#CLIPPER – The crew of the Irish yacht Derry-Londonderry are in Qingdao China and they are pictured above ahead of the Clipper round the World race start leg 9 start to Oakland, San Francisco Bay.
Following an unforgettable stopover in Qingdao, Derry-Londonderry has begun their 6,000-mile race across the Pacific Ocean to California, USA, today.
In the longest stage of the 40,000-mile circumnavigation the team will join the handful of people on Earth who have raced across the entire expanse of the largest ocean on the planet as they compete in the world's longest yacht race.
The race start, scheduled for yesterday, was postponed by the Clipper Race Committee as visibility on the water deteriorated to less than half a mile. After waiting overnight for the weather to improve, nominated lead skipper Ben Bowley on Singapore set a 'Le Mans' start and the race got underway at 0235 UTC (1035 local time) this morning.
With all of the 68-foot yachts lined up, their mainsails hoisted and headsails hanked on and ready to be raised, all the crews waited behind their coffee grinder until the signal, at which they raced forward to hoist the headsails as quickly as possible to steal a march on their competitors.
With a matched fleet and competition fierce the start was incredibly close, but Geraldton Western Australia's crew trimmed quickly to earn themselves a slight advantage.
Ahead lies a gruelling race with very tough conditions, which is expected to take approximately 30 to 35 days to complete.
Speaking before the race start, skipper of Derry-Londonderry, Mark Light, said, "This is a very long race. It's very intense living in close quarters for that long in the rough weather expected, but we are going to keep everyone on the ball, especially during the middle part of the race where crew can get a bit complacent and tired.
"The North Pacific is a beast of an ocean and I think if it wants to turn you up and throw you around a little bit it will do it, so we are as prepared as we can be."
The spectacular welcome ceremonies the individual teams received upon their arrival in Qingdao were exceeded yesterday by an even more lavish departure ceremony shown live on Chinese television. Draped in their yellow silk ceremonial cloaks and white hats, each skipper was presented with a colourful combat flag displaying the name of their team. They left the Olympic Sailing Centre to the sound of drums and thousands of cheering locals, as well as the sights of dragon dancers and fireworks.
Crew on board Derry-Londonderry felt ready ahead of starting this marathon race, among them round the world crew member and Derry-Londonderry resident, John Harkin. He said, "I feel more capable of conquering this leg than I ever have done before. We've learnt a lot at sea so far and we've got a good team on board.
"They have all been talking about the mighty Pacific, but to me the last leg was the biggest worry, so now that's over, I'm feeling ready for this next ride. To then finish the race under the Golden Gate Bridge will be brilliant, hopefully crossing as one of the first."
Amongst the Chinese dignitaries attending the ceremony was Madam Zang, Honorary Chairman of Qingdao Yachting Association, who wished the teams good luck on the forthcoming race. She said, "The arrival of the fleet adds to the dynamism of Qingdao, the Sailing Capital of China, and offered an opportunity to citizens to experience the charm and excitement of this top global sailing event. I wish you a safe and fast voyage across the Pacific Ocean."
The yachts are expected to arrive in Oakland, California between 1 and 7 April and will be hosted by the 2012 Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show in Jack London Square. The Race 9 winning team will be presented with the Strictly Sail Pacific Clipper Cup on the opening day of the show, 12 April.
The race started in Southampton, UK, on 31 July 2011 and will end there on 22 July 2012 after taking 51 weeks to travel more than 40,000 miles visiting 15 ports of call on six continents.
