Clipper Yacht Race Says Farewell to the Foyle

6th July 2012

#clipper – The river will be the arena this weekend for a maritime spectacle never before seen in the city, as the flotilla of Clipper Round the Yacht vessels say their final farewell to the River Foyle and the host post of Derry~Londonderry.

The ten yachts will depart the city on Saturday in a spectacular Parade of Sail, before heading to Greencastle, where they will begin the penultimate race in their 40,000 mile journey. Thousands are expected to turn out to watch the Clippers line-up for their spectacular Parade of Sail with activities commencing on the Quay from 12noon as the yachts prepare to sail from the Quay at 1pm, in what will be an emotional journey for the Derry~Londonderry team as they once again set off from their home port.

The yachts will sail down the River Foyle for the official race start at Greencastle, with live links to the city over the duration of the day so that you can watch the official race start live on quay at 5pm.

The crews have enjoyed a homecoming welcome to remember since their arrival last weekend, with 1,000's along the quay daily enjoying the celebrations and there are still two days to go!! Although the Clippers might be moving on, the party will continue in full swing until Sunday. After the Parade of Sail on Saturday, the Zapcats will be making waves with some high speed action on the river. Reaching speeds of 50mph, these little boats will be performing some breathtaking stunts, with 3G turns and six foot jumps.

"Zapcats go where most other boats dare not," said Mike Sanford, race organiser. "It's fast, it's furious and it's great fun for all the family. Safety is paramount, but I admit that we really do push things to the limit!

"We have 16 competitors coming from all over England, joining teams from Belfast and the Republic. We've already scoped out the lough and are looking forward to two days of challenging racing, after the Clipper fleet departs."

The Zapcat Grand Prix has been compared to motorcross on water, and promises to keep audiences glued to their death defying antics as the two man crews battle it out over short circuits near the Peace Bridge on Saturday from 3pm, and on Sunday from 12noon-3pm.

Throughout the day visits to the stunning Earl of Pembroke Tall Ship as well as the impressive naval vessels lining the quay, will be running from 10am-5.30pm. The Continental Market will be thronged with foodies throughout the weekend with an exciting array of dishes and goods from home and abroad on offer.

The Quayside itself will be buzzing with activity, with music, song and dance at the Quayside stage. And youngsters can get arty in the Creativity Zone, where there will be a full programme of art workshops, magic shows and documentary screenings.

The festival will also feature a series of fascinating environmental exhibitions, as well as the opportunity to trace your family roots and explore the city's maritime heritage in the Environmental and Heritage Zone. And don't forget the festival finale and water display between 4-6pm on Sunday 08th July.

For ease of access, don't forget we have the Clipper Event Park n'Ride at Templemore and event park n'stride at Magee College, event car parking is also available in all city centre car parks.

The Clipper 11-12 Maritime and Home Coming Festival is organised by Derry City Council in partnership with Londonderry Port. It is supported by Northern Ireland Tourist Board, MalinWaters as part of the Sail West Project marine tourism initiative, part financed by the European Union's European Regional Development Fund through INTERREG IVA Cross-Border Programme, Invest Northern Ireland, Loughs Agency, Ilex URC, FG Wilson, Diageo and event partners Translink.

Published in Clipper Race

Tagged under

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is undoubtedly one of the greatest ocean adventures on the planet, also regarded as one of its toughest endurance challenges. Taking almost a year to complete, it consists of eleven teams competing against each other on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training programme ahead of their adventure.

This unique challenge brings together everyone from chief executives to train drivers, nurses and firefighters, farmers, airline pilots and students, from age 18 upwards, to take on Mother Nature’s toughest and most remote conditions. There is no upper age limit, the oldest competitor to date is 76.

Now in its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race started from London, UK, on 02 September 2019.