LEONIE'S CLIPPER CHALLENGE

More than 4,000 people have already made enquires about signing up as a crew member for the race which will start in August 2013 and close to 100 crew berths have already been filled. During Clipper 13-14, crew members will race on board the 12 brand new 70-foot yachts and this week has seen applications accepted from people based in Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Poland and the UK.

The Clipper 11-12 Race starts on 31 July and offers the first chance for the crew members of the next edition of the race to meet and take in the events that they themselves will be part of in two years time.

“At each race start and finish we try and get as many of the next race’s crew members to attend a dedicated event,” says Clipper’s Crew Recruitment Manager David Cusworth. “We are expecting more than 70 Clipper 13-14 crew members to attend the race start. Crew bonding can never start too early, so as well as watching the race start itself, we have arranged a drinks reception for them on Saturday 30 July.

“Over the years it’s become a great way for the crew to meet one another early and a good way to start their Clipper adventure. Many of these crew members will become lifelong friends and form strong relationships during training and the actual race,” continues David, who himself completed a circumnavigation during Clipper 2002.

The 40,000-mile challenge sees crew members take on some of the most extreme sailing conditions on the planet and offers people from all walks of life the opportunity to take part no matter their previous sailing experience.

On 8 July 2011 I was invited back to my primary school, Froebelian School, as the guest speaker for speech day. Speech day is one of the most important days of the schooling calendar.


I had the honour of handing out all of the prizes to all winners, on stage. This was quite an amazing experience, given that the last time I was at a Froebelian speech day I was one of those children receiving a prize.

Then came my speech. I focused on adventure and what it means to me and to others. At first I was far too nervous and at one point thought that my legs were not going to stop shaking! Once the 'leg shake' had been overcome I got stuck in to the spirit of my speech. Enthusiasm roaring out of me - I was almost jumping up and down with excitement. Talking about my upcoming adventure and urging the children of Froebelian to take each day as a new day and to make sure that each new day is not wasted. I felt completely motivated and following the speech in the interval, people were running up to me to tell me how thrilling the race sounds and the bravery required to take part in such a life changing challenge.

The school were extremely kind, not only presenting me with an enormous bouquet of flowers following my speech, but collecting for my nominated charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust, again!

I cannot thank the Froebelian School enough for everything they have done for me. The school paved the way to my upcoming challenge.

Please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeonieSutherland to donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

I am overwhelmed with the generosity of all that have donated so far.

The running total is:

£7,300 without giftaid; and
£7,837.10 with giftaid.

My personal target for fundraising is £10,000 and I really hope that if you have not donated already then you will visit the site above and give kindly. If you have donated, please forward the link on to your friends.

Thank you SO MUCH!!!

Yorkshire is set to take on the world with the announcement today that it is to compete in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race as the only English entry in the ten-strong field for the 40,000-mile global contest which is ‘raced by people like you’. The world’s longest yacht race will start from Southampton, on the south coast of England, on 31 July 2011.

Boasting striking pink livery, the Welcome to Yorkshire yacht is sure to attract attention as she spearheads a global marketing mission to raise the profile of the county.

This will be the third consecutive edition of the Clipper Race, now in its 15th year, in which the county has been represented and the project will build on the impact of its predecessor, Hull & Humber, which raced in Clipper 07-08 and Clipper 09-10, hosting successful business to business, tourism and cultural events in many of the ports of call.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said, “Yorkshire is a world class destination and deserves to be seen on a global stage. The Clipper Race is the perfect event to showcase Yorkshire in key global markets. This is the third edition running that Yorkshire has had representation in the Clipper Race; we are building on the success of those endeavours and hope to make this race our most successful to date.”

Media coverage for Hull & Humber’s participation has been valued at more than US$17 million, while evaluation by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, showed the impact of previous campaigns helped raise the regional profile, aid inward investment, change local perceptions and increase tourism and educational opportunities.

Founder and chairman of the Clipper Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, said, “I am very happy to say, 'Welcome to Yorkshire’ for Clipper 11-12. This is the third race in which the county has been represented and it has always been a strong contender, both in the race and in ports of call where Welcome to Yorkshire has already shown itself to be an organisation that comes up with inspiring and effective ways to promote tourism and giving a warm Yorkshire welcome around the world.”

The Clipper Race was established by Sir Robin, the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world, in order to give ordinary people the chance to do something truly extraordinary. Approximately 40 per cent of the crew have never sailed before embarking on their rigorous pre-race training and those taking part come from all walks of life, representing more than 230 professions and 40 nationalities. Among those in the Welcome to Yorkshire team are 14 natives and residents of the county.

Each of the ten teams is led by an elite skipper and taking charge of Welcome to Yorkshire will be Englishman, Rupert Dean. Rupert is no stranger to the Clipper Race having skippered a team twice before in Clipper 98 and Clipper 2000. But, having come in as a relief skipper at short notice he has unfinished business and is looking forward to running a race campaign from start to finish – and he’s out for victory.

“I have every intention of winning Clipper 11-12,” says Rupert, 39. “Everyone knows the importance of preparing oneself, the yacht and her crew before the start line, so to manage a complete campaign from start to finish, with everything that entails, is an opportunity I relish.”

Rupert and some of his crew joined Welcome to Yorkshire representatives for the announcement in the historic town of Whitby, home to one of the world’s greatest explorers, Captain James Cook.

Speaking on board a replica of Cook’s boat, the Bark Endeavour, Rupert said, “I am very proud to be leading the Welcome to Yorkshire team in our biggest endeavour to date. We will do our very best as ambassadors for the county.”

Yes it is official, I have the best crew mates EVER. Not only was this our first time sailing with each other as crew members of CV3 but we came together almost the second we stepped onto the boat as a solid team.

We took part in two races during this training, coming fourth in the first and winning the second race.

What a fantastic experience we had. This was our first real opportunity of doing the 24 hours watches as the Starboard watch and the Port watch.

Personally, I couldn't be happier with the boat (CV3), my crew mates and my skipper Rupert Dean. This really is going to be the experience of a lifetime. I can’t really comprehend most of the race at the moment but just to think the experiences that I am going to encounter. Not only that, I get to cross the Equator when crossing the Atlantic.

Level 4 training was the last training that all Clipperites have to take part in and now that I have completed it, that means the next step is.....THE RACE.

With the countdown until the start of Clipper 11-12 rapidly descending, we at Clipper Race HQ thought it best to go through the best ways to keep up to date with the action when the race gets underway.

Arguably the most addictive area of the Clipper Race website will launch on the 31 July as the start gun fires to set the teams on their way. The Race Viewer will update the yachts’ positions every three hours and you’ll be able to track each entry’s progress as well as study the wind conditions surrounding the whole fleet.

Each day the Clipper fleet is racing we’ll be posting a daily update with a comprehensive look at the teams’ progress as well as reports from each race skipper. You’ll also be able to gain a unique insight into life on board a stripped down racing yacht during a round the world race as every team will send a diary and photo back each day.

The eighth edition of the race also marks another first; you’ll be able to keep up to date with all the action straight from your mobile by using our range of soon to be released mobile applications. Watch out for versions for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. The apps include the Race Viewer, Race News, the latest photos and video plus much more.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is open to everyone no matter their previous sailing experience but if you’re unable to take part in Clipper 11-12 you can race from your arm chair or your office! The Virtual Race allows you to design your boat, choose your sails and plot your route while up against the same wind conditions as the Clipper Race fleet.

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I have the greatest pleasure in announcing that I have now been allocated to my boat for the Clipper Race!!!

And so it begins....I will be racing across the Atlantic Ocean (twice!!) on CV3 a.k.a. Team Red Socks!!!

CV3 is yet to be sponsored however we have all concluded that as many of us are from Yorkshire and most of us are from England, we highly anticipate being sponsored by England/UK/Yorkshire/Solent...something England-based anyway!

Crew allocation was a whirlwind event. We all started off by meeting with Clipper mates old and new in the great hall at the Grand Harbour De Vere Hotel in Southampton.

The atmosphere was electric...and emphasised more so by the sea of red Clipper jackets that overtook the hall.

We were advised of the date that the race will depart...31 July 2011. The race start will be 'somewhere in the Solent'.

We sat and listened to various Clipper updates and finally, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived....allocation.

Each of the ten skippers went up to the front and announced their crew.

Along came CV3's skipper, Rupert Dean, and my name was read out, along with a few familiar faces that I have met so far during my training and various social events with Clipper.

Following the allocation we all met with our crew and bonded...this began rather formally with learning about one another and why we were participating in the race. Once we had become acquainted Rupert dished out some good luck red socks. As you know, at the moment our boat awaits a sponsor, but Rupert cleverly knew how we could brand ourselves. We all wore our red socks with pride into the early hours of the morning....from which we have now become known, Team Red Socks.

Once the formalities were over, each crew was directed onto a coach where we had the Clipper crew photographs. This took a lot less organising when we all arrived down at the marina and the outcome was, as I am sure you agree, fantastic.

Following the photographs en masse and with our various crews, we then made the (rather brisk) walk to the pub where the bonding continued.

The CV3 crew were completely on form and I have to say we do have the winning team. Whether this be by coming first or by simply forming a great bond.

Crew allocation was an unbelievable experience...and now, the high seas await!!!!!!!

Hooray for CV3!

Ten international sailors have been appointed to the prestigious and challenging position following a rigorous selection process. They will each skipper one of the ten stripped down, 68-foot racing yachts which are preparing to compete in the 40,000-mile challenge, the only global ocean race open to everyone, regardless of background and sailing ability, and the longest in the world.

Sir Robin comments, “Leading a team in a race around the world is one of the hardest and most challenging jobs that any skipper could ever undertake and we’re confident these ten men are up to this challenge. They have all been through a lengthy and rigorous selection process and we have chosen a group of exceptional individuals as our race skippers. They have the ability to draw the line between competitiveness and safety while, at the same time, motivating the crew to retain their focus during races lasting several weeks at a time, whether it be through roaring gales and towering seas or the frustration of tricky calm spells.”

The skippers are:

Rupert Dean, 40
Gordon Reid, 44
Olly Osborne, 30
Gareth Glover, 34
Ian Conchie, 39 (Qingdao)
Mark Light, 39 (Derry-Londonderry)
Richard Hewson, 32
Juan Coetzer, 33
Ben Bowley, 27 (Singapore)
Adam Tuffnell, 34 (De Lage Landen embraces the world)