More than 360 adventurers travelled from all over the globe to attend the crew allocation event on Saturday 30 April to discover which of the ten teams competing in Clipper 11-12 they will represent. Three-quarters of the 489 men and women who will be taking part in this gruelling challenge of a lifetime came together to meet their skippers and new team mates, travelling from as far afield as Singapore, Queensland in Australia, Finland, New York and Chile, as well as Derry-Londonderry. Among them were those who will represent the UK City of Culture 2013.
Each of the teams is led by a professional skipper and taking charge of Derry-Londonderry is Mark Light, who took his turn at the podium to read out the names of his 52-strong crew. The race is split into eight legs and crew can sign up to compete in one or more of the individual legs or take on the big one – a full circumnavigation of the globe. Around 40 per cent of the crew who take part in the race have never sailed before embarking on their pre-race training.
Amongst Derry-Londonderry's crew are 12 people from the city, including round the world crew member, John Harkin, and his daughter, Jodie, who will race on the final leg from New York, via her home town to the finish line on the south coast of England.
John says, "I'm really delighted and my daughter's on the same boat as well so it's excellent news. It's going to be a dream come true for me. She's sailed with me all her life – she's sailed against me many times, too, so it'll be nice for her to be sailing with me!
"When I come back into Derry having sailed around the world, that'll be the biggest thing in my lifetime, it's tremendous. The boat is visiting Derry-Londonderry for a naming ceremony in a few weeks' time and I think that will be a big buzz. It's a beautiful city and it'll be a very warm welcome there."
Also in the crew are four from just across the border in Donegal and five others from the Republic of Ireland, as well as people from nine other nationalities, demonstrating the international and multi-cultural nature of the race.
The crew allocation event is much anticipated among those who have signed up to take part. This is where the reality of their participation in the race truly begins to kick in; with a skipper in place, team strategies start to take shape, roles are assigned to the crew and, with 92 days to go until the race start, the countdown is on.
The race is contested by ten identical stripped-down 68-foot racing yachts, each sponsored by a city, region or country. Already confirmed for Clipper 11-12 are the Keppel Corporation-sponsored Singapore and, representing China's Olympic sailing city, Qingdao, both of which will take part for the fourth time. Returning for a second time is Visit Finland, backed by the Finnish Tourist Board, and, making their debut alongside Derry-Londonderry, is De Lage Landen, sponsored by the global provider of asset-based financing programmes of the same name and which will race under the Dutch flag. The names of the five remaining yachts will be revealed in the coming weeks ahead of the start of the race on 31 July 2011.
The Clipper Race was founded by sailing legend, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world, and this will be the eighth time his teams of amateur sailors will circumnavigate the planet, taking the number of people who have taken part in the event to almost 3,000.
Addressing the massed crews Sir Robin said, "It's a big day for you today because you're going to find out who you're going to share your life with for the next year. And it's not just sharing your life, it's sharing an adventure. Your lives are going to be dependent on your fellow crew members. Today you'll know what team you're going to be in and these are the people you have to live with and work with for the next year. These are the people you have to trust. It's the team that will be all important in this race.
"Also know that you've only got one life so why not paint it in bright colours? Don't use pastel shades. Make the most of it – get out there, throw yourselves into it! You will come away from this with friends for life."
Derry-Londonderry and her skipper and crew will be visiting the city as part of the Foyle Days festival from 20-22 May 2011.
