“The crew handled our trip up to the Humber really well,” said the skipper of the Irish entry, Richie Fearon, commenting on the gale force winds the teams experienced as they headed north from their base in Gosport, Hampshire. “They dug deep and learned a lot about the boat and they now have
a lot of confidence in the boat.
“We have been totally overwhelmed by the reception we have received both in
Grimsby and Hull,” he added. “The bar has been set really high and it will be hard to be beaten. We’re looking forward to the rest of the week now and will spend the next few days making sure we go over the boat with a fine toothed comb to ensure she’s ready for Sunday.”
The race, which starts at 1400 BST on September 13, is the only race in the world where the crews come from all walks of life, all ages and with all levels of experience. Prior to their training, some 40 percent of the crews had never so much as stepped aboard a sailing yacht in their lives.
Ahead lies a 10-month-long, 35,000 mile course that will take the race to France before crossing to Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, China, California, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Cape Breton Island, Cork and the Netherlands. The race will make its triumphant return to the Humber on July
17 2010.
The Clipper Race is the brainchild of legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail non-stop single handed around the world. He wanted to open the sport of long distance sailing to all and allow others to experience the challenges of ocean racing.
More than 400 crew have signed up for this challenge of a lifetime. Some will complete a full circumnavigation while others will race one or a combination of the seven legs available.
Each Clipper yacht is entered by a city, region or country and sponsors use the event to showcase themselves to the world. On the last running of the Clipper Race, more than 212 million people worldwide followed the adventure through television, print media, radio and on-line.
Fiona Bolger, Director of the Cork partnership, commented; ”The Cork Clipper project is a partnership between Fáilte Ireland, Cork County Council and Cork City Council. This project is part of the group’s strategy to develop awareness internationally of Cork as a quality tourist and business
destination.
“The hosting of the Clipper festival in July 2010 will showcase the best of the south coast of Ireland to all the Clipper crew, family and friends and also to the tourists who will visit Cork to attend the event. Not only that, this initiative will also generate significant global media coverage for our marketing message,” she added.
Cork’s arrival in Hull marked the start of a week of festivities that include a sea shanty festival, international food festival and a music festival including performances from Peter Andre, JLS and Alicia Dixon. On Sunday 13 September, the world famous Red Arrows aerobatic display team will
be saluting the sailors as they take to the River Humber and prepare for the
off.
