The world’s longest ocean race is calling on more Adelaide residents to take on the challenge of a lifetime and achieve something extraordinary in the next edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
This week, race organisers will host a talk in the city on Thursday 8 September at the Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron at 6:00pm alongside former race alumni from across South Australia, including Campbell Mackie from Kingswood.
Campbell, who circumnavigated the globe and spent over 11 months at sea sailing across Mother Nature’s toughest oceans, is one of 53 Australian crew members to have represented the country in the last edition of the race.
Returning from his experience, Campbell says: “When I committed to the Clipper Race I thought I understood what I was taking on, but it’s been so much more than I imagined. I experienced sailing the likes of which I am unlikely to see again, conquered fear to do things I thought were impossible and made friends who will stay with me for the rest of my days.
“So now I am home with kith and kin, and yet I can’t get the race out of my head. It has been the most rewarding challenge I have ever undertaken.”
Now in its twentieth year, the Clipper Race, which was founded by legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world in 1968-69 is unique. It is the only event where people from all walks of life, regardless of previous sailing experience, can race around the world under sail.
Each of the fleet of 12 yachts is sponsored by a city, region or country and each of the teams is led by a professional skipper. The 2015-16 edition boasted its first female Australian skipper in the races history, Wendy Tuck and the fleet raced to and from Albany, WA to Sydney, NSW where it participated in the famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and onto the Whitsundays, QLD. The race visits 14 ports during its 11 month-long global challenge, crossing four of the world’s five oceans.
More than 340 different professions were represented, from nurses to GP’s, pilots to farmers, bartenders and travel agents, head teachers to students, and a whole range of occupations in between.
The Clipper Race is open to anyone over the age of 18 at the time the race starts, but there is no upper age limit. More than 430 crew from around the world have signed up for the next edition of the race, which starts in summer 2017 and all crew complete a comprehensive pre-race training course at the races hub in Sydney Harbour, Australia or in Gosport, UK to ensure that even the most inexperienced sailing novices are equipped with the skills they need to live and race on board one of the stripped down Clipper 70-foot yachts.
Clipper Race recruiter and circumnavigator in the 2009-10 race, Della Parsons says: “I can’t wait to get to Adelaide and meet more people that want to be part of this unique challenge and join the elite group of ocean racers. More and more people are looking for something different these days, something extraordinary that will really push their limits and test the boundaries of what they thought they were capable of. It’s my job to make them aware that it’s here.”
More information about the race and how to RSVP to the event can be found on the Clipper Race website:http://clipperroundtheworld.com/events-calendar/event/crew-recruitment-presentation8
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