Clipper Race History

Nearly 700 crews have sailed part or all the way round the world with Clipper since the first race set off in 1996. In that time, the eight Clipper yachts have sailed a combined distance of over a million miles. There was a good south-westerly Force 6 blowing when the first Clipper race left Plymouth in October 1996. It had been a little over 18 months since the concept had been launched, and in that time the eight boats had been built, the crews had been selected and trained and all the preparations in the 16 race ports had been made.

Anyone could have a go
The principle of the race was that ocean yacht racing need not be the exclusive preserve of professional yachtsmen or an elite minority. Lead by the legendary yachtsman Robin Knox-Johnston, Clipper set out to prove that, given enough courage and commitment, almost anyone could have a go. The concept of a round the world yacht race in which paying amateurs could race like-for-like changed the way people view ocean yacht racing forever. The yachts themselves were designed by American designer David Pedrick and were based on the classic Nicholson 58. They were built in an old aircraft hangar in the middle of Essex by Colvic Craft and were then taken by road to Ipswich for launching and rigging. A ferry crew sailed the almost bare hulls down to Plymouth, where the skippers and crews took over and prepared them for the race.

First Clipper victor RAS Turner
The first Clipper victor was the well-known West Country yachtsman RAS Turner who took Ariel (now London) to a convincing early lead that was never challenged. Mind you, had RAS not won he would not have been allowed back in any yacht club in Plymouth. He and his crew won nine of the 16 races and left the other skippers scrapping over the rest.

24-year-old race skipper
Clipper 98 followed much in the same guise at Clipper 96 with the yachts still called after the famous tea and spice clippers that plied the Trade Wind routes around the globe. That year Robin Knox-Johnston made the inspired decision to appoint 24-year-old Alex Thomson as one of the race skippers. Alex had served an intense apprenticeship with Robin over a three-month period sailing on an expedition to Greenland aboard Ariel. It was logical that he remained on this boat and he was quick to make a name for himself by again bringing a succession of victories to this yacht. His lead by the halfway mark was enough to give him a cushion to fend off the challenges from the chasing pack led by a strong showing from Keith Harris in Antiope (now Liverpool). Alex’s disgustingly fresh and youthful complexion made him look barely 20 at the start of the race and so, even with the normal aging process that adds on five years to a Clipper skipper over the 12-month race, by the end he still only looked old enough to have stood half a dog watch. Not only was Alex’s victory an outstanding personal achievement but it repaid the faith in his selection by his mentor Robin Knox-Johnston.

Renaming yachts after cities
The 2000 race marked a big change as, while playing with his fleet of toy boats in the bath, Sir Robin had the inspired idea of renaming the yachts after cities and creating a much wider regional following. Although his secretary was not on hand to record details, the idea blossomed and shortly afterwards The Times made this their main millennium project. Despite being called the Cities’ Scheme, one of the yachts in 2000 was not technically a city but was the island of Jersey. The islanders proved to be tremendous supporters and insisted that the whole fleet visit before the start so that they could have a rehearsal for the party planned at the penultimate stop of the race. The point was well made and, by having ‘their’ yacht among the fleet, the whole island followed the race all the way round the world with tremendous enthusiasm. Later, when the fleet finally raced into St Helier harbour, every islander was an expert and the welcome was sensational. On arrival at the airport, even Sir Robin was briefed by his taxi driver on the race and how the skippers had been required to sail to Greenland with him as part of their selection (not strictly true, of course).

Neck to neck race
As for the racing that year, Bob Beggs and the Crew of Bristol took an early lead but there was a keen and hungry pack following. Of these, Paul De La Haye and the Jersey crew put in some excellent results in the middle races and were soon back in contention. Fortunes changed several times as these two traded places all the way back to the UK. Bristol’s win into Jersey seemed a mortal blow to the spirited islanders, but it was still all dependent on the final 24-hour drag race to the finish at Portsmouth. Jersey Clipper responded in the only way they possibly could and took the final line honours. They needed Bristol to come fifth if they were to win the overall race and could do nothing more than wait and then finally watch as Bristol crossed the line — in third position. Just 24 minutes later the next two boats crossed the line; had Bristol been behind them, Jersey would have won. After 11 months and over 35,000 miles of racing, it all boiled down to 24 minutes. It was a most amazing competition from these two crews and taken by the Jersey crew with a greater sense of dignity and sportsmanship than I will be lucky ever to see again. In the following places Liverpool Clipper deserves special mention. Early on in the race she was near the bottom of the fleet, but under Rupert Dean’s new management she climbed steadily through the fleet and finally finished in a most creditable fourth place chasing London.

International partners
The Jersey role model fitted in with Clipper’s aim to develop the race further and find international partners that were on the race route. Cape Town was first to sign up, followed by Hong Kong. Many of the UK supporters were keen for New York to join in, and it was a great day when the Sports Commissioner for the city agreed that the eighth yacht in the fleet would be named New York Clipper.

Every one's a winner
The spotlight might shine on the winners, but this is not even half the story. The winning boat is merely the boat with the right number of points and a selection of pretty flags to show for it. The 220 crew who take part in each race know the whole story, and they all have very definite opinions of how to measure success. Each boat is run differently and each has its individual characteristics and its own measures of success. All the thousands of people who have helped make the event into what it has become know who the stars are. Every one's a winner!

More about the Clipper Race