Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Elisha McCallion has extended her congratulations to the Skipper and crew of the Derry~Londonderry~Doire yacht on securing fourth place on Leg 1 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The Derry boat just missed on securing a podium place when they were beaten to third spot by GREAT Britain after 48 hours of dramatic racing between the two which saw each team take the lead several times.
The Mayor,who extended her congratulations to the Skipper and crew via Skype over the weekend, says she was delighted to speak to the team and extend her best wishes on behalf of the people of the city and district.
She said the crew were in good form and delighted to have reached dry land after over three weeks at sea. She added that the tragic death of Andrew Ashman, a crew member on board Ichorcoal , at the beginning of the race had impacted on them greatly and he is very much in their thoughts and prayers.
“The crew were in good spirits. They were so excited to have made it to the finish line of Leg 1 and looking forward to meeting family and friends and chilling out for a few days. They were obviously tired but very happy to have reached Rio and to have secured third/fourth place in the race. They intend to use the next couple of days as a time to reflect and support their team mates from the other crews following the tragic death of Andrew Ashman, two weeks ago. This will be the first time the teams will have come together since the tragedy and his sad passing is very much to the forefront of their minds,” she said.
Extending her best wishes to the Skipper and crew as they prepare to set off on Leg 2 of the Clipper Race, across the South Atlantic towards Cape Town , later in the week, Mayor Cllr McCallion said the people of Derry City and Strabane District Council are one hundred per cent behind the team.
“We are extremely proud of every single member of the team as they represent the city and district on a mammoth sail around the world. It’s a huge challenge for everyone involved and we love watching their progress in the race.
“Our participation in the Clipper Race is a huge opportunity for us to promote our city and district and encourage as many people as possible to come to Derry in July next year to be part of our Foyle Maritime Festival celebrations and to see how we are progressing in terms of our cultural, historical and tourism offering,” she added.