Alternatives to Clipper?

[paulsibley]

I'm in a very similar place to Phil (but with less Sailing experience).

Do I choose Clipper in 22/23 (assuming its not bumped) or invest instead in an alternative such as completing all courses from RYA courses from Competent Crew through to RYA yacht Master Open Ocean Theory.

I presently hold RYA Powerboat L2 (10/16), RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship (09/16), RYA Marine Radio Short Range Certificate (10/16) and have around 400 hours of mostly Inshore water use of an offshore rib.

As much as the Clipper has been an ambition for the last 20 years, having now arrived at the point in life (aged 54) where I have the financial resources, health and backing personally to take part for a year, I want to ensure I have explored every alternative open to me. I was fortune enough to retire from work on 8th January and recently joined the NHS as a vaccinator.

Hoping you can help; I look forward to hearing from you soon.

ps, I appreciate becoming qualified is quite different from taking part in the Clipper Race and that both offer something very different.

 

[doris]

Having been berthed in Gosport and encountering the Clipper crews in training, afloat and ashore, I would be very dubious of signing up to anything that involved them.
Having said that I am just a curmudgeonly old git but we all have standards.
Chatting to people who have done it, the amount of luck with skipper allocation is critical. There seems to always be shedloads of problems and discontent with skippers/crews/sponsors expectations leading to serious rifts.

 

[paulsibley]

Having been berthed in Gosport and encountering the Clipper crews in training, afloat and ashore, I would be very dubious of signing up to anything that involved them.
Having said that I am just a curmudgeonly old git but we all have standards.
Chatting to people who have done it, the amount of luck with skipper allocation is critical. There seems to always be shedloads of problems and discontent with skippers/crews/sponsors expectations leading to serious rifts.

wow.. this really doesn't sound good at all ?

 

[matt1]

Another reason just to do some deliveries. If you don’t like the skipper, or he’s no good, it’s only a couple of weeks and you just don’t sign on with him again for the next one. Some of the delivery skippers are very good and will happily teach you celestial nav etc whilst on passage (let’s face it there’s not much else to do). Oh and it’s free. You keep your cash and buy a boat with it when you have done a years worth of deliveries

 

[mattonthesea]

I'm the same age as Phil but couldn't run to £50k to do the clipper to save my life. My "solution" is to have bought a small boat that's just big enough for me to sail pretty much wherever I want to go. I'm planning to have my gap year at 55 so that gives me time to get her and me ready, have prenegotiated the career break with my employer (NHS). Phil I'd have thought an academic employed in a university should be able to negotiate a sabbatical unless they say you haven't worked with them for long enough to justify it? ...But there will be options available to me in a couple of years that aren't now & the year off will help me to answer the question of whether I want to sail long term (whether RTW or not) or rejoin the rat race, potentially for another 10+ years.

Firstly: Phil, good for you, carpe annus and all that! As a uni lecturer you should have no difficulty in a mature-gap year. For me,I happened to be in conversation with the VC and mentioned it - he was encouraging. I told my Dean that I had made a gap in my research and publishing timetable and that I'd arranged for all my teaching to be covered and I had also looked up the Staff Vacation policy that also recommended long, unpaid leave as a way of keeping staff.
I looked a the Clipper but decided against it - but it looks good for you . I bought a Rival 32, age 53, and did a North Atlantic circuit. One year, two ocean crossings, one season in Atlantic Europe, one season in Caribbean, 18 months of summer.

TBH if I hadn't got debts forcing me to return to work then I wouldn't have. In Antigua, sitting amongst all the other cruisers, hearing them plan moving north to Maine, or south to Tobago, or through the canal to the Pacific, I just wanted to keep going. Turning the compass back to East was really hard.

BUT; the hardest part is returning to work. Put simply, just two months after having sailed close enough to the eye of a severe gale, reefing to almost bare poles, on the foredeck, in F9, I had a second marker suggesting that a student had not quite used the correct (Heinz57 varieties) of the Harvard referencing system and that they should be marked down for this! I'd say it took almost a year to settle back in. And I retired within four years .

Not a coherent post but I hope it helps in whichever path you and V1701 choose. Good luck to you both

 

[Skylark]

I'm in a very similar place to Phil (but with less Sailing experience).

Do I choose Clipper in 22/23 (assuming its not bumped) or invest instead in an alternative such as completing all courses from RYA courses from Competent Crew through to RYA yacht Master Open Ocean Theory.

I presently hold RYA Powerboat L2 (10/16), RYA Essential Navigation and Seamanship (09/16), RYA Marine Radio Short Range Certificate (10/16) and have around 400 hours of mostly Inshore water use of an offshore rib.

As much as the Clipper has been an ambition for the last 20 years, having now arrived at the point in life (aged 54) where I have the financial resources, health and backing personally to take part for a year, I want to ensure I have explored every alternative open to me. I was fortune enough to retire from work on 8th January and recently joined the NHS as a vaccinator.

Hoping you can help; I look forward to hearing from you soon.

ps, I appreciate becoming qualified is quite different from taking part in the Clipper Race and that both offer something very different.

Congratulations upon your retirement and welcome to what needs to be the most rewarding time of your life.

I don’t think that anyone other than yourself can answer your quandary.

It reads as though you are aware that the two options are close to the opposite ends of a sailing spectrum.

A pal of mine was involved professionally so a few of us took my boat and rdv with him in Derry to enjoy the maritime festival. We were given a unique opportunity to look over the boats.

I have great respect and admiration for those who have done it but it would not be my choice. I like my creature comforts too much. The stop-over “parties” are not to everyone’s taste, either.

I’d say that it depends upon your motivation for wanting to do it, what you want from the experience and what will it enable you to do upon completion.

There are a lot of experienced coastal sailors within these forums, a lot have crossed oceans but I suspect few have crossed the equator, sailed the Pacific or the Southern Ocean, so I can see an appeal.

Hands-on participation in the RYA Cruising Scheme is very different. With a few courses under your keel, you should be a competent boat handler and skipper. I don’t believe that a RTW voyage with Clipper, or any other similar venture, would offer the same conclusion.

 

[paulsibley]

Congratulations upon your retirement and welcome to what needs to be the most rewarding time of your life.

I don’t think that anyone other than yourself can answer your quandary.

It reads as though you are aware that the two options are close to the opposite ends of a sailing spectrum.

A pal of mine was involved professionally so a few of us took my boat and rdv with him in Derry to enjoy the maritime festival. We were given a unique opportunity to look over the boats.

I have great respect and admiration for those who have done it but it would not be my choice. I like my creature comforts too much. The stop-over “parties” are not to everyone’s taste, either.

I’d say that it depends upon your motivation for wanting to do it, what you want from the experience and what will it enable you to do upon completion.

There are a lot of experienced coastal sailors within these forums, a lot have crossed oceans but I suspect few have crossed the equator, sailed the Pacific or the Southern Ocean, so I can see an appeal.

Hands-on participation in the RYA Cruising Scheme is very different. With a few courses under your keel, you should be a competent boat handler and skipper. I don’t believe that a RTW voyage with Clipper, or any other similar venture, would offer the same conclusion.

Yes I think your are right, but your response is really appreciated. This is a big decision and I'm in a fortunate position to even be considering it (and now over night having received an offer to take part following my application and interview) I truly value the views of all those on here. There is something quite appealing also about devoting 12/18 months to becoming qualified instead. I've dropped some enquires to Hamble Sailing School and UKSA in Cowes.

Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts and experience, its much appreciated! ?

 

[glynd]

Yes I think your are right, but your response is really appreciated. This is a big decision and I'm in a fortunate position to even be considering it (and now over night having received an offer to take part following my application and interview) I truly value the views of all those on here. There is something quite appealing also about devoting 12/18 months to becoming qualified instead. I've dropped some enquires to Hamble Sailing School and UKSA in Cowes.

Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts and experience, its much appreciated! ?

Have you considered doing the DS (and/or YM) theory whilst lockdown is in place?

There are many online versions available right now, and might get your brain ticking over on the nav etc
Even if you go the Clipper route eventually, this stuff doesn't hurt.....

 

[ridgy]

As another option there will be plenty of crew places on the ocean globe race in 2023 and costs are limited to 15k. Checkout sailing ariana as a starter.

 

[PhillM]

Congratulations Phil, your reply did make me chuckle, sounds like you've done okay. I wonder, in all that change, did you keep your boat? ?

Yep, I’ve still got Paean. my late wife bought her for me as a birthday present and it took me years and thousands to get her offshore seaworthy. She is 60 this May and I shall be doing a anniversary refit in Swanwick marina in April.

She is still ready to go on extended cruises with water being the limiting factor at about 20 days and enough solar and engine charging for similar, both x 2 as a margin of error.

This year I shall be around the solent and do the club cruise to the West Country. Next year, I plan to go to the Brest and Dz festivals of sea. Once half way round Biscay, who knows...

 

[KompetentKrew]

I paid only £10 per day for a "milebuilder" with www.SailRacingAcademy.org, delivering their Beneteau First 40.7 from Southampton to Malta for the Middle Sea Race.

This seems much better value than the Clipper. One of the other crew was ex-Clipper and wouldn't stop going on about it. "This is nuffin', mate - you should have seen us on the Souther Ocean, waves bigger than your house."

I can't see the milebuilders mentioned on SailRacingAcademy's site right now - maybe Germaine advertises those primarily on the Solent crewing Facebook groups, so I suggest you email him.

 

[PhillM]

Clipper appeals to those in life or career disruption. This is not my suggestion, but theirs, It is a great way to join a band of like-minded people who are looking to be a part of something stretching and fun. A lot of people are recently divorced and taking a year out to 'find themselves' is attractive. At the time I applied, I was recently widowed and looking for just that same 'something'. As it happens, my life has moved on. I do not think I would apply again. For me it was 'of a time' in my life.

From what I could see, for some of the potential crew it was about the sailing. For others it was about a sense of achievement, interspersed with party's. It is no coincidence that there are regular Clipper marriages between people who crewed on the same edition.

If you are looking for a controllable year out, with a clear end, then Clipper is a good idea. If however, you want more freedom, then learn to sail, buy a boat and push off for a year. As Mattatsea says (and BTW his book is great) coming home will be the hardest part. I find that after being away for the long Uni holidays, so after 18 months it must be really really hard.

As for me, well as I mentioned above, I am going to be doing a little refit on Paean to keep her up to spec for longer passages. How far I will get on her is debatable. Last year, I crewed on a lovely Oyster from Bristol to Majorca. What I learned is that I could certainly do that in my little boat, and probably single-handed I would need/want to split the legs into shorter hops to ensure I had a reliable forecast for the Biscay crossing. But there was nothing that would not be doable, given enough time and a little more spare cash than I currently have.

As with everything in life there are trade offs. If you want to meet a new girl of your dreams, Clipper may be the answer. If you want to learn to sail long distance and are prepared to take a few courses, do some delivery's. If you want to learn to sail and have the patience to start with little local trips and slowly build your experience, buy a cheap and small boat. Learn to maintain it, as the one thing I can guarantee you is that when you go cruising, you will be spending a lot of time fixing things!

 

[miranda_d_m]

OK so watched Maiden. Have decided that even at my time of life (53) I could find the time to take a year out to achieve my lifelong ambition and sail around the world.

Clipper would charge me £50K, which is about £225/per sailing day (or £4.1K per month for board and lodgings on a race boat), excluding any money I choose to spend ashore. I don't think the cost is prohibitive and when put against the cost of any other type of "year out sailing" seems competitive. Additionally, viewed against the depreciation for a craft capable of getting round in a year and again Clipper come out competitive.

I am not race-mad but I do like the competitive side of the event. That said, I would consider alternative, non-racing events. So, before I madly rush into signing up (which may or may not happen), are there any alternatives that you could recommend?

Oh and I should add, I am aware of the safety issues that have arisen. I really don't want to get into that. In my view, ocean racing is inherently dangerous and tbh I am surprised that the fatality rate has been so low considering how many people are involved. While I expect the organisation to do everything it can to minimize risk, I do accept the risks involved.

This company, Rubicon3.co.uk does adventurous sailing expeditions on ex Clipper yachts, including Ocean Yachtmaster tuition and qualifying passages. I declare an interest, I have family connections.

 

[miranda_d_m]

www.rubicon3.co.uk This company takes people cruising to adventurous places on ex Clipper Yachts. They also do Ocean Yachtmaster qualifier passages and teach. I declare an interest, I am a family member.

 

[scruff]

Firstly: Phil, good for you, carpe annus and all that! As a uni lecturer you should have no difficulty in a mature-gap year. For me,I happened to be in conversation with the VC and mentioned it - he was encouraging. I told my Dean that I had made a gap in my research and publishing timetable and that I'd arranged for all my teaching to be covered and I had also looked up the Staff Vacation policy that also recommended long, unpaid leave as a way of keeping staff.
I looked a the Clipper but decided against it - but it looks good for you . I bought a Rival 32, age 53, and did a North Atlantic circuit. One year, two ocean crossings, one season in Atlantic Europe, one season in Caribbean, 18 months of summer.

TBH if I hadn't got debts forcing me to return to work then I wouldn't have. In Antigua, sitting amongst all the other cruisers, hearing them plan moving north to Maine, or south to Tobago, or through the canal to the Pacific, I just wanted to keep going. Turning the compass back to East was really hard.

BUT; the hardest part is returning to work. Put simply, just two months after having sailed close enough to the eye of a severe gale, reefing to almost bare poles, on the foredeck, in F9, I had a second marker suggesting that a student had not quite used the correct (Heinz57 varieties) of the Harvard referencing system and that they should be marked down for this! I'd say it took almost a year to settle back in. And I retired within four years .

Not a coherent post but I hope it helps in whichever path you and V1701 choose. Good luck to you both

Mattatsea says (and BTW his book is great)

Book ordered - thanks for the tip-off!