The Clipper Round The World Yacht Race is a 35,000 mile race across seven seas involving 10 identical 68 ft racing yachts. The starter gun went off in Hull, England on Sep 13th 2009 and they are expected to return to Hull on July 17th 2010. It is the only race around the world open to the non-professional sailor. www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index./.php/follow/Raceviewer
People ask if this is a real race, if it’s competitive, if winning really matters. Certainly the elements don’t know if you are a professional sailor who’s been racing around the world for ten years, taking part in your third Volvo race or if you’re an Eastern suburbs mother of five with just 6 weeks sailing experience. What makes the difference is teamwork. The skipper is the driving force but the quicker the crew gel and learn to sail as a cohesive team the better the results.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who completed the first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 1968 wanted to make ocean racing accessible to everyone irrespective of their backgound or sailing experience. Each yacht is skippered by a professional sailor but 40% of the 17 crew (like me) will have never stepped on a yacht before commencing 3 weeks of vigorous training prior to the race.
I have signed up for leg 6 on a boat called the Hull and Humber, (or BOB for Big Orange Boat), racing from San Francisco to Jamaica via the Panama Canal. It will take six weeks with a stop-over in Panama to restock and deep clean the boat and over that time we will cover 3,920 nautical miles. My life will revolve around a four hour watch system, hoisting, trimming, reefing, changing, flaking & repacking sails, plus helming, grinding, (not coffee sadly) and when it’s my turn on the rota, cooking and cleaning below deck.
As Clipper crew we work wherever needed, plumber, electrician, sail repairer, navigator, cleaner, baker, weather 
forecaster. Each crew needs to be a self-sufficient unit, capable of taking care of any situation-no matter what the conditions. We become the yellow pages of the ocean, if something needs doing, we’re doing it!
Scored like a grand prix, the Clipper Round the World race is broken down into 14 individual races, the only variable is the crew and how hard they work, one boat will win, nine will lose.
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