Clipper uses engine and accepts 10th place in Rio

The team representing the UK City of Culture 2013 in the 40,000-mile circumnavigation arrived in Brazil against the backdrop of Rio’s iconic skyline, dominated by Sugar Loaf Mountain and the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado.

The team was cheered into the marina by friends and family at the end of the 3,500-mile race across the Atlantic from Madeira.

But after a tougher than expected first Atlantic crossing, during which the teams battled with unseasonal headwinds, making life on board extremely uncomfortable, they had to power the engine to reach the Brazilian city.

Earlier in the day skipper, Mark Light, had responded to an offer by the Race Committee to accept tenth place and make best speed towards Rio in order to allow themselves enough time to prepare for the start of Race 3 next Saturday, 10 September.

Mark said: “I’ve had a chat with the crew and after the thoughts of all I have very reluctantly agreed that we should take up the offer of a tenth place finish and make use of our engine.”

The Race Committee made the offer after light winds were forecast around Cabo Frio which would further delay the team and it is at pains to point out that this is not a retirement but a confirmation of tenth place.

Arriving in Rio, Mark said: “Having to put the engine on is never an easy decision to make. I took it quite personally, actually, but it was probably the right thing to do in the end. We’ve got to rest the crew and get the boat ready for the next leg. The crew were really good about it.

“It’s been a tough race with lots of tactical decisions. I thought we crossed the Doldrums really well but then we got stuck on the other side. It’s been a long race but we stuck at it, that’s the main thing.”

In a highly tactical contest between the teams racing the ten 68-foot yachts, the crew of Gold Coast Australia emerged victorious.

The pivotal moment was their decision to take a route directly through the middle of the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of Africa, utilising the funnel-like effect of the islands on the wind to catapult them through the centre of the archipelago and out the other side into a position of strength.

Clipper 11-12 is ‘raced by people like you’, people from all walks of life who put their everyday lives on hold to sign up to the challenge of a lifetime.

More than 40 per cent of them have never sailed before they begin their rigorous pre-race training, between them they have more than 250 professions and more than 40 nationalities are represented by those taking part in the race.

Niall Boyle, is one of five winners of the Derry City Clipper Bursary, a project designed to help unemployed people in the city learn the skills to get them back into work. The five will also carry out ambassadorial roles to help promote Derry-Londonderry as the City of Culture, each focussing on an area including, digital, young people and enterprise.

With a broad smile from the moment he arrived, Niall said: “I’ve enjoyed it hugely. How could you not? It’s a once in a lifetime experience with people you’re not going to meet in any other walk of life and it’s been fascinating from start to finish.

“One of my favourite moments was when we were on watch at about two o’clock in the morning. We had the spinnaker up, we had decent sized swells, good wind, Mark was on the helm and we were absolutely flying through the water, and there was like a neon glow coming off the back of the boat and round the sides and it was an unforgettable moment, just to see someone who really knew the boat steering it to perfection.”

So has the experience changed him?

“Definitely. One hundred per cent,” confirms Niall. “I was naturally quite a shy person before but these things teach you that you can’t be.

“I know so many more people now and feel a lot more relaxed in these situations and feel like I need to travel a bit and explore the world. It’s broadened my horizons more than anything ever could.”

Three months ago round the world crew member Michelle McCann from Co. Donegal, Ireland, was teaching. Today she is a transatlantic yachtswoman arriving in South America, having raced across the Atlantic and fulfilled a long-held ambition.

She says: “We crossed the Equator during the night and then we had the celebration the next day. During the night it was lovely, we all got on deck together and it was just a very special thing.

“We took a photograph of crossing with the GPS reaching 00.00. That was marvellous, it was an ambition of mine and it was like a dream come true for me; something I thought I would never do – and I did.”

Derry-Londonderry finished in tenth place in Race 2, meanwhile Gold Coast Australia has consolidated their overall lead in the race, having scored two wins in the first two stages and two bonus points: one at the Scoring Gate and one for the Ocean Sprint. There are fifteen races in total in Clipper 11-12 with a Formula 1-style scoring system. The yellow, red and blue pennants for first second and third places in each of the races are highly prized by the people taking part and the teams proudly fly the pennants in each of the ports of call.

Derry-Londonderry’s arrival completes the line-up of all ten internationally-backed yachts. The crews will spend time preparing the yachts for the next race, across the South Atlantic to South Africa, as well as enjoying some well-earned downtime exploring the delights of the Brazilian city, including Copacobana and Ipanema beaches, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the cauldron of the Maracaña Stadium where the people of Rio indulge their passion for Brazil’s national game, football.

Race 3 from Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town starts on Saturday 10 September at 1400 local time (1700UTC).