessons and lunch.  I very much look forward to seeing everyone in July when the race is finished.

Despite our setbacks, we are more determined than ever to get back into the race and try and win the overall event.  We are still only 10 points behind the leaders with some 70+ points still to play for.  I fly back to Qingdao on Sunday, hopefully in time to help secure the new rigging before we sail later in the week.

February 28th 2010:  Review of Race 6

After the drama of race 5 we were really hoping for a less eventful race 6 to Qingdao but that was not the case.  It seems the challenge of a lifetime happens every month on Clipper 09-10 and our challenge for race 6 was without doubt the biggest and most challenging to date.

On the plus side, the team has been developing very well indeed.  We left Singapore in the knowledge that the sea conditions would be the toughest yet; gale force winds on the nose of the vessel, icy conditions and waves as high as 50 feet.  Despite this we had no less than 10 people who were both confident and competent to helm in these conditions.

Our strategy was clear - to finish ahead of our nearest rival, Spirit of Australia (SOA), and put as many boats between us as we possibly could.  The first few days saw us shadowing SOA very closely but in light winds and with the rest of the fleet spread out ahead of us we could clearly see where the best winds were.  Once we made our move we quickly pulled out a 40 mile lead on the Aussies and started to march through the rest of the fleet with impressive speed.  We had taken the lead, were moving at an awesome pace as we passed Taiwan and were confident of another podium position.  Oh how quickly things can change....

....at 4am there was a huge bang on deck and I felt the running backstay go slack.  As I was following the line back to the mast there was an even bigger crash as the boom hit the deck and I looked up in horror to see the mast folded at the first spreader.  We all set quickly to the  importanrt task of cutting free lines and debris to ensure that there was no further damage to the hull.  We had a significant hole where the guardrail had been ripped out and that was letting in water, but it was well above the waterline.  Within a few hours we had completed the initial clearance work and we had contacted the coastguard who came out to escort us to the nearest port.

After several days of clearance work in port we had constructed a jury (temporary) rig to  enable us to set sail to Qingdao.  The 30 foot of mast that remained on the boat was just big enough to accomodate the storm jib and tri sail and whilst it would not give us much propulsion, it would give us some stability in the rough seas.

 We arrived in Qingdao to a heroes welcome and were warmly greeted by our fellow competitors from other boats, led by Spirit of Australia skipper, Brendon Hall.  Qingdao were fantastic hosts both on the arrival day and later in the week when a welcome banquet preceded the prizegiving which was broadcast on national TV.  Team Finlamd received a special award for showing spirit and tenacity over the dismasting. 

January 24th 2010:  Review of Race 5

In years to come people will ask me what I remember most about this race and I suspect that our involvement with Cork Clipper will be remembered before any of our podium places. The emotions will be mixed; there will be sadness at the loss of such a fine vessel, pride in the Cork crew who somehow kept their humour under very difficult circumstances, and gratitude that we were allowed to take a lead role in their rescue and recovery.

It all started pretty well for us really as broke away from the pack with Australia and Cork in hot pursuit. With a new skipper and five new crew there was considerable pressure to maintain our profile as serious contenders but as with any change, there was a learning curve to deal with. That proved to be a bit painful as we lost our jockey pole and then our heavyweight spinnaker. On the plus side, we managed without them and they will be replaced for leg 5. The new culture on board is to include as many people as possible in all of the different deck roles and in the long term, we feel this will serve us well - especially when you consider that there are 50 points up for grabs in leg 7 alone. Without that wide skill base, we feel that there could be too much responsibility on the experienced sailors and that fatigue will work against us.

During this difficult spell we dropped to 10th before heading west and rocketing into 1st place and then back to 5th thanks to an unexpected squall. 4th place was touching distance away before Cork hit the reef. As the nearest boat, our skipper led the rescue and recovery operations with other Clipper boats supporting as they closed in on the area. We rescued all 16 crew with 8 joining us on Team Finland. In the end, that meant far more to us than any pennant. 

December 30th 2009:  Meet the Boss

No sooner had we arrived in Geraldton, than our new skipper Rob McInally joined us on Team Finland.  He was soon making his mark by helping to prioritise the work required on the boat before we next sail on 3rd January.  He has already left a very favourable impression on the enthusiastic crew by demonstrating a healthy respect for the need to balance work and rest during the stopover.  We are already learning a lot from him in terms of boat maintenance as he demonstrates and delegates tasks to us.  We are indebted to Eero Lehtinen for ingraining a winning culture in us and we feel confident that under Rob's guidance we can take Team Finland to an even higher level.

Southampton born and bred, Rob has the ocean in his blood. His father was in the Merchant Navy and his maternal grandfather was in the Royal Navy. Rob even spent three years as a submariner with the Royal Navy before the call of life on top of the waves proved too strong.  At the age of eleven he brokered a deal with his father that was to shape his future career. “The complete truth of it is, I convinced him that sending me to private school was a bad idea and did a trade off – private school for a sailing dinghy. I threw it in the water and that was that.”

Rob began racing competitively just a few weeks after joining his local sailing club and within six months he was competing in offshore JOG and RORC races. More challenging sailing, including a Fastnet Race, followed during his three-year stint with the Royal Navy.

Since swapping a successful career in sales for sails of a different kind, Rob has gathered experience with a number of organisations. Prior to joining the Clipper 07-08 Race as skipper of the Canadian entry, Nova Scotia, he worked alongside fellow Clipper 07-08 skippers Hannah Jenner, Marcus Cholerton-Brown and Ricky Chalmers during a spell with Challenge Business. In 2007 he worked for Pindar, racing their Volvo 60 and racking up a few transatlantic crossings.

Following the completion of his first circumnavigation in Clipper 07-08, Rob has spent his time working on a 46-foot catamaran, Chicago Breeze, in Tortola as well as continuing as a training skipper on the south coast - teaching Day Skipper and Competent Crew courses.

To date Rob has clocked up an impressive 105,500 nautical miles, crossed the Atlantic Ocean seven times, the Pacific Ocean three times and has Southern Ocean experience.

December 20th 2009:  Geraldton Prove to be Perfect Hosts

The people of Geraldton and Greenhough turned out en masse today for the Clipper Parade as the crews of all ten boats marched down Main Street sporting their national colours.  Following speeches by local MPs, business leaders and the Mayor of Geraldton, the crews moved to Geraldton Yacht Club.  Here they were entertained in style with a seemingly endless buffet and a selection of local wines and beers that were very much appreciated by the towns visitors.  It is estimated that the local economy has received a $2million dollar boost by hosting the stopover and underlines the ecnomic benefits associated with the race.  Team Finland, Spirit of Australia and Jamaica Lightening Bolt received their pennants for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places resectively.

December 18th 2009:  Three Wins in Four Races for Team Finland

Race 4 from Cape Town to Geraldton got off to a flying start for Team Finland who quickly built up a lead heading down toward the infamous roaring forties. This area of the Southern Ocean is renowned for high seas, and ferocious icy winds and the first few days of the race saw us beating into the wind making conditions above and below deck very uncomfortable indeed. In the event, we only just dipped into the roaring forties finding sufficient wind at around 39 degrees and enjoying a far more temperate climate. That it not to say that the race was not without its challenges with fickle light winds and a battle royal with our nearest rivals. Spirit of Australia went further South than us and took the lead approaching a pre-defined gate earning them 3 bonus points on the race. We similarly secured 2 bonus points for 2nd place before chasing them down for the overall lead. In one hectic night of sailing which saw all watches exhausted from sail changes, we took a marginal lead which we increased to 40 miles over the next 72 hours. The Aussies then came back at us on no less than 3 occasions, the last being just 100 miles from the finish line. In an amazing finish, we secured a well deserved victory, with Australia coming in less than 30 minutes behind us after a race covering 4,800 miles and 25 days at sea.

Two other incidents reminded us just how treacherous this race can be. About half way through the race we were caught a glancing blow from a whale and had to inspect the rudder for damage. Then with less than 300 miles to go, our steering wheel came off with the shaft thread completely sheared off. We honestly thought we may have to retire from the race but with help from our Clipper engineering team we were able to effect repairs and complete the course with a well deserved victory.

These incidents paled against the spectacular start line collision between Hull and Humber and Cork. A massive gust of wind resulted in Hull suffering a severe blow which punched a huge hole in the boat. Thankfully no injuries were sustained and both skippers returned immediately to port so that repairs could be carried out; hopefully in time for the boats to arrive in Western Australia before Christmas. 

November 17th 2009:  Back to back. Back to Reality

After back to back wins in races 1 & 2 it was very much a reality check on race 3 to Cape Town. We slipped our lines ready to join the traditional parade of the fleet only to find our throttle cable had become detached so we had some last minute repairs before the race start. A hip injury restricted me to the role of cameraman at the race start (with light duties for several days) and despite the good weather we had enjoyed in Rio, there were squalls as we headed round the cans and out to sea.

We did not enjoy the best of starts and as we headed south in search of stronger winds we found the direct route of others pushing us down to 7th place. But our strategy was a good one and by simply focusing on the next boat ahead we were able to claw our way back to 4th. Two good 24 hour runs convinced us that we could make further progress but when the schedules came in it was clear everyone was flying and we had not closed the gap at all. A podium position seemed well and truly beyond us. Then came the mixed emotions of Hull’s ‘man overboard’. We were horrified to hear the story yet full of admiration for the successful recovery. We took little pleasure from the fact that the incident effectively handed us 3rd place and started to close in on Singapore. We both went into stealth mode to fool the other and hilariously then realised we could actually see each other with binoculars!

Matching each other stride for stride, it took over 24 hours to edge past them and after that it was a case of consolidating our 2nd place without ever really threatening Cork who had a thoroughly deserved win.

Cape Town is proving to be a great stopover and we seem to be getting our shore jobs completed a little quicker then previously. Maybe we will even get an extra day off this time. In just two days we have already deep cleaned the boat, the sails have gone off for minor repairs and all the winches have been serviced. We have completed our first phase of victualling and are starting to tackle the long list of repairs resulting from the last race. Morale is very good and we are approaching race 4 (Sunday) with some confidence and as overall leaders in the 09-10 event.

October 23rd  2009:  Back to Back Wins

OK the home page may not have been updated as regularly as before (because I am mainly at sea) but hopefully you are keeping up to date with things via the race viewer and the regular blogs.

Race 2 from La Rochelle to Rio started in frustratingly light winds but we took an early lead as Hull and Humber made a brave and successful tack behind the fleet to capture some coastal breeze. We could not believe we managed two trips across the Bay of Biscay without a storm but we did.   Then we sailed a bit too far East near Finisterre and dropped to fourth place. In the long term though, our easterly course proved to be the deciding factor of the race and as we sailed past the Canary Islands, we managed to start building a commanding lead. Even the Doldrums were kind to us and we had very little delay there.

As we approached Rio, we hit a succession of wind holes which saw a determined Spirit of Australia whittle the lead down to 68 miles. We honestly thought we had blown it but then wind did come when we least expected it and propelled us past the finishing line.

Behind this win, there were a number of sub plots to test us including problems with our water maker, generator and gearbox. All overcome but not without considerable difficulty. This race may not have given us the high seas that some were expecting but it was a good test of our endurance. Four weeks at sea without seeing land and living in a hot and sweaty 68 foot cigar tube is enough to test anyone.  Now we are determined to secure the overall lead from Australia in the next race to Cape Town which starts this Tuesday

September 18th 2009:  Race 1 to La Rochelle

The send off in Hull was quite spectacular with over 150,000 people lining the banks of the Humber.  Full credit to the officials in Yorkshire who spotted the potential offered by hosting the race and for organising a fantastic week of activities including the Freedom Festival. 

The start of the race was understandably an emotional time but we soon got down to business.  Having crossed the start line in 4th place, we were soon battling it out with Cork at the front of the fleet - sometimes so close you could step between the boats without getting your feet wet!  The headwinds we thought we would meet in the North Sea and the English Channel never materialised and in the end we experienced some exhilerating downwind sailing.  I did a fair bit of helming (which keeps you warm at night) and whilst we were racing at around 10 knots, it was easy to get that up to 16 knots by riding the waves.  Its tough on the arms because the boat (and the waves) are tryingto pull you in all sorts of directions and after 45 minutes, you are left quite exhausted!

In the Bay of Biscay we did eventually hit head winds and although we were always in sight of Cork and Hull and Humber, we dug in and managed to secure our first win.  We are absolutely delighted but equally determined to keep our feet on the ground as we have some tough races ahead.

September 17th 2009:  The Pilgrim Cup

Nobody was taking this warm up race too seriously it seemed.  But no one had told Team Finland apparently.  After a glorious send off in Gosport on Bank holiday Monday, and the occassional media interview (!) the fleet headed for the official start line in the Humber where they were due to arrive on the Friday.  The start was littered with minor incidents as excited crews threw themselves into the task at hand.  Fortunately, injuries were restricted to bruised fingers and banged heads - nothing too serious and a timely lesson for the race ahead.  In all honesty, the strong winds would have delivered us to the Humber by Wednesday had we not stopped so in the end, the race became a time trial between two sea gates.  Many boats stopped at Brighton but Team Finland saw rough weather coming and did not stop until they got to Lowestoft.  It was a good decision because although we faced force 10 conditions, we escaped the 60 knot apparent winds that hit the rest of the fleet.  More importantly, Team Finland finished first with an average speed of 10.6 knots.  Given the conditions - amongst the worst we are likely to face going around the world - it was a great warm up for all the crews who looked both battered but happy in the yacht club of the Hull Cruising Association.

Humber turned out to be great hosts; happy to stop and talk to us in the streets and always wishing us well.  We returned the hospitality with several boat tours!  And Hull's Freedom Festival was quite awesome.  You may have been told Hull can be a dull place but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth and if you get the chance to visit, I would certainly recommend it.  How about July next year when the race finishes

August 29th 2009:  Final Prep Week on Team Finland

The Clarence Marina has been a hive of activity this week and no one has been busier than the CV5 crew who all worked their socks off getting last minute jobs completed before the fleet sails on Bank Holiday Monday.  Crew from all boats have been disappearing in all directions to attend courses on first aid, ropes, sail repair, VHF radio and engineering .  Meanwhile on the boats themselves, defect lists and requisitions were anxiously being reviewed.  On CV5, our efforts were rewarded today with the announcement that our boat now has the official backing of the Finish Tourist Board and will compete under the name Team Finland.  It is a fitting tribute to our Finnish skipper and our mainly northern European / Scandinavian crew are happy to be honorary Finns for the next 12 months!  Having said that, we take great pride in the fact that our boat represents entries from 13 different nationalities - more than any other boat in the fleet - encompassing perfectly the multinational ethos of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

August 28th 2009:  Gosport Departure Details

For family and friends of crew members who are unable to see the race start in Hull, there is a fantastic schedule of events lined up in Gosport on Bank Holiday Monday.  The fleet will sail to Grimsby in the Pilgrim Cup and will not return to the Clarence Marina until the end of July 2010.  The Clarence Marina (excluding the actual pontoon) will be open to the public from 10:00 with a market and live music from jazz and samba bands.  At 12:30 the crews are assembled and introduced to the crowd before they march as teams down to their boats.  They will slip their lines boat by boat from 13:30 and will assemble in formation in Fareham Creek for sail past before the race start.  The best place to view the flotilla departure will probably be Gosport Promenade (a short walk away) or Gunwharf Quay on the opposite side of the river (a 20 minute drive).  The actual race starts around 15:00 - probably from a line near the Mary Rose Memorial Buoy just outside Portsmouth Harbour.

The fleet are expected to arrive in Grimsby on 4/5th September and will transfer to Hull Marina on 7th September.

August 24th 2009:  Report on Final Training Session

Well this is it.  I’ve finally packed my life into a 100 litre dry bag and have joined the ‘boat with no name’ for a final weeks training with my new team mates on board CV5.  The weather was almost disappointingly calm and whilst it was nice to experience the best of an English summer, it did not bode well for some challenging sailing.  In the event we spent most of Monday and Tuesday working on the boat.  There are rig checks to complete, more winches to service and new sails to flake and mark up before we race.  We did manage a couple of afternoon trips, often going late into the evening with the usual racing sail changes and man overboard drills.

On Wednesday things started to hot up though; in more ways than one.  Our last practice race featured nine of the fleet (Edinburgh was on her way back from Scotland) and involved a race to Alderney, back to Weymouth and up to the finish line off St Catherine’s Point.  The opening run down to The Needles saw some spectacular spinnaker hoists with ourselves neck and neck with Clipper Cork and Clipper Australia before the wind deserted us and left us drifting the wrong side of our waypoint.  We quickly got back on track and headed out to Alderney as the wind picked up.  We were working a watch system by now and the winds picked up to around Force 7 whilst I was asleep.  The upwind course left a lot of people suffering varying degrees of sea sickness and I apparently emerged from my bunk looking very grey!  It’s strange because I had slept well and did not feel too bad until I failed to locate my sock and then failed to locate my head torch which would no doubt have resolved the problem.  When you are not feeling great such trivia works against you and it becomes a major crisis!  The sea sickness symptoms quickly developed further and I only just made it up on deck in time but as soon as I was there, the fresh air helped me recover my normal composure.  Work does not stop when you feel a little unwell and I was soon helping out on most tasks although feeling a little guilty that I was not pulling my full weight.  That situation continued for the next 24 hours because I was not able to take on a proper meal.  Unbeknown to me though, the rest of the crew were similarly suffering so we were all in the same boat.  Literally! 

The weather continued to deteriorate with winds peaking at around force 8 on a confused sea and conditions on deck becoming very difficult.  Our sail changes were not as slick as they should be and we lost a couple of sheets (ropes) on the foresail.  Other boats were reporting heavier damage and one reported a fairly nasty injury to a crew member.  At the end of the race only two boats actually reached the finish line.  Hull and Humber had a fantastic and well deserved win with us about an hour behind in second place.  Another promising performance!

Friday saw all ten boats out in the Channel sailing in formation for a photo call.  Once again, the sea was lively and since our ‘required’ sail configuration was just a little overpowered for the conditions, it made for some spectacular photography.  After an hour, Singapore peeled off with rudder problems so we shadowed her past The Needles to make sure she got home safely before retiring ourselves to Yarmouth for a mooring.  Our training week was completed with more drills on the Saturday and Sunday and a deep clean of the boat which is now our home for the next 11 months.

Overall a great week in the fantastic company of our skipper Eero and watch leaders Emil, Frank, Mark and Nigel.  We have a really great crew and it was good to meet up for the first time with Ian, Simone, Hans, Pauline, Tarthra, Estelle, Martine, Caroline, Andrea, Julian, Carole, Dirk and Cathie.

August 23rd 2009:  Jamaica Lightening Bolt Enters The Race

CV2 was today confirmed as the Jamaican entry for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 09-10.  That leaves only our boat to still be associated with an international sponsor and a decision is expected this week.  Jamaica finished 10th in the last race and will be anxious to improve on that position.  Meanwhile  CV5 continues to prepare well for the big race with a second place in the final practice race.  Full details of the race and our final week of sea training will be posted on this site by tomorrow morning.  Next week will see all the round the world and leg 1 crew members report to the boat for final prep week before the Pilgrim Cup that sees the fleet leave Gosport on Bank Holiday Monday bound for Grimsby. 

August 13th 2009:  Australian Boat Named in Clipper Fleet

The 8th boat of the Clipper fleet was announced this week as CV9 was renamed Spirit of Australia for the 09-10 Round the World Race.  CV9 has a largely Australian crew so the announcement was no great surprise but it is nevertheless good news given Australia's long and distinguished association with the race.  It will mean a roaring home port welcome for the crew when they arrive in Fremantle at the end of leg 3 around 14 December.  This is the longest stopover of the race and allows all Clipper crew to enjoy a relaxed Christmas with family and friends before the challenging leg 4 to China which starts on 3 January 2010.  Whilst in Fremantle, all the boats will be lifted out of the water enabling the hulls to be retreated with anti fouling paint.

That just leaves two boats to be named.  CV2 and our own CV5.  Several ports are competing to secure the sponsorship rights and an announcement is expected in the next ten days.

August 12th 2009:  Clipper Edinburgh Visits Home Port

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital was officially named by Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond when the boat arrived in Edinburgh on a publicity tour this week.  Moored at Leith Docks, the Clipper boat will be open to the public from Thursday 13th August through to Monday 17th August when she departs with a full crew for her final period of sea training.  Skippered by Matt Pike, Edinburgh is starting to show some exciting form in the practice races and is sure to be leading contender in the race. 

August 7th 2009:  Race Week Timetable (Hull)

4 September Clipper race arrive Humber (Private reception and prize-giving ceremony).

5-6 September Clipper fleet at the Marina in Grimsby Docks.

6 September Clipper fleet transfer to Hull Marina for Maritime Festival and Global Food Festival (they will achieve this using the full tides at 9am and 9pm, thereby transferring in two groups of five vessels).

7 September Official welcome to Clipper fleet by Lord Mayor of Hull.

7-10 September Boat preparation and sponsor activity

10 September Crews preview launch of Freedom Festival in Fruit Market (TBC)

11 September Grimsby Business Forum with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (AM) and remaining boat naming ceremonies (PM).  In the evening, the Freedom festival opens, there is a private crew farewell party and a Clipper reception for international yacht sponsors.

12-13 September Freedom Festival, Clipper Stage acts and Jazz in the Marina Boat Shed.

12 September Final preparations; Fleet blessing

12 September (Approx midday) five yachts relocate to Albert Dock

12 September (6pm) Civic reception for visiting sponsors and VIPs followed by fireworks display at 10pm (TBC).

12 September (Approx midnight) 4 yachts transfer to Albert Dock – leaving only Hull & Humber in the Marina.

13 September (08.00) Skipper Briefing.

13 September (10.00) All crews convene at Clipper Stage next to Humber Quays Building One for final send off and playing of boat songs before saying farewell to family and friends to join their yachts in Albert Dock / Hull & Humber in the Marina.

13 September (11.15) Red Arrows Commentary begins.  Red Arrows display starts approximately 11.30.  After the display, the fleet will slip lines and leave Albert Dock in two groups; The Band of the Royal Marines perform at the entrance to Hull Marina.

13 September (12.30) Hull & Humber locks out of Hull Marina and joins the rest of the fleet in the Humber.

13 September (13.00) Fleet parade of sail with naval vessel(s) TBC and tugs with water monitors.

13 September (13.55) Race countdown sequence begins.

13 September (14.00) Canon marks race start – line off Humber Quays / Sammy’s Point.

13 September (16.00 approx - subject to wind conditions) Race loops past Cleethorpes.

August 3rd 2009:  Round the Island Clipper Challenge

The Clipper Round the Island Challenge was organised as a curtain raiser to the 09-10 Round the World Race and was an opportunity for crew to sail with family and friends.  It was a two day event with training and practice races on the Saturday followed by a race from Cowes out past the Needles and round the south of the Island finishing off at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.    The crew was a combination of 09-10 crew, 07-08 crew and guests.

Saturday was pretty wet and miserable on land but presented some fine sailing conditions for us.  We were soon out on the Solent raising our brand new mainsail and milling around Nab Tower with the rest of the fleet for our first practice race.  We started well and were soon at the front of the fleet alongside Clipper Cork who has been showing some good form in these early sorties.  For most of the course we were beating into the wind but with no spinnakers today (we were saving them for the main event tomorrow) we used the mainsail on the opposite side to the foresails to make progress on the downwind sections of the course.  In the event we just held Cork off for a good confidence building win.  After lunch we had a second practice race but found ourselves sandwiched between Cork and CV9 at the start line which really messed us up and we started around the middle of the pack.  Chasing the fleet was pretty exciting and as we sailed away on opposite tacks and then converged a few minutes later it was difficult to judge how much ground we were making.  Eventually we fell into a comfortable third place behind Hull and Humber and Cork but the timing of the tacks proved crucial and helped us overtake Hull and Humber about a mile from the finish line.  Cork looked clear winners until the last few seconds when we took advantage of their last tack and both approached the finish line on opposite tacks.  It looked for a moment that we would actually meet each other a few feet short of the finish line but in the end Cork sailed past our bow to secure first place by seconds.  Close enough for both crews to applaud each others efforts!

Saturday night we moored off the Isle of Wight and took a water taxi in to savour the hustle and bustle of Cowes week.  Sunday morning presented us with clear skies and light winds so we opted for the big Yankee 1 on the foredeck.  As the fleet assembled for the main race of the weekend it was interesting to see that others had opted for the slightly smaller Yankee 2 which presumably indicated they expected the winds to pick up toward the Needles.  The start was not quite so exciting – mainly because there was some confusion as to where the start line actually was!  In the end we got away in the front half of the pack but a long way behind Qingdao and CV9 who got flying starts.  Our route attempted to take advantage of the tides and most of the other boats had similar ideas so we crossed and weaved as we tacked our way down to the needles creeping from 5th to 4th to 3rd and eventually 2nd place as we rounded to the Southern side of the Island.  At this point it was a straight race between us and Cork for the lead and could be decided by who raised their spinnaker first.  It has to be said that it wasn’t our fastest spinnaker hoist.  In fact we were convinced that Cork would take advantage of the situation but suddenly their spinnaker fell into the water and we sailed away neck and neck with Clipper Edinburgh.  Hull and Humber and Cork were in 3rd and 4th place respectively.  Once again sail choice was proving interesting and we appeared to be one of the few boats in view that had gone for the middleweight spinnaker.  This meant the fleet was making ground on us at the start of the spinnaker run but once we gybed we had the advantage.  Then Hull and Humber executed an excellent gybe off Bembridge Ledge and made good ground on us.  At the final turn we dropped the spinnaker and raised the yankee again for a straight run back to the finish.  With Hull and Humber only about 4 lengths behind, the 15 minute run seemed a lot longer and it needed special effort on the sail trim to hold them off and secure a thoroughly deserved win.

July 30th 2009:  Pilgrim Cup Provides Curtain Raiser to Round the World Race

Yorkshire is starting to get a bit excited about the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the countdown is definitely underway for the crews who are now engaged in final preparations.  On 31st August the fleet will race from Gosport to the start line, competing for the Pilgrim Cup before mooring at Grimsby for the weekend of 5th to 6th September.  On 7th September they will cross the Humber to the Albert Dock in Hull where they will remain berthed until the race start on 13th September.  During this time there will be numerous visitors looking over the boats and some, no doubt, enquiring about berths in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 11-12.

Hull City Council have moved their Freedom Festival to coincide with the start of the race and visitors to the area will be able to enjoy a host of street theatre, live music and children’s entertainment throughout the weekend.  There is also the Globe Food Festival, The British Kite Surfing Championships and the Maritime Festival so pretty much something for everyone to enjoy!  On Sunday 13th September the boats will slip their moorings around lunchtime and gather in the Humber for the early afternoon start.  The fleet will parade past the waterfront behind a naval vessel before a fly past by the Red Arrows aerobatic team will signal the final countdown to the race start.  As the gun sounds the beginning of the 35,000 mile race, the fleet will follow a designated course past Fort Paull, Spurn Point and Cleethorpes providing some spectacular viewing for the expected large crowds.  After that, race tactics will come into play as the crews battle their way down the east coast of England, westward through the English Channel and across the Bay of Biscay to La Rochelle.  The journey from La Rochelle to Rio de Janeiro will complete the first of the race’s seven legs.

July 23rd 2009:  Fremantle confirmed as Australian stopover

The Western Australian resort of Fremantle has now been confirmed as the Christmas stopover for the Clipper fleet.  Leg 3 from Cape Town is expected to end in Fremantle by 18th December allowing us a full two weeks to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.  Leg 4 to Qingdao will start on 3rd January 2010.  It will be a welcome return to Fremantle who have hosted both the 05-06 and 07-08 races and offers the teams an exciting cafe culture with alfresco dining along the famous cappuccino strip.  The Christmas stopover also provides an opportunity for the boats to be lifted out of the water, for the hulls to be cleaned and anti fouling paint reapplied. 

July 19th 2009:  Hull and Humber makes a big impact at the Great Yorkshire Show

It was a logisitcal nightmare but somehow Clipper Hull and Humber arrived safey at the Great Yorkshire show and became the star attraction with over 4,000 visitors looking over her during the 3 day event.  After initially docking at the Albert Dock in Hull, her mast and rigging was removed before she was lifted out of the water to be transported to the Harrogate showground by road.  A 40 foot 'show mast' (her real mast is over 90 foot tall) was transported separately and the boat was reassembled at the show site in time for the first visitors last Tuesday.

Hull and Humber represents the region which will host the start of the Clipper Round the World Race 09-10 on 13 September.  The fleet of 10 boats are scheduled to return to the UK on 17th July 2010 and there is every expectation that Hull and Humber will be a strong competitor in the race.

July 8th 2009:  Edinburgh confirmed as boat sponsor

CV1 already had a strong contingent of Scottish crew members so it came as no surprise that the boat would secure sponsorship north of the border.  Glasgow concluded their eight year association with a podium place in the 07-08 race and now Edinburgh will pick up the baton.  It is a move that will benefit the city by promoting  Edinburgh in front of an estimated worldwide audience of 200 million and will help to boost the capital's tourism and business development.  The boat will visit Leigh Docks next month as part of a week long Clipper Festival and The Duke of Edinburgh and First Minister Alex Salmond will be among the first visitors to the yacht

July 5th 2009:  Jamaica confirmed as stopover

Jamaica was this week confirmed as the ultimate destination for leg 6 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 09-10.  It ends weeks of speculation as to which Caribbean island would host the stopover and fuels more speculation as to the race name for our own boat, Clipper CV5.  In the last race, our boat was named Jamaica and that is one possibility for 09-10.  Other suggestions have included Rotterdam and ports in Scandinavia or Spain.  Leg 6 will see the fleet leave California on 11 April and sail down the west coast of North America, motor through the Panama Canal before the final sprint to Port Antonio.  The estimated arrival date for Jamaica is around 16 May and the fleet will stop there for approximately one week.

July 3rd 2009:  Part C Training (3 of 3)

Early on Saturday morning we did get the spinnaker on deck but we never actually hoisted it.  Thick fog descended on an almost calm sea and we were forced to motor gingerly along whilst watching the radar below for other vessels.  This is not an option in the race itself but proved a good tactic on the day as a tanker appeared from nowhere and crossed our bow seemingly oblivious to our presence.  We took the opportunity to run a couple of safety drills including dealing with a casualty on deck (although we had the real thing to deal with the previous day).  We had also planned to pair up with another Clipper boat over the weekend to transfer fuel but to our surprise, as we were dealing with our volunteer 'casualty' a catamaran mysteriously emerged from the fog and asked if we could spare any diesel!  So two drills actually became real exercises!  We continued to motor from Portland back to Gosport but as the fog cleared we returned to sailing with a poled out head sail and then two good spinnaker runs to finish off the day.

Sunday proved another frustrating day weather wise but very productive from a drills point of view.  We linked up with the Aussies on CV10 and did our crew transfer exchanging provisions - although I think we came off worse with the receipt of some very dodgy rock cakes!  Then we assumed the position of an immobile vessel and accepted their tow for a short while.  We also put up the spinnaker pole and everyone had a chance to climb up the to simulate the action required of the bowman at sea to release the spinnaker.  With no sign of wind developing we returned to Gosport for a deep clean of the boat leaving Monday morning for one last attempt at a spinnaker hoist.  It was a wise decision as we got some good winds and a great run back from Selsey Bill to Gosport including a couple of gybes.

July 1st 2009:  Part C Pit Stop (Part 2 of 3)

The mood was sombre as we crawled out of our bunks on Friday morning.  Frustrations were running pretty high; not just because we had retired from the race but the problems with the rudder had been in addition to the port primary winch jamming for no apparent reason.  Maybe it was as much about the light winds as the mechanical failures, but we were not happy, even though we knew that such failures can happen at any time.  It is the nature of ocean racing that crews are largely responsible for keeping the boat moving.  The response from Clipper was crucial and to be fair to them they did deliver - and quickly.  James Allen arrived with breakfast for the crew with promises to get us sailing again and he was followed by Race Director Jonathan Bailey and Sir Robin Knox Johnston himself who took a good deal of time to listen to our concerns and reassure us that things would be sorted.  Within the hour, we had evaluated and discarded the option of taking out one the 60 foot training vessels.  Instead we spent the morning working on the winches and getting the barrel of the offending winch re-ground.

By early afternoon we had motored the vessel around to the Endeavour boat yard in Gosport where CV5 was lifted out of the water and the offending rudder bearings were replaced whilst we took the opportunity to give the hull a good clean.  An hour later we were back in the water although this time without our 'powerhouse' Colin who unfortunately fell on deck and had to leave the boat for X-rays at the local hospital.

The plan now was to sail through the night and rendezvous with the rest of the fleet near Portland so that we could take our place in the next race due to start on Saturday afternoon.  We took our time through the Solent and everyone took their turn climbing the mast for the first time on a moving vessel, carrying out rig checks where possible.  It was the highlight of an otherwise very frustrating day.  As night fell we soon settled into a watch system although most of us only got about three hours sleep.  We awoke just a few miles off the Casquettes traffic separation scheme north of Cherbourg and turned back toward Portland in the hope of a flying the kite and getting a bit of speed up.  In the event, the weather was set to provide further frustrations for a tired crew.

June 30th 2009:  Part C Training Report (1 of 3)

It seemed so long since I had been on the boat that I arrived at Gosport with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.  This was the first opportunity to sail with my new skipper and crew and I really did not know what to expect.  My personal objectives were clear but what would others expect of me?  In the event, we were all pretty much in the same position and just raring to go.  I met up again with John Beattie, Alison Chabernaud and Mark Varney. I was also sailing for the first time with Rebecca Marks, John Evans, Rachel Gibbs, Andreas Sailler, Colin Keevil, Chris King and - of course - our much respected skipper Eero Lehtinen.

Our plans to head down toward Lands End were thwarted pretty early on by some frustratingly light winds and we ended up with a couple of day sails on Tuesday and Wednesday practising tacks, gybes, racing sail changes and Le Mans racing starts.  The inevitable 'man overboard' drill kept us on our toes.  Both days involved around 12 hours of sailing although I was 'mother' on the second day so I missed a bit of the sailing but still managed to get involved with the storm jib (a strange sight in calm conditions!) and the poled out headsail.  Thursday saw everything crank up as the whole fleet of ten clipper boats assembled close to the Mary Rose memorial buoy for the start of a 36 hour race via Brighton, Le Havre, Cherbourg and finally to Portland.

With two practice starts under our belt we passed the start line around 4th and made 3rd by the first marker.  It was an incredibly exciting start with Eero allowing me to take the helm and boats converging very quickly.  But he led me to a position where I could hold my course and the others had to stand down and bear off.  All sounds easy but when you have 35 tonne of boat coming down on you from three different directions, you have to hold your nerve a bit.  No one was taking the race too seriously (really?) and with most boats heading for deep water as we left the Solent, we clung to shallower coastal waters to propel ourselves past Cork into first place.  We were now hurtling along past Brighton and on our way to Le Havre when our rudder started playing up and it was clear we could not continue.  There were many good wishes from the rest of the fleet as we headed back to Gosport arriving around 3am on Friday morning.

June 21st 2009:  Part C Training

Well, we've learnt how to be safe on the boat and we've learnt how to sail her.  Tomorrow, I join CV5 and her crew of 10 for my penultimate training session before the start of the 09-10 race in September.  This is where it starts getting real.  Not only will the skipper be assessing our strengths and deciding in his own mind how we will best function as a team but we will be picking up new skills to use when we actually race against other yachts.  The plan this week is to sail with most of the other Clipper yachts westward and get as far as we can beyond Lands End allowing ourselves a reasonable amount of time to fly back under spinnaker to arrive in Gosport next Sunday.  There will be yet more exams to see just how much of it all has sunk in. 

I'm really looking forward to this week, not just because I get to meet more members of the team and get to sail once again, but this week should give us some pretty special conditions.  There appears to be no threat of storms lashing the south coast as has been the case with previous training weeks, so there is every chance that we will see some spinnaker work.  Also, past Lands End we will, for the first time, experience the rolling swells of the ocean which simply could not be encountered in the English Channel during Part A & Part B.  I still do not have an on board email account (but it will be there in time for the race) so how many blogs I can get in depends on how much time we spend in port.  Very little I suspect!  That being the case, I will provide a full summary of events next weekend.

June 15th 2009:  Important Rule Changes for 09-10 Race

Several exciting changes are being introduced for the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race which will make it even more exciting for both competitors and spectators.

Firstly, spectators will once again be able to track the boats on Google earth and there will be a link from this page to the Clipper Official Website where the tracking software will be easy to view.  Current positions will be loaded on-line every three hours - doubling the frequency at which updates were available on the last race.  There will be one exception to this rule and that is when a boat elects to go into 'stealth' mode.  Stealth mode is permitted on a limited number of occasions during each leg of the race and enables a boat to employ a tactical strategy without immediately alerting the other boats.  For example, if one boat believes that it has spotted a depression forming,  they can alter course in stealth mode and, if the tactic works, they will re-appear 12 hours later at the head of the fleet.  Stealth mode means no updates on Google earth for that period although, for safety reasons, their precise position is still visible at race headquarters.

The scoring system for the race is to award points for each individual race (10 points for first place, 9 points for second place, etc) and for the overall winner to be the boat that has accumulated the most points when they get back to the Humber.  A change for the 09-10 race is that the invisible 'gates' between ports, that define the broad route to be followed, will attract bonus points for the first boat passing through.

June 12th 2009:  Cape Town Confirmed as Leg 2 Destination

We knew that leg two of the 09-10 race would take us from Brazil to South Africa and earlier this year we learnt that Rio de Janeiro was replacing Salvador as the Brazilian stop.  It is only these last few weeks that Cape Town has replaced Durban as the port of call at the end of leg two in South Africa.  Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa and the most popular tourist destination.  It is famous for its harbour and local tourist attractions such as Robben Island, Table Top Mountain and Cape Point. 

It will be a particularly welcome stop for two of the fleets skippers, California Clipper's Pete Rollason and our own Eero Lehtinen who both live in Cape Town.

June 5th 2009:  Shuffle Shuffle, Oink Oink

Our fundrasing for the Rainbow Centre is going very well indeed and we have yet another event that we think will really excite you.  Pig racing is coming to Chandler's Ford next month with an opportunity for you to apply a considerable amount of skill and judgement to back your winning pig.  We hope you can join us for a fun filled evening on Saturday 25th July at The Hilt, Hiltingbury Recreation Ground from 7:30pm till late.  The Hilt is the brand new community building funded by Veolia, Eastleigh Borough Council, The Big Lottery, Waitrose and Hampshire County Council.  Tickets are priced at £10 per head which includes a light supper as well as an opportunity to get your money back on the first race!

Contact me for tickets by email or on 023 8026 7218.  In the meantime, there's an opportunity to get some practice in beforehand by clicking this link.

June 4th 2009:  Meet the CV5 Crew

When the ten crews assembled at Portsmouth last weekend, CV5 officially became the team with the most nationalities represented on any boat.  This will give us strength for the enormous challenge ahead.  Skipper Eero Lehtinen is joined by ten round the world sailors - Pauline Charlwood, Mark Cole, Minke Docter, Frank Gerritsen, Rachel Gibbs, Andy Milner, Andrew Phillips, Hans Sleutjes, Emil Vartiainen and Evie Watt.  In  addition there are 34 crew who are sailing one or more of the 'legs' that make up the race.  They are; Barry Anderson, John Evans, Simone Gross, Nikola Brbora, Noemi Lopez Gonzales, Andreas Sailler, Mark Varney, Ann Williams, Michael Yeomans, Paul Glasgow, Christopher King, Rebecca Marks, Sandy Paskins, Caroline Slootweg, Tony Allen, Christopher Carnell, Christel Townley, Dirk Van Daele, Ian Farrer, Martine Duma, Wade Newmark, Andrea Waidele, Alison Chabernaud, Lizzie Whewell, Carole Crane, Catherine Donaldson, Giles Henman, Colin Keevil, John Beattie, Tathra Chai, Nigel Dewer Gibb, Martin Morgan and Anna Soisalo.

All in all 46 crew of which 26 are men and 20 women.  The average age of the crew is a healthy 43 with Round the Worlder Evie Watt weighing in as the youngest crew member at 19 years of age and Tony Allen as the 'most mature' at 69 years young.

June 2nd 2009:  Meet the CV5 Skipper

Eero Lehtinen was born in Helsinki and has lived in Cape Town since 1991 with his wife and three children. His family has a fine sailing tradition and Eero shares the passion for ocean racing.  He crewed in the 1989 Whitbread Race (now known as the Volvo Ocean Race) which also saw us witness the first ever all female crew led by Tracy Edwards.  In 2004 he skippered SAIC La Jolla into 5th place on the Global Challenge 2004/05.  He finished just two points and one place behind Duggie Gillespie who last year led New York to an amazing victory in the Clipper Round the World Race 07-08.  The Clipper connections do not stop there as another skipper in that race was our own Head of Training, James Allen, who finished equal  7th place from 12 entries.  Eero knows how to get the best out of his crew and is relishing the chance to work with the non professional crew of 46 men and women (including 10 Round the World Sailors) who will start training as a team this month.  He is already a familiar face around the Clarence Marina in Gosport where the boats are based and has helped to train many of the 09-10 crew members who all speak very highly of him.

June 1st 2009:  Meet Team High Five

You could cut the tension with a knife in Portsmouth this weekend as over 300 excited Clipper crew assembled at Portsmouth's historic dockyard to hear which boats they have been assigned to for the 09-10 race.  I have been assigned to Clipper CV5 whose international city sponsor is due to be announced in a blaze of glory over the next few weeks.  I shall be joining many new friends and some old ones including Barry Anderson and Alison Chabernaud who I met on the Navigation and Meteorology Course; Frank  Gerritsen, John Beattie and Paul Glasgow who I sailed with on Part B training; and Mark Varney who was on the delivery trip to St Katharine Dock.  Our skipper is Eero Lehtinen who has an amazing CV including the Fastnet, Whitbread 89/90, Global Challenge 04/05 and Volvo 01/02.  Eero hails from Helsinki in Finland and currently lives in Cape Town with his wife and three children

May 29th 2009:  Marlow Ropes Named as Latest Race Partner

Marlow Ropes have reached agreement with Clipper Ventures to supply the ropes for the fleet of ten yachts taking part in the Round the World Yacht Race 09-10.  This is the fourth race in which Marlow has supported the event reflecting their status as one of the world's leading suppliers to the marine industry.  Each boat will be equipped with 1.3 kilometres of Marlowbraid and Dyneema giving a total of 13 kilometres of cordage across the whole fleet.  Marlowbraid has been and still is a famous Marlow product, enhancing performance and enjoyment to millions afloat. Its low stretch, high strength performance is quite exceptional for an all polyester rope.  Dyneema is a synethic fibre based on ultra high molecular weight polythylene, 15 times stronger than steel and up to 40% stronger than Kevlar. 

It is so important to have the best possible equipment for a race that will test material under harsh and often dangerous conditions and Marlow Ropes have an excellent safety record which will be greatly appreciated by the crews.

May 25th 2009:  The Highs and Lows to Come

Having described the highs and lows of training, the next year will bring a kaleidescope of new experiences to look forward to.  As far as the race itself is concerned, I am particularly looking forward (with a mixture of excitement and apprehension) to the enormously high seas of the Southern Oceans and of the chances to get some high surfing speeds at the helm.  I am looking forward to crossing the equator, mastering all the deck skills and helping the team to secure the occasional podium position.  In particular, I am looking forward to the exhilaration that comes with crossing the finish line and reuniting with family and friends.  I fear the eleven months will pass all too quickly though and even whilst the temperatures around China will be near freezing and the conditions below deck will occasionally become intolerable, I want to savour every experience.

Alongside the race, there are other experiences to enjoy.  Hopefully there will be plenty of wildlife to see - dolphins, whales, turtles, albatross and flying fish to mention just a few. There will also be the opportunity to visit places I have never previously dreamed of visiting.  A South African safari is high on my wish list if time permits and the chance to traverse the Panama Canal in a sailing boat is something that I am unlikely to repeat in my life.  Above all that I am looking forward to exploring the night sky which will be free of the light pollution we experience on land and which will be quite different in the southern hemisphere.

One thing I was apprehensive about was my first radio interview on Radio Solent, which was aired this morning on the Julian Clegg show  but it went all too quickly with so little time to mention all the things I planned to!  Fortunately it is the first in a series so there will be other opportunities.  My next scheduled interview on the Breakfast show is Wednesday 12 August at around 6:45am.  Thankfully (or not, as the case may be!) you can hear it on 'listen again' over the following week.

May 19th 2009:  Race Skippers Unveiled

Today is the biggest milestone so far in the preparations for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 09-10.  Clipper Ventures will be announcing the ten skippers that will lead the teams of amateur sailors on their circumnavigation of the world.  The Hull Daily Mail was the first to reveal that Piers Dudin will skipper the home port boat, Hull and Humber and as further details emerged, we saw a few names that have already earned the respect of crews undergoing their sea training from Gosport.

He is joined by Chris Stanmore-Major (Qingdao), Richie Fearon (Cork), Pete Rollason (California), Jan Ridd (Cape Breton Island) and Jim Dobie (Uniquely Singapore).  Four boats have yet to be confirmed in terms of boat sponsorship but they will be skippered by Brendan Hall, Eero Lehtinen,  Peter Stirling and Matt Pike who I was lucky enough to sail with on one of my Part B courses.

May 16th 2009:  The Highs and Lows of Training

As May draws to an end, we enter the final run in to the 09-10 race and the opportunity to train with our own team and develop race strategies.  Over the last two years I have tried hard to remind myself that whilst the race is the ultimate goal the sheer enjoyment comes from all the new experiences I have encountered during training. 

People often ask me what part of training I have enjoyed most and it has proved an extremely difficult question to answer.  As a non sailor, every day of training has started with a mixture of excitement and apprehension but finished with a satisfying feeling of sheer exhaustion - often both mental and physical.  Most people will tell you that their first stint on the helm or their first climb up the mast are memorable experiences and I would not disagree with that.  But it will always be difficult to top that very first trip out of Portsmouth Harbour into the Solent.

As the skipper cut the engine I can remember bracing myself for the first ever experience of a boat heeling.  To my total surprise it actually felt more natural than sailing upright.  No sooner had we settled than the skipper called for the first sail change and several of us moved cautiously forward to assume the roles we had been briefed for.  We lined up on the low rail to catch the sail as it fell.  In the event it fell the wrong side of the rail and we had to use all our strength to pull it back in as a wave swept past completely filling my only pair of boots!.  As we were making our way back, the boat bounced over a wave and two of us left the deck for a brief zero gravity experience.  It was very brief but enough to put a smile on our faces that lasted most of the week.

To be honest there were few real low moments though sea sickness is something I could do without and that first change of watch in the middle of the night is unsettling, but you soon get used to it.  Perhaps the minor lows are the schoolboy errors.  Cutting yourself with a knife in the galley rather than looking for scissors (cuts take ages to heal at sea) or turning the wrong way to correct an error - only to make it worse.  To be honest, though, you only learn by your mistakes and if we didn't make them, training would be a pretty pointless pursuit!

May 7th 2009:  The Run In

Things are starting to warm up ahead of the Clipper Round the World Race 09-10 this September.  Several boats have already returned from their refit at Hamble and some are already sporting the livery of their Sponsors – most notably Hull and Humber and Uniquely Singapore.  The last of the fleet made their way for refit from their home in Clarence Marina a few weeks ago and all ten boats will be sailing again when Part C training starts at the end of June.

This month will see an announcement about which ten professional sailors have been selected to skipper the ten racing boats. Crew allocation follows on 30 May and that will mark the biggest milestone so far for the hundreds of crew who have already progressed through Part A and B training.  At last we will find out which boat we will be sailing on and who our skipper and fellow crew members are.  It has been a long wait and whilst training has shown we would all be happy to sail with one another, it is still nice to know the exact team so that the bond can be strengthened further.  Part C training begins in June and runs all the way through to the end of August.  This will generally involve up to ten boats out on the water at the same time racing against one another so that the big boat sailing experience acquired during Part A & B can be stepped up to race conditions.  There will be a considerable emphasis throughout training on spinnaker work and light airs sailing (weather permitting).  The reason for this is that when there are strong winds, it is really not that difficult to get the boat moving but races can be won or lost by how skillfully crews negotiate wind holes and utilise the slightest breeze to get the boat moving again.  Similarly, spinnaker work is a skill that needs to be developed to a high level of competence.  Each boat will have three spinnakers and the winning boat will be the one that pushes the boat to the limit without risking damage.

On August 1st, I am scheduled to report to the boat for a special Round the Island Race as a curtain raiser to Cowes week.  After a further weeks training, the latter part of August will be spent stocking the boat with non perishable items ahead of the first leg of the race from Hull to Rio.  We expect the fleet to leave more or less together on Bank Holiday Monday from Gosport to arrive at Hull on 7 September after spending the weekend in Grimsby.  The last two weeks will be filled with last minute jobs, orientation training for crews joining the boat and stocking up with fresh fruit and vegetables the day before the race start.  Throughout that time, there will also be sponsors and local schools coming along to look around the boats so it will be a busy time for us all.

Of course the boats have to pay their way too so throughout the summer.  They will be out on the water to meet their corporate commitments and all ten will be competing in the official Round the Island Race on 20 June.

April 30th 2009:  09-10 Route Changes

This time last year the 07-08 fleet was moored at Santa Cruz preparing for Leg 6 of the race down to Panama and through the Panama Canal to their ultimate destination in Jamaica.  The race had fallen behind schedule because both Western Australia and Durban had lost their masts in the race from Qingdao to Hawaii.  A long stopover in Hawaii had enabled those boats to reach port and undergo repairs and for the masts on the remaining 8 boats to undergo extensive safety checks with stays replaced where there was any suspicion of metal fatigue. 

We now know that there are two significant variations to the route in 09-10 that provide some exciting challenges for the crews.  The main one is that Hawaii will not be a stopover in 09-10 with the result that the fleet will leave Qingdao and not see land again for around 5 weeks.  To traverse the world’s largest open expanse of water in one giant leap is an experience that will not be forgotten in a long time.  The size of the Pacific Ocean is astounding; it measures just over 9,500 miles from the Bering Sea in the North to the Antarctica’s Ross Sea in the South yet at its widest point, it measures over 12,000 miles across.  All in all the 60 million square miles equates to being 15 times the size of the USA and occupies around 28% of the surface of the globe.  Clipper Crews will also sail over the lowest point on earth when they leave Qingdao and pass over the Strait of Malacca.  Here the sea bed is nearly 36,000ft below the surface – a staggering 7 miles away!

In place of Hawaii it is proposed to add another stopover on leg 4 of the race from Western Australia to Qingdao and it has been suggested that this will be in Indonesia.  Traditionally, the marina that has hosted the Clipper fleet has been at Batam (Nonsga Point Marina).  This has proved to be an excellent mustering point prior to their arrival in Singapore – less than two hours away. The only other options would appear to be a stopover at Jakarta (the new Batavia Marina) or Bali where Benoa Harbour boasts one of the outstanding marinas at the centre of the Indonesia Archipelago.

April 22nd 2009:  Sir Robin Knox Johnston Day

40 years ago today Sir Robin Knox Johnston sailed into Falmouth aboard his ketch Suhaili to be greeted by thousands of well wishers.  He had just become the first person to sail single handed, non stop around the world.  After 312 days at sea his response to the traditional customs question of 'where from' was that now famous single word answer - 'Falmouth'.

The challenge was set by the Sunday Times Golden Globe Award and as the only competitor to finish, the prize was his.  More significantly, he secured a record that will never, ever, be beaten.  There may be younger, older or faster achievements but no one else can claim to be the first.  In my book, that makes Sir Robin a bit of a living legend.

Only one person on this planet can possibly describe the cocktail of emotions he would have felt that day and I'm not going to try and second guess them here.  My research however, has indicated that whilst he may have derived great personal pride from the achievement, the prize was probably of secondary importance and the tremendous public interest probably came as a bit of a surprise to this modest competitor.   His prize was donated to the family of Donald Crowhurst who tragically lost his life during the course of the race but it was his personal challenges at the start of the race that provide a great insight to the man.  The story forms the base from which Clipper Ventures and the Round the World Yacht Race was formed.

In 1969, there was comparatively little technology to support a round the world venture.  No one had ever achieved a non stop journey (Sir Francis Chichester had stopped in Australia) and it was questionable whether a human being on their own could tolerate that sort of punishment.  The Golden Globe entries came mainly from experienced sailors and despite his extensive and distinuished naval career, Sir Robin was not recognised as a serious competitor.  As the 'outsider' Sir Robin found himself labelled the competitor 'least likely to succeed' and consequently, sponsorship was not easy to come by.  Lesser characters may have been put off but as many Clipper crew have found out, you can only realise your dream by dogged determination and sheer hard work.

His experience in the Golden Globe Award led eventually to the formation of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.  It is now the only ocean race that is open to novice sailors and makes ocean sailing accessible to the ordinary person with a thirst for adventure, irrespective of their skills background, and experience at sea.  That is not to say, of course, that they have that status by the time the race starts.  A Minimum of 4 weeks at sea for round the world crew and a further week in the classroom ensures that each competitor has all the necessary skills for big boat racing and, most importantly, can carry out those tasks safely and with a healthy respect for the hostile environment they are about to enter.

April 17th 2009:  And Cape Breton Makes Six

It was not unexpected but this week saw another milestone on race preparations as Nova Scotia confirmed their entry in the 09-10 race.  This had proved to be a popular stopover on the 07-08 race and if you saw the Channel 4 programme on the clipper Race it is easy to see why.  The islands are quite magnificent.  Their hospitality is second to none and their seafood is simply awesome.  As you can imagine, it's a stopover I'm particularly looking forward to!  The boat is called Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia's Masterpiece and joins Uniquely Singapore, Qingdao, Cork, California and Hull and Humber at the start line on 13 September - now just 140 days to go!

Nova Scotia will be looking to improve on her 9th place overall in the last race although she  did achieve two podium positions last time out finishing third on race two into Salvador and second place into California.  Over the Christmas period, we ran a feature on fellow Clipper crew Member Elisa Jenkins (see Jan 6th entry) and I know she will be delighted at the realisation of a dream - sailing into her home port aboard a Clipper Racing Boat that bears the name of her island.

April 10th 2009:  See Clipper at St Katharine Dock This Month

The first boats are now returning to the Solent having undergone an extensive refit at Hamble Yacht Services.  The new race logos stand proudly either side of the bow and in the case of Hull & Humber the customised livery wrap has also now been added.  She will cut an impressive sight in the water as she sails up to St Katharine Dock next week on a publicity trip.  Although work prevents me from joining the boat on this occasion I will be following the trip with envy as I have already sailed with several of the crew on training.

Whilst she is berthed at St Katharine Dock (17th -27th April), she will be used to raise the profile of the race and also, perhaps, to secure new recruits for the upcoming race (where only a few places are left) and the 11-12 race which is already starting to generate a lot of interest.  She will also host the official launch of the newly formed Clipper Race Yacht Club  at midday on Friday 24th April.

The Clipper Race Yacht Club has already secured nearly 400 founder members from the previous 6 Round the World Yacht Races and 09-10 crews will also qualify to join when they have completed the first leg of this years event.  That will occur around Mid October when the fleet sails into Rio after crossing the Atlantic (and the equator!) from La Rochelle.  The Clipper Race Yacht Club is therefore unique to the extent that every member has over 3,000 miles sailing experience.

April 2nd 2009:  Eight Weeks to Crew Allocation

Two years ago I had never sailed on a sailing boat in my life but I happily committed myself to the Clipper Round the World Race. I am not alone in taking what may seem at first glance a rather strange decision.  Almost 40% of the Clipper Crew have never sailed before and are quite comfortable with stepping out of their own comfort zone to achieve something relatively few people have achieved.  A circumnavigation of the world by sea.  Fewer people have achieved this than have climbed Mount Everest.

Two years later I feel more comfortable with that decision than ever before.  I have become a reasonably confident Clipper crew member and have attended additional courses on Navigation, Meteorology and Sea Survival.  The training has been first class and we have experienced everything at sea from dead calm in the Solent to force 9 winds off Portland and Dartmouth.  I have worked in the Galley in the most confused sea conditions and have climbed masts, spinnaker poles and hung over the side recovering fenders.  I have chipped bones, bruised ribs and cut fingers in the most bizarre incidents and still managed to smile.

Right now though I'm just getting plain impatient!  It is just 5 months until the race starts from Hull and although I have completed two of the three phases of sea training, I still do not know who I will be racing with.  I've met some great people on training; not a single one that I would not be happy to sail around the world with.  Amongst those are some that I know will become lifetime friends.  I've spoken to fellow crew members, former crew and even prospective crew for future races.  To suggest it is one big family would be more than just a cliché!  In just 8 weeks time that family will grow even closer when hundreds of enlisted crew - leggers and round the worlders - will gather at Portsmouth Dockyard to hear the crews, boats and skippers announced.  We know already that there will be boats representing Hull & Humber, Cork, Singapore, Qingdao and California.  Historically we have also seen boats representing Scotland, Australia, South Africa, The Caribbean, New York and Canada.  Hopefully we will see some of them signing up again.

The route is also starting to become a little clearer with Rio marking the end of leg 1.  Leg 2 will take us to South Africa and leg 3 to Australia for Christmas.  From there we head up to China (via Singapore) for leg 4 and on to California for leg 5.  This is the longest single trip of the race involving some 35 days at sea without seeing land.  From California the fleet will pass through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean.  The final leg 7 will take in stops at New York, in Canada, Cork and one other European Port before returning to Hull early in July 2010.

Once crew allocation is over, the pace picks up a little with final training during June and July.  August will feature a Round the Island Race as part of Cowes week before the boats are prepared for the big race. Crews will start to explore their specialist roles and will attend training courses on sail repair, engineering, first aid, victualling, media and communications.  The fleet will leave Gosport to sail up to the Humber around the end of August.  You can follow all the progress on this web site with blogs whilst I am on the boat leading up to the start and throughout the race itself.

March 21st 2009:  Reflections on Navigation and Meteorology Course

I make no apology for the delay in posting my reflections on the recent Navigation and Meteorology course.  Seven days in the classroom with lectures running sometimes from 8:30am to 6pm left me totally drained because it has been a long time since I was at school!  In the event, I had planned for a week away in Cornwall this last week and boy, did I need the break!

The navigation course was really not that difficult - but it was complex.  Plotting positions was not difficult; nor was plotting destinations.  But after that we were required to analyse tides for departure and destination ports to make sure we had enough water to berth at each.  Then we had to predict the effect of tide and wind on the boat to estimate or true position.  Where necessary, we used graphs to calculate the true rate of tide within or outside of clearly defined ranges.  Only when we had mastered that were we invited to predict the effect of tide and wind to calculate a true course to steer to get us to the desired destination.  It all sounds quite simple when you write it down like that but with data available from a variety of sources, including charts, almanacs and pilot books, the scope for transposing data was considerable.  But we all made it through the week and the knowledge (if practised!) will help enormously during the race where a single degree of error  could make a difference of hundreds of miles over a single leg of the race.

As always, part of the fun was meeting up with other crew members and it was good to meet up again with Owen (far right) as well as (from right to left) Barry, our tutor John, Graham, Eloise, Simon (who was working on Durban throughout the week), Geoff and Alison (not forgetting Pat who was attending another party on the last night).  A particular highlight of the week for me was meeting, albeit briefly, some of the Part A crew members from the USA and Oman - in particular Charles from San Francisco who I have been communicating regularly with over the last few months.

March 9th 2009:  Navigation and Meteorology

This week sees me back at Gosport once again.  This time it is for a 7 day course on Navigation and Meteorology.  Joining me for the course was Owen, who I sailed to St Katherine Dock with aboard Clipper Qingdao, along with Geoff, Barry, Alison, Elouise, Pat and Graham.  Our first day saw us welcomed by our tutor, John Wetton who guided through the basics around charts and rules of the road.  We plotted a few bearings and courses and studied tide timetables and tidal stream maps which was pretty much all we could absorb on the first day.  It reminded me very much of my first day on a Clipper boat where things were explained to you very well but you end up concentrating so hard you run the risk of missing the obvious!  All good fun though and we are all ready for another few days of this before our exams at the weekend.

March 7th 2009:  A Great Sight!

This is the picture that is sure to quicken the heartbeat of every Clipper crew member.  The picture shows two of the first Clipper boats back in the water following their major refit ahead of the 09-10 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.  They return to Gosport with no clear identity of their role in the forthcoming race other than the impressive 09-10 logo either side of the bow.  09-10 crew will begin training on these boats almost straight away but in June, when boats,crews and skippers are announced, they will quickly become 'owned' by those crews. 

March 2nd 2009:  Final Training Dates Confirmed

Things are starting to hot up as we turn the final few bends ahead of the 09-10 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.  I have completed my Part A & B training and my Part C training is now confirmed for 23rd to 29th June 2009.  As a round the world sailor (RTW) I am contractually obliged to undertake two Part C courses and my second week is scheduled for 17th to 23rd August.  This is quite possibly the same week that the fleet leave Gosport and move to Hull where the race starts on 13 September.

Part C differs from previous training in two respects.  Firstly it assumes that we are now confident and competent sailors familiar with the main tasks associated with big boat sailing.  As a result, Part C is very much about applying those skills to race conditions.  Secondly, by the end of May we will have found out which boat we have been allocated to and we will know who our skipper and fellow crew members are.  So for part C, those crews will be coming together for the first time.  Undoubtedly, there will be several (if not all) boats in the water for each training week so we will have the opportunity to race against one another.  The friendships developed through training will last a lifetime but for part C we will start to experience the competitive edge that develops amongst each crew and how each boat will start to refine their own special and unique strategies that they hope will propel them on to a podium finish.

Being confident and competent is all good and well.  Through all this, I am still acutely aware that what I do lack is experience.  Experience of handling breakages can rarely be simulated in in training and experience shows us that such breakages are commonplace during the race.  This is simply because of the punishment the boat receives as we push them ever harder.  Spinnaker wraps, broaches and lines breaking under strain all have to be dealt with routinely and it may be leg 3 or 4 before I can honestly claim to have mastered all that.

February 24th 2009:  Entering the Clipper Round the Island Race

The traditional Round the Island Race is held around the Isle of Wight in June and attracts a large number of entries.  In June 2008, a record 1,825 boats took part and the winner set a new record of 03:53:05 for the 50 nautical mile course starting and finishing at Cowes.  Mike Slade and his crew on board the 100 foot maxi yacht ICAP Leopard knocked 12 minutes off his own previous record set in 2001.

Although the Clipper fleet will be competing in the official Round Island Race, this is primarily a corporate event.  However, Clipper have announced that there is an opportunity for 07-08 and 09-10 crews to sail in their own Round Island Race as part of Cowes week - and I have jumped at the opportunity!  The event takes place on Sunday 2nd August 2009 with training set for the previous day.  It will be an excellent curtain raiser to the Round the World Yacht Race 09-10 and an opportunity for me and other crew to sharpen their racing skills against the other Clipper boats.

The race will start at approximately 9:30am on The Royal Yacht Squadron start line at Cowes and there will be a short prizegiving ceremony that evening (around 5pm) at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.