Latitude 38 April 2014

VOLUME 442 April 2014 WE GO WHERE THE WIND BLOWS CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD RACE — S ir Robin Knox-Johnston could have been in a particularly devilish mood when he envisioned the Clipper first Clipper Race in 1995. To the un- Round the World Yacht Race back in informed, sending a 70-ft clipper yacht 1990. But truth be told, he was actu- through some of the world's roughest ally in search of sailing's equivalent to seas, with a crew of seemingly inexpe- climbing Mt. Everest — having been in- rienced sailors who've never met one spired by his friend, Chris Bonington, another, could be a recipe for disaster. while they were climbing in Greenland. But to the contrary, Clipper organizers Such a challenge is indeed monu- take each individual — sailor or not — mental in nature. For those who don't know of him, Sir Robin was the first person to complete a solo, nonstop cir- "The crux of the race was cumnavigation of the planet in 1967's that ocean yacht racing need Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Forty years later, at the age of 67, he not be exclusively for competed in the singlehanded Velux 5 professional yachtsmen Oceans Race, finishing fourth and be- coming the oldest person to circumnav- or an elite minority." igate the earth alone. "I wanted to create something that through extensive training and screen- almost anyone could compete in, and ing and turn them into world-class sail- be able to experience the thrill of rac- ors. ing across the world’s oceans in a competitive team environment while chal- lenging themselves to limits they didn’t We've met local participants with know they had," he says of the Clipper varying backgrounds in previous Lati- Race. tude 38 articles. Last month we intro- "The crux of the race was that ocean duced you to Stephanie Evans and Sar- yacht racing need not be exclusively for ah Lloyd. In February Tony Pohl and professional yachtsmen or an elite mi- Elaina Breen shared their stories as nority," says Sir Robin. "I want people to well. Stephanie and Sarah now are rac- say when they finish the race: 'That is ing across the Pacific Ocean from Qin- the best thing I have achieved in my life gdao, China to San Francisco in Race so far,' so they carry on pushing them- 10 (Leg Six). Elaina, as you may recall, selves and doing new adventures once took her first sailing lesson three days "Our crews are our best asset and they complete the Clipper Race." after signing up for four legs of the Clip- when they come into port after an in- The idea that anyone can sail around per. Her performance and drive are tes- credible adventure, they share their Planet Earth's oceans is a concept that taments to Clipper's vision. She departs stories with friends and family who in has gained lots of popularity since the from San Francisco on her second stint turn spread the word," relates Sir Rob- to Panama en route to New York in Rac- in. "Now, with so much social media, The Clipper Race consists of a series of legs es 11-14 (Legs Seven and Eight) this ‘armchair race fans’ are able to follow that make up each race, crossing the world's month. the race so closely with the Race View- most formidable oceans. er and stay updated with all the latest tactics and news, pictures and videos, which has helped with publicity and made it more accessible too." Although it is not inexpensive to par- ticipate, the race is set up so that more people can do it, rather than fewer. The Round the World Race is actually a series of "legs," broken down into "rac- ATLANTIC OCEAN es." Individuals can sign up for single PACIFIC or multiple races within a leg (which OCEAN can be non-consecutive), multiple races in different legs, or a complete cir- cumnavigation — like Sarah Lloyd. The structure can be a bit confusing, even PACIFIC if you look at Clipper's world map — OCEAN INDIAN www.clipperroundtheworld.com/race- OCEAN route/13-14/race-1. Each race is scored in a manner where teams accumulate points for winning; thus the boat that has the SOUTHERN most points in the end wins the overall OCEAN COMING TO SAN FRANCISCO er sailed, 35% women and 65% men, and 40% non-UK crew," says David. "There are over 40 nationalities in the race, aged between 18-70." It's interesting to know how David approaches potential recruits. Jump- ing to the conclusion that his top objec- tive is to find physically strong people turns out to be completely wrong. It's actually a lot more nuanced than that. "What is key for me is people skills. Like most jobs the world over, you can teach technical skills far easier than chang- ing behaviors. And so with us, we know we can teach people to sail. What we’re looking for is raw energy, enthusiasm and excitement. And it doesn’t matter what age or size/shape body that enthusiasm is wrapped in." David believes that if you are a team player who thrives on working with and for others, are enthusiastic and sup- portive of the team, and don't think twice about buoying them up or even showing personal weakness, "chances are, you’ll make a great crewmate." "Because this is a competitive race, we get very few crew disagreements. There is nothing like healthy competi- tion to focus the mind outside of your boat. So when you’re battling the ele- ments and other competitors, you pull together as a team." David is continual- ly amazed at how physical hardship, liv- ALL PHOTOS CLIPPER VENTURES PLC PHOTOS ALL ing day-to-day aboard a sailboat in ba- The fast Clipper 70s surf down monster waves cants who will pay for the privilege of sic conditions, and the pressure to win like this quickly, giving all on board an adrena- participating is no small task. Depend- a race can create bonds among crew so line rush they won't soon forget. ing on the number of boats racing in a quickly. From what we've heard, this race. given year, the overall number of crew actually happens during the first week After each start, racers can opt to can vary widely for each boat and thus of training in the English Channel. sail through what's called a scoring for the entire race. David Lusworth, Last month Sarah Lloyd, who arrives gate, a virtual line across the route that Clipper's crew recruitment and devel- in San Francisco this month aboard is located approximately one-third the opment director, searches worldwide to A brave crewmember climbs Derry~London- distance to the finish line. By pass- find individuals suited for the rigors of derry~Doire's mast in what look to be rather ing through this gate, boats gain extra team ocean racing. "We have 14 yachts windy conditions! points. The first to cross it gets three in the next race points, the second gets two and the (2015-2016)," says third boat gets one. David. "Because Then, about two-thirds through the we own the yachts race, there is another area where the that race, it's com- Ocean Sprint occurs. Think of this as a plete match rac- race within a race. The team that sails ing, and we know across this portion of ocean the fast- absolutely how est is awarded one extra point. Then, many spaces we points are given for the order in which need to fill. We the boats finish at their destinations — then recruit world- 12 points for first, one point for last. Fi- wide for those nally, there are penalty points. These spaces." points are taken away from a team's to- Clipper has the tal for various reasons, such as break- math pretty well ing equiptment by mistake, rather than calculated. "His- by proper use in bad weather. torically we have around 40% of people who before Selecting from a group of appli- training have nev- CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD RACE — Henri Lloyd, said, "most people come off the very first training level feeling that training. Training takes place over four boat with your team. During the fourth they have bonded with the people they weeks. The first of these is primarily a and final week, sailors race directly trained with, and would be very happy part of the selection process, making against the other competing boats. This to cross oceans with them." sure everyone is right for the adventure. gives everyone a chance to fine-tune Now, David is "looking for 750 (in- "So in effect you’re assessed for six days their own skills, "and assess how good, dividuals) for the next race." And, the living on a boat. Again, we’re looking at or not, the other boats are." As David registry is already over 40% full. "I’ll be your people skills." After that you spend says, this is, "a great time to get into recruiting in London this week, Swit- two weeks training rigorously aboard a the heads of your rivals. Beat them all zerland next week, and San Francisco Clockwise from upper left: A mid-ocean rescue in Race 4; OneDLL arriving in Qingdao, China, in in April." Once someone has passed the first place overall; Sir Robin (left) assists with a headstay issue; Sarah Lloyd drives in heavy seas; initial selection process, then they start time for push-ups; rough seas on the pointy end; happy times trimming; a mountain of ocean astern.

Load more