The Clipper Round the World Race is the brainchild of Sir Robin Knox Johnston, who in 1969 was the first person to sail round the world single-handed non stop, winning the Sunday Times golden Globe race in the process.
He wanted to establish a race where amateurs had the opportunity of experiencing the full majesty of Nature in the oceans of the world, and being changed in the process. In 1996 he established the Clipper Round the World Race, which he still runs with his business partner, William Ward – Sir Robin providing the inspiration and William a very shrewd business brain.
The race is run every two years, covering 40,000 miles and taking 11 months to complete. At the end of each race the fleet is thoroughly overhauled ready for training up the crews for the next race and taking part in the race itself (hence running the raace only every 2 years.
The first race comprised 8 60-foot ocean racing yachts. The current fleet are twelve 70 foot ocean racers, with few concessions to comfort for those on board (no showers on board, so no washing for the length of each race!). The boats are all one-design boats, specifically designed and commissioned for the race.
Since the boats are one design, they are (or at least are intended to be) evenly matched in terms of performance. As a result the only significant variable is the crew and Clipper are very careful to ensure that their allocation of the crews is also as evenly matched as they can manage (so no crews of elite sportsmen set against one of 7 stone weaklings!).
Each boat has a maximum crew of 20, led by a professional skipper. A significant number of those participating have never sailed before, and since the boats are so different from your average yacht that previous experience is sometimes a disadvantage. My 40 years’ sailing experience has mainly been on all sorts of dinghies, so I found it a real challenge to remember the power of these boats and their consequent potential to do you serious damage. Pulling on a flapping rope is not advisable when when it has a sail the size of a tennis court (literally) on the other end!
One thing is certain: it will be an amazing experience on all sorts of levels. Hopefully my blog will provide a flavour of what life on board is about but there is also a lot of footage on Youtube if you want more! Try this for a flavour…
Simon Round the World 