#clipper – Derry~Londondery~Doire arrived in Qingdao, China, this morning (local time) to a hero's welcome following one of the most challenging legs of the 2013-14 edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

"It is amazing to finally arrive here in Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, China. It has been a really tough race in many ways. In lots of ways we were luckier than some of the fleet who are still yet to arrive," added skipper Sean McCarter.

After arriving under the impressive skyline of Qingdao, the Northern Irish entry was welcomed by colourful fireworks, as the team celebrated finishing the 2,450 mile race from Singapore to China's 'Sailing City'.

Although the team was third to arrive into Qingdao, Race 9.1 is being run on an elapsed time basis following staggered start times out of Hong Kong, so the finishing order will not necessarily reflect the fastest times, which will be the basis for awarding points.

On arrival the team was greeted by a specular ceremony including hundreds of drummers and dozens of Chinese and international media who all fought to get pictures and interviews with the crew from Derry~Londonderry~Doire.

On stage the skipper and the crew met with local dignitaries before they were awarded with scarfs and mementos. Skipper Sean McCarter was presented with a red cape that symbolises nobility; in ancient China it was only worn when emperors and generals returned victorious from battle fields.

"To arrive here today in Qingdao China is a fantastic feeling. To finish Race 9.1, one of the toughest races in the entire Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in one piece with the crew in good form is just a massive relief. It also looks like we have made a good time, but GREAT Britain has also done incredibly well. We have our eyes firmly on OneDLL who are looking very promising right now, but only time will tell," added Sean.

So far GREAT Britain has the shortest elapsed time of the first three arrivals at 7 days 00 hours 35 minutes 41 seconds , but both Derry~Londonderry~Doire and Mission Performance are proud of their teams who achieved elapsed times of 7 days 7 hours 57 minutes 59 seconds and 7 days 13 hours 14 minutes 0 seconds respectively.

Race 10 from Qingdao China, to San Francisco starts Sunday, 16 March.

#bottlescrew – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman and Founder of the Clipper Race, has repaired the forestay bottlescrews of nine of the 12-strong Clipper 70 fleet with the rest being completed over the next day.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said inevitably there are things that need adjusting with a new fleet of boats. Race 9, Singapore to Qingdao, China was halted and the boats diverted to Hong Kong so the repairs could be carried out quickly before the race restarted less than a day later.

Knox-Johnston has been lashing the forestay instead of using a rigging screw using the exact same system he does on his Open 60 racing yacht.

"There was no alternative. It wasn't just a question of possibly losing a mast, it was a question of safety so we had to take action instantly," said Knox-Johnston.

"There are always adjustments needed with new boats and little things that need looking at. It's not the end of the world because the skippers were onto it very quickly.

"The crews were all prepared when they arrived into Hong Kong so we could get on with it very quickly. There is an advantage with a one design fleet that it makes it easier for us as one solution fits all boats.

"We suspect a lack of articulation at the base of the forestay is the main reason for this type of failure. The fitting is being replaced with Dyneema cordage. Dyneema is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibre. It is known as the world's strongest fibre and weight for weight is 15 times stronger than steel wire ©.

"The boats have been through two serious storms in the Southern Ocean. This race is testing for the boats. We know the boats are tough and strong and the crews can cope with them," Knox-Johnston added.

#clipperroundtheworldrace – Two crew members on Mission Performance who were transferred to hospital in Hobart last night following an accident below decks have left hospital following medical assessment. 

Katherine Camilleri (50) from Sydney, Australia, suffered bruised ribs and got back on the yacht today to sail to Brisbane. Derek Furniss (44) from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, sustained a head injury and will rest in Hobart before flying on to Brisbane to rejoin the boat for the start of Leg 5. 

The casualties were transferred by helicopter to the Royal Hobart Hospital for assessment before Mission Performance returned to Hobart escorted by Qingdao due to an engine issue unrelated to the incident. Qingdao then left Hobart this morning and is headed back to the exact location of the incident whereby they will recommence racing. 

Deputy race director Mark Light said: 

"The whole incident was well handled by relevant skippers, crew and emergency services and we wish both casualties a speedy recovery." 

Mission Performance and Henri Lloyd left Hobart this morning at 1230 local time. Two crew members from Qingdao have joined Mission Performance to assist the crew. 

#rshyr – A dream came true for Lough Swilly skipper Sean McCarter (31) at 1916 hrs this evening (Sunday December 29th) when he skippered the Irish Clipper 70 Derry-Londonderry-Doire across the elusive finish line at Hobart in Tasmania to win his class in the 628-mile Rolex Sydney Hobart Race writes W M Nixon

Although the Derry boat and Sean's crew (in which Garda Conor O'Byrne of Balrothery, Co Dublin is a Watchleader) had a lead of 17 miles over the next boat at the finish, the final stages up the Derwent Estuary to the line of the Hobart waterfront as the dawn came up were tense in the extreme. Their speed fluctuated between 2 and 8 knots in the flukey night winds, and they'd nightmares of becoming totally becalmed and then watching the opposition close up with the morning breeze.

To get there in 3 days 16 hours and 42 minutes from Sydney, the crew (of all levels of sailing experience including none at all) had to cope with everything ranging from the hectic start down Sydney Harbour, through frustrating light winds off Australia's southeast coast, and then a rising southwest to west gale as they battered their way across the notorious Bass Strait towards the final hundred miles along the Tasmanian coast and the challenging and wayward approaches to Hobart.

As the gale built, DLDD was neck and neck with Henri Lloyd, until then the boat which had been setting most of the pace in the Clipper series. But a rudder bearing problem aboard HL east of Cape Barren Island led to her eventual retiral from this leg, and Derry Londonderry Doire was left on her own to make the pace, with about ten miles in hand on the next group of boats.

It was a game of cat and mouse, and at one stage they'd opened out the gap to 14 miles, but at other times the tricky headlands and islands of Tasmania saw the pace slacken and the boats astern close up.

For a while nearing the Storm Bay approaches to the Derwent, it looked as if DLDD had it made, as they opened out their lead to nearly twenty miles. But the final miles in the dark were very tricky, "a real nail biter" as McCarter reported - from time to time they seemed to be virtually stopped ,while the boats still out at sea were making full speed. But onward they crawled towards the line, and at 05:42:28 am local time, they were there, the win in the bag, the race sailed in three days 16 hours 42 minutes and 28 seconds, an average of 7.1 knots. And to add a bit of cream on the cake, this remarkable performance has placed them 7th in Division 1 IRC, competing against some of the hottest boats in the fleet.

#clipperroundtheworldrace – A violent storm has been battering the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet today as it heads through the Indian Ocean from South Africa into the notorious 'Roaring Forties' in the Southern Ocean. Winds in excess of 50 knots have been experienced by some of the fleet, punctuated by hurricane force gusts in places. Injuries have been experienced across the fleet with two crew members requiring medical evacuation. 

Michelle Porter (36) from London is to be evacuated with a suspected broken upper right arm from the yacht Derry-Londonderry-Doire which is sailing for Port Elizabeth, where she will be transferred to hospital via the South African Coast Guard; this is a precautionary measure as the fleet has a tough two and a half week race ahead. Another yacht has just completed a similar transfer following Australian crew member David Griffin (40) suffering a calf puncture aboard Mission Performance. 

The twelve identical British registered 70 foot ocean racing yachts are carrying 240 international amateur crew, each under the command of a professional skipper, on the world's longest ocean race; it is now 10,000 miles out of London on its 40,000 miles, 11 month marathon. The fleet left Cape Town on 4 November and is expected into Albany, Western Australia towards the end of the month. The unique event ends back in London in July next year.

#clipperroundtheworldrace – After two weeks of close racing Derry~Londonderry~Doire crossed the finish line into Cape Town at 18:00:00 UTC Saturday evening (26 October) claiming seventh place in Race 3 of the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race.

Sean McCarter, skipper of the Northern Irish entry, said, "The last leg was unbelievable it was so close, at times we were in hours of each other. It was very close racing a little bit of everything, including the roaring forties. Each boat some went further north on the Rhumb Line and some of us went further south in more extreme conditions."

The remainder of the fleet are expected to arrive in Cape Town by Monday. Leg 3 Race 4 to Albany Western will start on Monday, 4 October. Their progress can be tracked through the Clipper Race Viewer at www.clipperroundtheworld.com/raceviewer

#clipper – The Northern Irish entry, Derry~Londondonderry~Doire got off to a flying start today crossing the line in second place as the twelve yachts competing in the world's longest ocean race started Race 3 off the Brazilian coast, in a 3,390 mile South Atlantic challenge to Cape Town, South Africa.

Skipper of Derry~Londonderry~Doire, Sean McCarter said ahead of Race Start today, "I'm delighted with we are in the fleet and the team's performance. We are actually ahead of where we wanted to be at this stage, although results wise we expected more of ourselves as the Doldrums in the lead up to crossing the Equator really slowed us down.

"Our strategy and tactics have been fairly solid until now; it's the same as in Race 2 when we were planning to get west and I warned them at it might not look too good in the early weather reports, but hopefully it will pay off four or five days into the race and we don't need to be leading out.

"We would like to do well in this Race. We deserve to do well and we did by winning the two points in Scoring Gate, and we came in sixth overall with the redress. We will be pushing hard and hoping for a result."

The fleet are due into Cape Town towards the end of the month and will be berthed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Following a brief stopover, the fleet will then continue on via Albany in Western Australia, Sydney (including the world famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Race), Brisbane, Singapore, China, San Francisco, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Derry Londonderry and Dan Helder in the Netherlands before returning to London's St Katharine Docks for Race Finish in July 2014.

The Clipper Race will return to the UK in July 2014 after a total of 670 crew race 40,000 miles and visit 15 ports on six continents.

#clipperrace – After a week of close racing Derry~Londonderry~Doire crossed the finish line into Rio de Janeiro at 22:26 UTC last night claiming fifth place in Race 2 of the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race.

Jamaica Get All Right crossed the finish line into Rio at 10:53:48, just 19 seconds ahead of PSP Logistics, following a thrilling battle in Race 2 of the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race. Qingdao crossed the line third, at 13:45:00. (UTC-3)

Sean McCarter, skipper of the Northern Irish entry said "It has been a long race and its phenomenal how close it was the entire way, especially at the end. I'm sure there is no other race fleet in the world with this many boats, that is so long and so close."

I'm so proud of the crew. Their enthusiasm and true grit has shown no bounds. Also we are very aware of the support from friends and family at home. It felt like we had an extra crew member so it is certainly a bonus that has been very much appreciated by the whole team."

After leading Race 2 to Rio for the first week, Derry~Londonderry~Doire lost its lead to Henri Lloyd where a game of cat and mouse played out between the top three of the leader board. In the last week Derry~Londonderry~Doire fought of stiff competition from OneDLL and Henri Lloyd with often just 10 miles separating the opponents to finish in fifth place.

The remainder of the fleet will arrive in Rio de Janeiro over the next four days. Race 3, Leg 2 to Cape Town, South Africa, will start on Saturday, 12 October. 

Expected arrival times for the fleet, including redress which is yet to be applied, as follows:

Team ETA Marina da Gloria (Local time – UTC-3)
4. OneDLL (1hr27redress) Sunday, 21.00
5. Henri Lloyd (7hr15 redress) Sunday, 21.00
6. Derry~Londonderry~Doire Sunday, 22.00
7. GREAT Britain (1hr38 redress) Monday, 11.00
8. Old Pulteney Monday, 12.00
9. Team Garmin (2hr03 redress) Tuesday, AM
10. Switzerland (6hr50 redress) Tues, PM
11. Mission Performance Tues, PM
12. Invest Africa Weds, PM

#Clipper Race: Derry-Londonderry-Doire crossed the line at 11.17 UTC winning a valuable 3 points as the entry continues to extend its lead in the race. Henri Lloyd crossed the line in second place at 1203 UTC with Mission performance chasing their tail in third place at 1445UTC winning 3, 2, 1 points retrospectively.

Sean McCarter, skipper of Derry~Londonderry~Doire shared his elation after securing a valuable 3 points yesterday.

"We wanted the points badly to make up for an unlucky finish in Race 1 when the course was shortened. We had no idea Mission Performance and Henri Lloyd would push so hard, I guess they were in the exact same position as ourselves after Race 1.

We were pretty much flat out and on the edge for 48 hours. This is mentally draining as well as physically.

During the last 24 hours Henri Lloyd, Qingdao and Invest Africa have all activated Stealth Mode hiding their position from the rest of the fleet for the next 24 hours.

Positions will be broadcast at 0000UTC on 19 September (today) and then will be hidden from the fleet (and on the Race Viewer) through the 0600, 1200 and 1800UTC schedules, before being broadcast again at 0000UTC on 20 September (tomorrow).

#clipperroundthewsorldrace – With the Northern Irish entry, Derry~Londonderry~Doire currently top of the leader board in the Clipper 13-14 Round the World Yacht Race, the search for the next generation of novice sailors brave enough to take on the challenge of the 2015-16 edition of the Clipper Race has already begun. 

An estimated 120,000 spectators lined the bank of the River Thames in London on Sunday, 1 September to witness the start of this years race. A record 670 people, from all walks of life have signed up to compete in ninth edition of 40,000 mile, 11 month biennial event.

David Cusworth, Crew Recruitment and Development Director who completed a circumnavigation during the Clipper 2002 Race, will give people a first-hand insight into what it is like taking on the world’s toughest oceans when he visits Derry-Londonderry next week.

“With a skipper from Derry-Londonderry, local crew made up of teachers, farmers, and an Officer of the Garda the Derry~Londonderry~Doire crew are passionate about racing, putting their city on the global map and having fun.

“Perhaps the most popular stopover on the last race was Derry-Londonderry and so the whole fleet is looking forward to arriving next year. For my part, I’m looking forward to meeting the next batch of amazing adventurers who want to represent their city and country with pride, energy and humour in the Clipper 15-16 Race.”

Crew Recruitment Presentation 

David will be holding the Clipper Race Crew Recruitment presentation at the City Hotel, in Derry-Londonderry on Monday 23 September 6pm for those eager to find out more about the race.  

Founded by legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the Clipper Race is designed to provide everyone - regardless of sailing experience - the chance to race across oceans and taste the exhilaration of completing a circumnavigation. Since its inception in 1995, the Clipper Race has turned over 3,500 novices into ocean racers.