Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

Biennial yacht race to partially or fully circumnavigate the globe

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is a biennial sailing race that takes paying amateur crews on one or more legs of a circumnavigation of the globe in 11 specially designed identical yachts owned by Clipper Ventures. Professional skippers and additional qualified persons (AQPs) lead each teams on the 10 month journey. All participants must complete a four week training course before starting the race. The race was conceived in 1995 by Sir Robin Knox Johnston and is run by Clipper Ventures plc. The race has been held every two years since 1996, although in 2004 there was not a race and biennial racing resumed in 2005. In contrast to the now defunct Global Challenge, the Clipper Race route follows the prevailing currents and winds and uses lighter, faster boats. The current fleet of 11 yachts are Clipper 70 yachts that were first used in the 2013–14 race. Previous race fleets were composed of eight Clipper 60s and ten Clipper 68s. Initial races did not feature corporate or sponsor branding. But in 2000, The Times newspaper signed on as title sponsor and a portion of the fleet was sponsored by international cities. Since then, the yachts in the fleet have been sponsored by countries' tourism boards, port cities or corporate sponsors. Clipper Ventures gifted the naming of a yacht to UNICEF to help raise awareness and funds for the organisation. In 2018, Wendy Tuck was the first female skipper to win the Clipper Round the World Yacht race with her team. That year also saw another record with Nikki Henderson being named as the youngest skipper ever at just 25 years of age. Nikki Henderson and her team came in second place in the 2018 race.

The race was conceived in 1995 by Sir Robin Knox Johnston who together with William Ward (CEO), founded Clipper Ventures, a company that would run the race. Jeremy Knight initially joined as Finance Director in 1998, but later became the chief operating officer. The origins of the race name "Clipper" comes from the historic tea clippers. In the 1830s tea clippers were small, fast, cargo carrying sailing ships. Premium prices were paid for the season's first consignment of tea to reach London from China. In the Great Tea Race of 1866, four of these ships held an unofficial race, and this inspired the name of the modern day race. The eight Clipper 60 yachts were initially named after tea clippers including Ariel, Blackadder, Taeping and Thermopylae. 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. Almost 40% have no previous sailing experience.

Teams competed for the Times Clipper 2000 trophy, made of lead crystal. In 2015 the trophy was replaced with the Clipper 'Race Globe' trophy.

+ Clipper 60 Specifications Hull type Monohull Builder Colvic Craft Displacement 24,000 kg Designer David Pedrick Engine Diesel 130 hp, Perkins M165 Length Overall 59 feet (18 m) Length Water Line 52 feet (16 m) Beam 15 feet (5 m) Draft 7 feet (2 m) IRC Handicap 1.067 (2011)
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. The design was based on the Camper and Nicholson Bluewater 58 cruising yacht. Modifications were made to the cruising version including a new deck layout better suited to ocean racing and an enlarged rig. Eight Clipper 60s were built. After the 2002/3 race, some of the Clipper 60s were initially retained for use in crew training and corporate events, but all have now been sold (for example Antiope now operates as a charter yacht based in Iceland).

+ Clipper 60 yacht names Sail number Callsign MMSI 1996 1998 2000 2002 # Podium placings New owners GBR61L MWEG5 234295000 Taeping Taeping Plymouth Cape Town 1 Owned by Lewis Learning Ltd. Bought in March 2017 to replace Chrysolite scuttled in the Atlantic in February 2017. Previously owned by Blue Box Sailing. GBR62L MWEF5 235009160 Ariel Ariel London London 3 Sold February 2012 to buyer in Hong Kong. Now Rizhao, sail number CHN 060626 GBR63L MWED5 234293000 Thermopylae Thermopylae Leeds Hong Kong 0 Discovery Sailing Project GBR64L MWEB5 234292000 Mermerus Mermerus Jersey Jersey 3 Bought by a private owner and converted to cruising yacht, then purchased by Blue Box Sailing in December 2014. Since October 2018 Bluejay, owned by Rubicon 3 GBR65L MWEA5 235011100 Serica Serica Bristol Bristol 2 Blue Box Sailing. Now Starling owned by Rubicon 3 GBR66L TFAQ 251771000 Antiope Antiope Liverpool Liverpool 2 Now Aurora owned by Aurora Arktika At the time of loss it was named Clyde Challenger and owned by Lewis Learning Ltd. Several previous owners. GBR68L MWDX5 235009170 Blackadder (did not compete) Portsmouth New York 0 Now Hummingbird, owned by Rubicon 3

+ Clipper 68 Specifications Hull type Monohull Rig Masthead Cutter Builder Shanghai Double Happiness Yacht Co. Ltd Displacement 31.2 tonnes Designer Ed Dubois Length 68 feet (21 m) Mast height 89 feet (27 m) IRC Handicap 1.246 (2010)

For the 2005 race, a new fleet of Clipper 68s was built to replace the Clipper 60s. The 68 foot yachts were designed by Ed Dubois and the fleet increased from eight boats to ten. The Clipper 68's longer hull line, taller mast, lighter overall weight (two tons lighter than its predecessor), and a flatter bottom meant faster boat speeds. The Clipper 68s have logged downwind surfs approaching 30 knots. The yachts were built in China, the first time a fleet of racing yachts had been built in mainland China. Clipper Ventures managed the build themselves with Jeremy Knight heading up the project. In 2010 an additional Clipper 68 was built to replace one which was lost when it ran aground. The Clipper 68s were retired after the 2011 12 race. Two of the yachts are now based in Australia where they are used for crew training and corporate sailing.

+ Clipper 68 yacht names Hull # Sail number Callsign MMSI 2005 2007 2009 2011 # Podium placings CV1 GBR9350T MGMX8 235021704 Liverpool Liverpool Edinburgh Edingburgh Inspiring Capital 0 CV2 GBR9351T MHAX6 235023621 Glasgow: Scotland with Style Glasgow Jamaica New York 2 CV3 GBR9353T MHBA9 235023623 westernaustralia. com westernaustralia. com Uniquely Singapore Welcome to Yorkshire 2 CV4 (Now sunk) GBR9352T MGZR2 235023622 Uniquely Singapore Uniquely Singapore Cork Did not compete, yacht sunk 1 CV5 GBR9354T MHUD8 235026123 Jersey Jamaica Team Finland Gold Coast 2 CV6 GBR9355T MHUJ8 235026119 Durban Durban Qingdao Geraldton 1 CV7 GBR9356T MJVF8 235009370 New York Hull and Humber Cape Breton Island Uniquely Singapore 4 CV8 GBR9357T MJWC8 235009350 Qingdao Qingdao Hull and Humber De Lage Landen 0 CV9 GBR9358T MKJU6 235009770 Victoria New York Spirit of Australia Qingdao 2 CV10 GBR9359T MKHV5 235009780 Cardiff Nova Scotia California Derry 1 CV11 GBR9352T 2ESG8 235087742 (did not compete) (did not compete) (did not compete) Visit Finland 1

CV5 and CV10 were delivered to Australia where they are used by Clipper Ventures for crew training. CV1 and CV11 are for sale.

From Clipper 2013 onwards, the races feature the Clipper 70, designed by Tony Castro Naval Architects. 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. + Clipper 70 Specifications Hull type Monohull Rig Masthead Cutter Builder Nauticstar & Mazarin Yachts, Qingdao, China Displacement 31.7 metric tonnes Designer Tony Castro Naval Architects Length Beam Draft Mast height

+ Clipper 70 yacht names Hull # Sail number Callsign MMSI 2013 2015201720192023 CV20 GBR720X 2GIE3 235097602 One DLL Garmin Liverpool 2018 Imagine Your Korea Dare To Lead CV21 GBR721X 2GIE4 235097603 Henri Lloyd IchorCoalUNICEF GoToBermuda Our Isles And Oceans CV22 GBR722X 2GVY6 235100988Qingdao PSP LogisticsGarmin SeattleBekezela Community Foundation CV23 GBR723X 2GQD9 235099583 Mission Performance Visit SeattleHotelplanner. com WTC Logistics Perseverance CV24 (Now sunk) GBR724X 2GVF2 235100807Switzerland LMAX ExchangeGreenings CV25 GBR725X 2GTZ4 235100519 Invest Africa Da Nang Viet NamDare to Lead Punta del Este Zhuhai CV26 GBR726X 2GWE6 235101038Great Britain ClipperTelemed+Visit Seattle Ha Long Bay, Vietnam Yacht Club Punta del Este CV27 GBR727X 2GVW9 235100974 Team Garmin GREAT BritainSanya Serenity Coast Dare to LeadQingdao CV28 GBR728X 2GWP8 235101124 PSP Logistics QingdaoPSP Logistics ZhuhaiUnicef CV29 GBR729X 2GWQ8 235101133Old Pulteney Derry Londonderry DoireQingdao Visit Sanya, ChinaPSP Logistics CV30 GBR730X 2GWS2 235101142Derry Londonderry Doire UNICEFGREAT Britain Qingdao Washington DC CV31 GBR731X 2GWT6 235101154Jamaica Mission PerformanceNasdaq UnicefHa Long Bay, Viet Nam

The race ran every two years between 1996 and 2002, and then skipped a year, with subsequent races beginning in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. The routes used for the races have varied slightly each race. The routes are selected to allow for a high proportion of downwind sailing, the most technically demanding point of sail. Other considerations include port stops in locations related to yacht or race sponsors. 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 1998 race largely followed the same route as the 1996 race. It was won by Alex Thomson, who was the youngest skipper to win a round the world yacht race at just 24. The 2000 race started in Portsmouth harbour. The stop in the Azores was replaced by one in New York City and to compensate for the extra distance the Seychelles to Durban to Cape Town leg was reduced to Mauritius to Cape Town. The 2002 race was the fourth and final circumnavigation for the Clipper 60 fleet. Three of the boats were renamed, and international cities Hong Kong, Cape Town and New York were added to the race. 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 ten Clipper 68 yachts had their debut in the 2005–06 race in the first east to west circumnavigation. The boats were all sponsored by international cities for the first time incorporating stops in sponsor cities. 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. The 2007–08 race stopped at several different cities to the 2005–06 race due to different race sponsors but still maintained the east to west route. Two yachts were dismasted in the Pacific crossing with several crew evacuated via Coast Guard rescue. The Clipper 2009–10 race started from Kingston upon Hull on the Humber Estuary on 13 September 2009. The race was won by Spirit of Australia on 17 July 2010, when the yachts returned to Hull Marina for a gala celebration. On 15 January 2010, Cork Clipper ran aground on the Gosong Mampango reef in the Java Sea 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. A Challenge 67' yacht "Aurora of London" was chartered to replace the Clipper 68 yacht in the race. The 2011–12 race was the last for the Clipper 68 yachts, departing from Ocean Village in July 2011. The race started in the Solent lasting almost a year and covering an estimated The race saw a number of injuries that required evacuation. Two crew were evacuated from Gold Coast Australia in Taiwan harbour after an attempted Coast Guard evacuation was abandoned due to inclement weather. An incident on the Geraldton Western Australia yacht saw two injured crew evacuated from the yacht by US Coastguard Cutter Bertholf in the Pacific. The 2013–14 race was the first for the expanded fleet of twelve Clipper 70 yachts. For the first time five of the yachts were sponsored by companies rather than cities. The race set off from London's St. Katherine Docks in September 2013. The 2015–16 race set sail on Sunday 30 August 2015, once again from London's St Katharine Docks. The race was once again sponsored by a mixture of cities and companies. The 2015–2016 race saw the first fatalities in the history of the Clipper race, both on the same boat CV21. In the 2017–2018 race, skipper Wendy Tuck became the first female skipper to win the Clipper race on board Sanya Serenity Coast. 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.

At midnight 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. Resuscitation attempts were not successful and he died. 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.

On 1 April 2016 day 12 of the North Pacific leg, the crew of IchorCoal had just reefed her mainsail in of wind. 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. She had not been clipped on and was swept away in strong winds. The crew used the signal from her personal AIS transmitter to locate her in the water and then recovered her on board, but were unable to resuscitate her after an hour in the water. Young was buried at sea, with her family's permission, due to the boat's position, and the time it would take to reach land. 60 year old Simon Speirs was washed overboard during a headsail change on CV30 Great Britain. He was recovered from the sea within 36 minutes but did not regain consciousness. He was buried at sea the following morning. 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 31 January 2016, while on Race 7 from Australia to Vietnam, LMAX Exchange came across a ghost ship the private yacht Sayo, dismasted and adrift about west of Guam. On investigation, the body of owner Manfred Fritz Bajorat of Germany was found dead aboard the yacht "in an advanced state of decomposition". On reporting the finding to authorities and being unable to provide any further assistance, the LMAX Exchange was permitted to continue on its way. The yacht and occupant were later discovered by fishermen in the Philippine Sea and made international headlines for the macabre nature of the discovery.

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.