Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
[1] In contrast to the now-defunct Global Challenge, the Clipper Race route follows the prevailing currents and winds and uses lighter, faster boats.
[2] In 2018, Wendy Tuck was the first female skipper to win the Clipper Round the World Yacht race with her team.
[citation needed] Since 1996, the Clipper Race has taken almost 5000 people from all walks of life and from all around the world and turned them into long distance racers.
The fleet for the 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002 races featured the "Clipper 60", a 60-foot yacht designed by David Pedrick and built by Colvic Craft.
Modifications were made to the cruising version including a new deck layout better suited to ocean racing and an enlarged rig.
After the 2002/3 race, some of the Clipper 60s were initially retained for use in crew training and corporate events,[9] but all have now been sold (for example Antiope now operates as a charter yacht based in Iceland).
The fleet of twelve Clipper 70s were built in Qingdao, China in a project headed up again by Jeremy Knight for use in the 2013–14 race.
The first race took place in 1996 with the Clipper 60 fleet departing from Plymouth for a westward circumnavigation with the first stop at Madeira, Fort Lauderdale, Panama, Galapagos, Hawaii, Yokohama, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seychelles, Durban, Cape Town, Salvador (Brazil), the Azores and back to Plymouth.
The start point was moved to Liverpool, and an estimated 40,000 spectators came to see the boats off despite a 24-hour delay due to storms in the Irish Sea.
The race schedule was significantly altered when Glasgow Clipper reported keel problems in the South China Sea, and diverted to Subic Bay in the Philippines, followed by the rest of the fleet that were showing symptoms, causing an enforced six-week stopover.
On 15 January 2010, Cork Clipper ran aground on the Gosong Mampango reef in the Java Sea[43] The crew successfully evacuated the yacht and it was abandoned a few days later after the decision was made that any attempt to salvage her would be uneconomical.
[51] According to an article in The Times, the postponement of the 2019-2020 race due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to the company making a loss of £1.5m on sales of £1m in the financial year to January 2022.
[55] At midnight[56] on 5 September 2015 - day 7 of the first leg of the race - the fleet were off the coast of Portugal when Andrew Ashman (49), a watch leader aboard IchorCoal was knocked unconscious as he adjusted the mainsheet while reefing.
[57] The interim Marine Accident Investigation Branch report found that the injury took place during two uncontrolled gybes, with the boom swinging across the yacht due to a broken preventer.
Crewmember Sarah Young (40) was tidying the ropes in the cockpit when she was knocked from her position by a wave which swept her backwards, under the guardrail and overboard.
[59] Young was buried at sea, with her family's permission,[60] due to the boat's position, and the time it would take to reach land.
[50] On 18 November 2017 - day 18 of the Cape Town to Fremantle leg of the 2017/18 race - despite being clipped on,[61] 60-year-old Simon Speirs was washed overboard during a headsail change on CV30 Great Britain.
[62] The MAIB's initial findings concluded that the hook at the end of his safety tether had deformed under load after being caught under a deck cleat and eventually released.
On investigation, the body of owner Manfred Fritz Bajorat of Germany was found dead aboard the yacht "in an advanced state of decomposition".
The yacht and occupant were later discovered by fishermen in the Philippine Sea and made international headlines for the macabre nature of the discovery.
[73] In November 2022, The Times reported that Knox-Johnston and Ward were seeking a high net worth individual with an interest in sailing to buy Clipper Ventures PLC, at a price of £60 million but were keen to stay on as president and executive chairman of the company.
