The British sailor who died after being swept into the Pacific Ocean while competing in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has been buried at sea, organisers say.

Sarah Young, 40, was washed overboard while taking part in the Clipper Round the World yacht race. Her body was later recovered by her crewmates.

Miss Young is the the second person to die in this year's event - fellow Briton Andrew Ashman, a crew member on the same boat, died after being knocked unconscious in September.

Despite being amateurs, both Miss Young and Mr Ashman were experienced sailors.

BBC News reports Race organisers said Miss Young would be buried at sea because of the "long time it will take to reach closest landfall", and it would take place as soon as weather conditions allowed.

Miss Young's parents are deceased and she has no siblings, but her aunt in New Zealand gave the ceremony her blessing.

Organisers said there was a sombre mood with sailors reflecting on the "tragedy" as the race continued following the death.

From skipper Darren Ladd: Today at 1200 (UTC+12) we carried out the burial at sea of Sarah Young. Sarah was a close friend and an enthusiastic and accomplished sailor. Sarah and I would chat for hours in the navigation station about this and that. Every now and again she would come and sit next to me, give me a hug, and go again. No need to say anything, probably we both needed it.

Sarah was a valued crew member and amazing victualler. On deck she was fearless and could often be found at the bow wrestling with headsails, or up the mast wrestling wrapped spinnakers, even below decks wrestling crew to protect the biscuit ration. She was a great wrestler, never lost a biscuit.

The crew stood on deck with all the courage and dignity we could muster, read a few of Sarah's favourite prayers and poetry, before holding a minute’s silence. The ceremony was ended with a beautiful traditional Zulu song sung by our Sapinda Rainbow Ambassador, Charlotte.

Today has been one of the hardest days of my life. Never under-estimate the value of friendship and of team spirit. The support via email has been over-whelming and absolutely invaluable. Life is finite and often far too short.

Sarah was an adventurer and lived life to the full. She died an adventurer's death battling the elements circumnavigating the globe. I wish we could have said goodbye properly, we all do. The ceremony was for Sarah on behalf of all those that were fortunate enough to know her. Today we said goodbye, but she will always be present in our hearts.

Sarah will be sadly missed.

It's a bit of a mixed one weather-wise, but there is definitely a cold theme running through the day. It snowed earlier, there's a novelty at sea. I thought I was on to a winner when I fitted the good ship IchorCoal with central heating. Unfortunately we ran out of 50p coins a week ago.

We are pushing the fleet along making reasonable speed. The watches are cycling every 30 minutes, it's long enough to be outside. As a crew the focus is Seattle. With the wind strength more unpredictable than Jeremy Clarkson we got the old favourite Yankee 4, staysail and deep-reefed main up. Not too much enthusiasm for sail changes at the moment.

From Clipper Race:  Following guidance from the Doctor at our medical advisors and consultation with the Maritime Coastguard Agency, plus Sarah's partner, friends, family and the crew, we have decided to proceed with a burial at sea as soon as weather conditions permit, because of the long time it will take to reach closest landfall. We estimate that the earliest opportunity will be late this evening UK time, which is late morning Sunday in the fleet's current location in the North Pacific. The yacht has been sent details of the burial at sea ceremony which has been used for centuries by mariners, along with some personal readings from her loved ones, and will advise the Race Office with at least two hours’ notice when they are ready to proceed.

We appreciate that this will be a difficult and emotional time for the crew, the entire fleet and the whole Clipper Race family. Our thoughts remain with them all and with Sarah's partner, family and friends at this difficult time. Sarah was much loved, and will be missed deeply by all who kused her. On behalf of her family and friends, they have asked us to request that they are now allowed to grieve and remember Sarah in peace. We will provide an update when we have more information.

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Councillor Elisha McCallion has expressed her shock and sadness at the tragic death of Sarah Young, a crew member on the IchorCoat Boat CV21, who died while participating in the Clipper Round the World Race.

She said news of Sarah’s tragic death was met with widespread dismay and sadness across the city and district.

“I am deeply saddened at the news and would like to extend my sincere sympathy, and those of the people of the city and district, to Sarah’s family at this very sad time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone associated with the Clipper Race, to all of the crew members, including members of our own Derry~Londonderry~Doire team, and the Clipper Round the World Race support team, who are affected by this tragic incident.

“ From speaking with those associated with the Clipper Round the World Race, I understand that Sarah was a very popular team member , with a real passion for adventure and a real team player. Our city has a very close affiliation to the Clipper Round the World Race, this is our third time participating in the event and we are looking forward to welcoming the teams to our port next summer as a stopover location on the final stage of the Race. We will be making contact with the skipper and crew of the Derry~Londonderry~Doire yacht and Clipper Ventures over the weekend to express our condolences and to provide any support and assistance we can,” she added.

We are deeply saddened to report the death of crew member Sarah Young (40), a company owner from London. Sarah was one of the crew aboard the IchorCoal boat (CV21). Next of kin have been informed and all our thoughts are now with Sarah's family, teammates, and loved ones on and off the race.

Skipper Darren Ladd reports that Sarah was tidying the cockpit after reefing the mainsail in 35 - 40 knots of wind, when she was knocked from her position by a wave. She fell back toward the guard wire and was swept under it by another wave at 1127 UTC/​2227 local time. She was not tethered onto the yacht at this time and was swept away in strong winds.

The boat immediately applied its man overboard drill but was hampered by the conditions and lack of direct visual. Her body was recovered on board using her AIS signal at 1244 UTC/2344 local time, and although resuscitation was attempted and telephone assistance provided by the Praxes Medical Group Doctors, the Clipper Race's remote telemedicine support service, she never regained consciousness.

The cause of death is yet to be confirmed but is suspected as drowning or exposure. All other crew are reported safe and well and the team are working with Race Officials to evaluate the options on diversion or continuing to Seattle.

The incident happened on day 12 of the ninth race in the 14-stage Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, at 39 North, 160 East, approaching the International Date Line. This current race takes crew across the Pacific Ocean from Qingdao, China, to Seattle, USA and has over 3,242 miles left to its destination.

Sarah was the owner of a personal lifestyle company providing services for private high net worth individuals. A keen adventurer, the Clipper Race had been an ambition of hers for some years, and she said celebrating her 40th birthday just before setting sail from London was the perfect way to start her adventure.

Prior to the Clipper Race she had done other expeditions including spending a year in Sabah, northern Borneo, working for Raleigh Malaysia. Sarah had also led teams in Zambia, Botswana and Namibia, had been mountaineering in Nepal and did a world-first 18 day trek down the Skeleton Coast unsupported. Sarah had also run a marathon and was a Divemaster. She leaves a partner but no children.

Sarah was one of the round the world crew and aside from missing a couple of races in Australia due to the passing of her Mother, she had sailed more than half the way round the world, with over 20,000 nautical miles of racing under her belt between London and China, where the yacht had departed on March 21.

A full investigation will now be carried out, as is standard practice, into the full details of the incident in cooperation with the appropriate authorities. Race Officials are now supporting the Skipper and the crew through this tragic ordeal.

Clipper Race Founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston stated: "On behalf of everyone at Clipper Ventures, I am deeply saddened by the loss of Sarah. She was a very popular and integral member of the Clipper Race family and knew our boats well, having sailed with us since London last summer. The safety of our crew has always been and continues to be our main priority and we shall investigate the incident immediately in full cooperation with the authorities."

The Clipper Race was established almost 20 years ago and this is its tenth edition. This is the second fatality in the history of the race. Over 4,000 amateur crew have been trained and participated in previous races. 709 crew are participating in the 2015-16 edition which left London at the end of August, and will return there on 30 July 2016.

The world's longest ocean race is seeking 12 extraordinary Skippers to lead its crews around the globe in the next edition of the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race. Are you good enough to take on the job?

Founded by legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the Clipper Race gives Skippers the opportunity to tick off the ultimate sailing bucket list - circumnavigation.

Clipper Race skippers are extremely special individuals, able to withstand huge physical and mental challenges to successfully lead their team through Mother Nature's toughest environments.

To apply you'll need to hold an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate [commercially endorsed] and have at least 30,000 miles offshore experience on big boats, but also the skills needed go well beyond the professional requisites or normal job requirements.

As well as outstanding sailing skills, successful Skippers will need excellent people management and leadership skills.

Clipper Race founder and chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston warns skippers must be prepared to be truly exhausted, physically battered and mentally fatigued.

Clipper 2013-14 Race winning Skipper Eric Holden added: "A Clipper Race skipper is not a job to be undertaken lightly. It requires your full dedication for 18 months. You will be responsible for the welfare of over 50 individuals as you lead them around the world.

"If you're up for it you will be rewarded with incredible adventures, amazing sailing, and lifelong friendships. To win not only requires top notch seamanship and navigation, but the ability to bring the team along with you."

Clipper 2017-18 Skipper interviews are taking place right now. Click here for the full list of qualifications and skills and how to apply.

Derry~Londonderry~Doire has recorded an impressive back to back, clean sweep win in the Clipper 2015-16 Race after taking line honours in The Sailing City • Qingdao Cup following twelve days of racing from Vietnam to China. Once again, as with Race 7, the Northern Irish entry has been closely followed by Garmin in second place.

After eight races this is only the second time a team has recorded a consecutive victory in this tenth edition Clipper Race. Skipper Daniel Smith and his team took a maximum 17 points for being first across the line at 1425 local time (0625 UTC), first through the Scoring Gate and for recording the fastest time in the Ocean Sprint. The points haul means that Derry~Londonderry~Doire will also move up to second place in the Overall Race Standings, overtaking GREAT Britain but still trailing leader LMAX Exchange. Garmin also managed to collect two bonus points at the Scoring Gate so finishes Race 8 with a total of 13 points.

The Sailing City • Qingdao Cup promised to be a rough ride in tough upwind conditions and the final days in particular the East China Sea lived up to the billing, as the fleet was hit by a stronger than forecasted storm which brought violent wind gusts of 80 knots.

Summing up the race in his daily blog just ahead of crossing the finish line, Skipper Daniel reports: “Throughout this race the crew has done a fantastic job, pushing themselves and the boat to its limit and rarely complaining despite horrendous weather. They really deserve a good result and the points they have earned at the Scoring Gate and the Ocean Sprint. They have now proved they can sail upwind (which we struggled with) as well as downwind and that they can keep pushing when the going gets tough,” he continued.

“Garmin has been pushing us hard and several times has been gaining on us and eating away the mileage. This has been a tough race.”
Garmin crossed the finish line almost one hour later at 0717 UTC. Skipper Ash also talked about the competition between his team and Derry~Londonderry~Doire with less than five nautical miles between them as they approached the end of the 1700nM race.

“It has been a really tight contest with them, ever since we ran out of luck and hit a wind hole towards the end of the Ocean Sprint. They have definitely had the better of us in the light airs that we have experienced a lot of recently. Congratulations to Skipper Dan and his team for another excellent win.”

Ash goes on to describe how testing the conditions have been: “This race has been challenging in pretty much every way I can think of. It has had everything from thick fog, traffic and fishing fleets, many miles of beating to windward, slamming, severe storms and even flotsam slowing us down! Throw in the close racing and a podium finish and it all makes for a race that none of us are going to forget in a hurry.

“So, after an eventful race, it's great to be in Qingdao and we are all looking forward to a spectacular welcome that we are told to expect when we cruise in there tomorrow morning.”

An almighty welcome awaits all the teams in Qingdao, the Clipper Race’s longest standing Team Sponsor and Host Port, where the organisers pull out all the stops and the media flocks to greet the crew.

At 0900 local time (0100 UTC) on Friday 11 March Derry~Londonderry~Doire will arrive into Qingdao, followed by Garmin at 1000 local time. The yachts will pass the Olympic Rings en route into the city, which hosted the sailing events in the Beijing Games 2008, where a fanfare of fireworks and Chinese traditional drummers will be on the pontoon to mark their arrival. The Welcome Ceremonies will follow at hourly intervals for all the teams that have crossed the line and motored into Qingdao.

Current Overall Race leader LMAX Exchange is 30nM from the finish line at 1000UTC and expected to take third place on the podium because it holds a 54nM lead over Mission Performance in fourth place.

The Sailing City • Qingdao Cup finish brings the Asia Pacific Challenge to a close, the fifth of eight legs in this 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation. Throughout the leg, the teams faced all sorts of weather conditions from the Solomon Sea Doldrums after leaving The Whitsundays in Eastern Australia to the Force 11 gales in the Yellow Sea a few days ago.

The next challenge in this round the world race is the Pacific Ocean crossing, the longest of any single race in the Clipper 2015-16 Race. The 6000+ nautical mile voyage takes the fleet to one of the most remote places on the planet, where over 2000nM from land in all directions their nearest neighbour could be the International Space Station.

This is the sixth time the Clipper Race has visited China’s sailing city, Qingdao from where the yachts will set sail for first time Host Port Seattle, USA when Race 9 gets underway on Sunday 20 March.

A yacht carrying a British sailor competing in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is diverting into Shanghai to transfer a crew member who has a suspected fractured arm, sustained during a violent storm.

Trudi Bubb, 50, from Crawley, was injured when her team’s yacht, Unicef, fell off a wave during extreme weather in the Yellow Sea and she suffered a fall below decks in the galley area earlier today.

It was a tumultuous night with the fleet experiencing some of the worst conditions of the entire 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation so far. Gusting winds of 70 to 80 knots tested the 12 ‘novice’ teams, with extended periods at 55 to 60 knots and a very rough, steep sea state.

The team is approximately 120 nautical miles south east of Shanghai and has an ETA of 0100 UTC tomorrow. On arrival into Shanghai, Trudi will be transferred to hospital for x-rays and evaluation of her injury, after which the team will resume racing onto the Race Finish in Qingdao, China.

Race Director Justin Taylor said: "Next of kin have been informed and further updates will be announced as we have them. We wish Trudi a fast and full recovery."

Unicef relief Skipper Paul Atwood had described the conditions in his blog earlier in the day: “Slamming, driving rain, the steady 50-60 knots breeze peaking at a gust of 92 knots, the air full of horizontal spray, waves filling the cockpit…

“Last night was a tad hectic, very windy, very bouncy and saw us go around in circles as we attempted and succeeded in one evolution after another, each of which take 10 - 15 minutes in the Solent, or Sydney harbour, but which, last night were taking 60 - 90 minutes each.

“Nevertheless we have emerged slightly worse for wear but intact and are making our way north as best we can with the uncooperative wind angle. The sea state has improved a lot although the waves are pretty big and still foam streaked,” Paul added.

The yacht's Skipper and on board medic have had advice from doctors at the race's remote telemedicine service, ClipperTelemed+, which is staffed by doctors from the race’s Global Medical Emergency Support Partner, PRAXES.

The Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race, the tenth edition of the biennial global series, is the world’s longest ocean race at more than 40,000 miles, taking 11 months to race between six continents.

It is currently the eighth stage of a 14-race global series, from Da Nang, Vietnam, to Qingdao, China.

It has been a tumultuous night, with the Clipper Race fleet experiencing a violent storm which delivered some of the worst conditions of the entire circumnavigation.

Gusting winds of 70 to 80 knots tested the teams’ will, with extended periods at 55 to 60 knots and a very rough, steep sea state, sending gallons of water over the cockpits, making it exceptionally hard to helm a course upwind.

The teams battled to reduce sail plans, with evolutions taking much longer than usual in the wild conditions, but Skippers praising the stoic nature of their crews in the weather, which was much worse than forecast.

Plummeting temperatures in the Yellow Sea - some 200 nautical miles from this Sailing City • Qingdao Cup Race Finish into China - also brought hail, sleet and rain to challenge the crews further.

The wind has now decreased, with speeds of around 20 to 25 knots, but rough sea states are still being reported.

Derry~Londonderry~Doire is leading the fleet again, with Garmin close behind 11 nautical miles away, and LMAX Exchange, which was first yesterday, is now in third 76 nautical miles behind the leader.

In today’s blog Ash Skett, Skipper of Garmin, said words can't describe the ‘violent and extreme’ conditions that his team sailed through last night.

“There was spray everywhere, gallons of water being thrown over the bow and the deck as the boat crashed into a huge, steep sea. If we had been cruising on almost any other type of boat, we would have been in survival mode. However, as the Clipper 70s are so robust, we were able to continue to race, albeit with a very limited sail plan,” Ash added.

Greg Miller, Skipper of Mission Performance, in fifth place, a former Soldier with vast experience of sailing different vessels in varying conditions, said it was one of his worst days at sea.

“There was Force 8-9 massive short seas and full cloud cover. Falling off of massive waves and crashing sideways into the trough beside it is not very much fun, and the tacking angle we got was absolutely shocking.

“Onwards towards Qingdao in our sturdy steed that will see us through thick and thin, the hard and the easy times. We are back to where we were this time yesterday, so I am not going to enjoy looking at the race positions today!” Greg added.

With 100 to 400 nautical miles to go until a warm Chinese welcome in Qingdao, China’s Sailing City, who will be victorious?

Due to the rough conditions, the ETAs into Qingdao have been pushed back slightly.

Following a challenging 27 day race of endurance from Airlie Beach, Australia, in which crew faced a vast range of weather conditions, Clipper race entry Derry~Londonderry~Doire arrived victorious to a massive crowd of waiting spectators and media in Da Nang, Vietnam today, marking the end of Race 7, The Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race.

The win marks the Northern Irish entry’s long-awaited first victory of the 14-stage Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race, the only race of its kind that exists for amateur sailors. Garmin came second, also recording its best finish to date, and GREAT Britain came third, with the rest of the 12-strong Clipper Race fleet also arriving into Vietnam throughout the remainder of the day.

Stepping off the yacht at the Han River Port to a special Vietnamese arrival ceremony, which included lines of drummers, flag bearers and special Vietnamese wreaths, all conducted in front of a huge scrum of national media, Skipper Daniel Smith proclaimed: "It feels fantastic to finally be standing on the top of the podium, and this has been an especially huge win. It was a really demanding race, both mentally and physically.

“We led this race from the early stages and all the crew worked tirelessly on board to firstly defend, then extend our lead, and finally defend it again over the rest of the fleet. We were constantly looking over our shoulder as the eleven teams behind pushed hard to try and catch us. The competition has been really hard to beat, but now that it is over and we are finally standing here in Da Nang as the winners, it feels absolutely brilliant and we’re all very happy to be celebrating the result of our hard work.”

From a fast, downwind sprint in scorching 40+ degree heat as teams headed north from Australia, out of the Doldrums, through the tropics and across the Equator line for the second and final time; to winds that gusted over 50 knots in lumpy swells, plus uncomfortable upwind conditions and then dying winds in the final stages; the race to Vietnam really threw it all at the amateur Clipper Race crew.

On top of the twelve points awarded for a first place finish, Derry~Londonderry~Doire also won the Ocean Sprint and were the second team through the Scoring Gate, so collect a massive 16 points in total. Sitting in third place in the overall standings, Skipper Daniel added confidently:
"There will be some more great results to come from Derry~Londonderry~Doire over the coming races so watch this space."

After finally pipping long term rival GREAT Britain to second place, Garmin Skipper Ash Skett said: “Yet again we were battling with GREAT Britain, for quite a number of days and was always visible on our tracker. They did have the edge on us to begin with and north of the Equator we had quite a few miles to make up, but we pushed the boat hard and made up the ground. It still took us right up to the end of the race to squeeze out the extra miles but I think we had a slightly more favourable wind as we were coming back north.

“We played the tacking angles quite spot on and overtook GREAT Britain on the second to last day so we were absolutely thrilled with all the effort we put in. We just refused to give up and I'm proud of all the team for that. Losing out to them repeatedly was starting to feel like a curse so I’m pleased we have finally broken it!"

GREAT Britain came third and also picked up an additional three points for being the first team through the Scoring Gate early in the race, bringing the team’s total points awarded to 13. GREAT Britain sits second place in the overall Clipper 2015-16 Race standings, six points behind leader LMAX Exchange.

GREAT Britain Skipper Peter Thornton said: “This race was a lot tougher than we expected. After spending the first two weeks going downwind on the same course, it then all changed when we turned south, off the coast of Taiwan and then had to endure some really big swells and tough upwind slogs. We battled with Garmin almost the entire way and were under a mile apart at the end so of course we are slightly disappointed we didn’t finish higher but I really am very proud of how the crew coped in this long, tiring test of endurance.”

Da Nang is hosting the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race for the first time ever, and also has a Da Nang – Viet Nam team in the race, led by Australian Skipper Wendy Tuck. Arriving in the only South East Asian stopover of the 2015-16 race, the amateur crew have now raced more than half way of their 40,000 mile, eleven month-long circumnavigation. Along the way the crew has already visited Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Albany (Western Australia), Sydney and Airlie Beach (Queensland).

Under the backdrop of the Marble Mountains and surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches, Da Nang is a vibrant city shaping itself as a centre of culture, tourism and events. Its success to date has earned it the title of Tripadvisor 2015 Top Destination on the Rise.

The third largest city in Vietnam, Da Nang, is rich in history and culture. As a first time Clipper Race Team Sponsor and Host Port, Da Nang is using its Clipper Race sponsorship to promote the city, its people and the Vietnamese culture to the race’s international audience, in order to open up trade and enhance tourism awareness and social development for the region.

More than 220 international Clipper Race Crew, along with friends and family, will stay in the city over the next ten days for a vibrant stopover until Race 8, to Qingdao, departs on February 27.

The race positions for Race 7: The Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race are as follows:

1st – Derry~Londonderry~Doire (+ 2 Ocean Sprint + 2 Scoring Gate points)
2nd – Garmin
3rd – GREAT Britain (+ 3 Scoring Gate points)
4th – LMAX Exchange
5th – Qingdao (+ 1 Scoring Gate point)
6th – Da Nang - Viet Nam
7th – ClipperTelemed+
8th – IchorCoal
9th – PSP Logistics
10th – Unicef
11th – Mission Performance
12th - Visit Seattle

Following a challenging 28 day Clipper race in which crew faced a whole range of conditions, Irish boat Derry~Londonderry~Doire has won the Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race, taking its first race victory of the series. The team also won the Ocean Sprint and came second in the Scoring Gate so take home an overall 16 points.

Skipper Daniel Smith says: "The crew have worked tirelessly on board Derry~Londonderry~Doire to first defend then extend and finally defend again our lead over the rest of the fleet. We have constantly been looking over our shoulder as the teams behind pushed hard to catch us. The competition has been hard to beat.

"Over the last few races we've felt we've had a run of bad luck and struggled to get the boat going and the results we wanted. It’s been great to break that spell of bad luck and show that we can get the best out of the boat. The crew have done a fantastic job of getting the boat to the front of the fleet and keeping it there.

"There will be some more great results to come from Derry~Londonderry~Doire over the coming races so watch this space."

After another very close dual, Garmin finished second and GREAT Britain is third but will also pick up an additional three points for winning the Scoring Gate early on in the race. Three hours and four minutes redress was applied to LMAX Exchange's overall finish and was based on average speed, after it assisted an abandoned yacht on Day 7, though this did not change its overall position and it retains its fourth place finish position.

From starting off with a fast downwind sprint in scorchng 40+ degree heat as teams headed north through the tropics and across the Equator line for the second and final time in the series, to winds that gusted over 50 knots in lumpy swells, plus upwind conditions in cooler conditions, and then dying winds in the final stages, this race really has thrown it all at the crew.

Teams are now making best speed to Da Nang where a colurful welcome cermony awaits each team. Da Nang, Vietnam's third largest city and awarded Tripadvisor 2015 Top Destination on the Rise, boasts a stunning sandy coastline and as a first-time host port, the city is very excited to welcome the crew, along with friends, family and supporters.

The provisional race positions for the Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race are as follows:

1st – Derry~Londonderry~Doire (+ 2 Ocean Sprint + 2 Scoring Gate points)
2nd – Garmin
3rd – GREAT Britain (+ 3 Scoring Gate points)
4th – LMAX Exchange
5th – Qingdao (+ 1 Scoring Gate point)
6th – Da Nang - Viet Nam
7th – ClipperTelemed+
8th – IchorCoal
9th – PSP Logistics
10th – Unicef
11th – Mission Performance
12th - Visit Seattle

All teams are currently expected to arrive on Wednesday 17 February, every hour between 0900 and 2100.

Local Clipper Race bursary winner Conor Shortland from Derry’s Bogside is busy packing his bags ahead of his departure to Brisbane in Australia this week to join the crew of the Derry~Londonderry~Doire yacht for Leg 5 of the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race.

The 22-year-old was successfully selected to be one of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Bursary Scheme representatives. He had been unable to find work after graduating with a degree in Business Information Technology from the Ulster University and in an effort to further develop his skills, he took part in the Graduate Acceleration Programme run by Business in the Community. It was during his one year internship with the Millennium Forum’s Marketing team that he heard about the Clipper Race Your Next Chapter bursary scheme and decided to apply.

“One of the Millennium Forum Marketing staff members Amanda McLoone told me about it. She had worked at the festival the previous year and was really excited about the whole Clipper Race experience. She encouraged me to apply and really sold it to me, saying it was a once in a lifetime opportunity - and here I am, I can’t believe that I am part of it.”

He agrees that the Council’s Bursary Scheme is a great way of making the Clipper Race accessible to a wider genre of people. Like most of the bursary candidates Conor has no experience of boats or water. “I took a ferry to Liverpool once!” he jokes.

Despite this, Conor is very confident of the challenges he faces. “We took part in four weeks of extensive compulsory Clipper Race training. Health and safety and training is placed very high on the agenda throughout the process. I loved doing the training exercises and felt very comfortable with it all, especially the technical side of things. I could understand it all and found it really interesting. I just want to get on board now and be part of the team. It’s such a good opportunity for me, not only to be part of an international race but to meet new people, travel the world and hopefully open up new career paths and opportunities for me.”

Conor is the second of the Council’s bursary representatives to participate in the race, David Pollock from Drumahoe, is currently taking part in the 4th leg of the race and will be handing over the bursary baton to Conor when they meet in Australia next week.

“I have been following David’s progress over the past number of weeks and keeping a close eye on how the Derry~Londonderry~Doire team has been doing and how he has been getting on. He is having the time of his life and really enjoying the experience. It will be great to catch up with him and get some advice from him before I head off.”

As part of Conor’s leg is divided into two races and he will be sailing south to north across the Equator, starting off in the heat of the Southern Hemisphere through the islands of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. He will begin at Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday Islands on Australia’s Gold Coast before entering the wildness of the Northern Territories and sailing to Da Nang, Vietnam. In the second race for Conor, the fleet will cross the Equator and head into the South China Sea where the temperature begins to drop, thermal layers are added and snow might even make an appearance as the fleet passes east of Taiwan towards the Olympic sailing city of Qingdao, China. Conor will be sea for 48 days – the longest leg of the race - covering over 6,300 miles, participating in two races and visiting three ports during the months of January, February and March.

Conor says the reaction from family and friends to his participation in the race has been phenomenal. “Everyone is delighted for me and really excited about me taking part. It’s a big thing here, the Clipper Race is massive in Derry and for me to be part of it is huge.”

Conor’s Mum, Denise Walsh is planning to travel to Vietnam to see him during one of his stopovers, while his Dad, Andrew Shortland will catch up with him in China.

“It’s going to be hard being away so far from home but I will keep in as regular contact as I can. I will definitely miss not having my own personal space but in general I am not too daunted by the whole thing, I just want to get on the boat and be part of the race and do my bit to secure another podium place for Derry~Londonderry~Doire.

“I have met with most of the crew members and all of them are great. The Clipper Race support teams are fantastic and our Skipper Daniel Smith is a really nice guy, he really gets morale going and is very supportive of us all. We are all part of the big Clipper Race family who support each other and that is really important when you are out at sea for such a long period of time.”

Conor is hugely excited about the return of the Clipper Race to the city later this year. “The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is a massive opportunity for Derry. Everyone at the Clipper Race talks about Derry, the great welcome they got and how fantastic the festival was – everyone is excited about coming back. The Foyle Maritime Festival in July is going to be another huge event for the city and I just can’t believe that I am part of it!”