Clipper Round The World Race 2011 / 2012

[sarasmith]

Has anyone competed in this race or sailed across the Pacific? Any advice would be welcome.

I have just been offered a place and have chosen to do the Qingdao to USA leg across the Pacific. Taking about 5 weeks it will be a real challenge for me and what a change from the Solent!

My options are still open about choosing a leg, I could do other legs - Rio to Cape Horn, Cape Horn to Aus, Western Australia/NZealand/to E. Australia, Aus to China, West America through Panama Canal to East America... legs not in that order.

My main concern with the Pacific leg is the cold! This leg will be leaving around Feb 2012.

Cheers, Sara

 

[Jeremy_W]

I could do other legs - Rio to Cape Horn, Cape Horn to Aus, Western Australia/NZealand/to E. Australia, Aus to China, West America through Panama Canal to East America... legs not in that order.

My main concern with the Pacific leg is the cold! This leg will be leaving around Feb 2012.

Cheers, Sara

I think you may mean Rio to Cape of Good Hope, Cape of Good Hope to Australia.... I don't think the Clipper Race goes anywhere near Cape Horn.

 

[Woodlouse]

If you want to go sailing then the Pacific leg is best value. However, I would be just as tempted by a trip to Rio so it really is a tough choice.

Wouldn't worry about the cold too much, you'll be in the tropics most of the time, and when it does get nippy, they'll have the clothing to keep it out.

Go for it, it'll be the experience of a lifetime.

 

[snowleopard]

I imagine an Eastbound passage across the North Pacific would have to be well above 40°N to pick up the Westerlies so it won't be all that warm in the winter.

If I were considering it my first choice would be the leg through Panama which would mostly be pretty warm with the added interest of the canal transit.

 

[Woodlouse]

I imagine an Eastbound passage across the North Pacific would have to be well above 40°N to pick up the Westerlies so it won't be all that warm in the winter.

If I were considering it my first choice would be the leg through Panama which would mostly be pretty warm with the added interest of the canal transit.

I wouldn't be too sure, if they're tracking across the northern pacific in winter they're bound to have a gate to stop them going too far north to avoid any ice. Not too sure what the ice limits in the pacific are, but in the atlantic, 40 degrees is about as far north as you want to go out side of the gulf stream.

I'm not too sure what to make of the Panama canal. It was certainly an experience, but I'm not sure how earnestly I'd recommend it. Given the choice of Rio, Qingdao, or Panama, I think I'd personally choose Qingdao first, but only because I haven't been there. Otherwise, canal or not, Rio's the place. Especially if you want hot.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I wouldn't be too sure, if they're tracking across the northern pacific in winter they're bound to have a gate to stop them going too far north to avoid any ice. Not too sure what the ice limits in the pacific are, but in the atlantic, 40 degrees is about as far north as you want to go out side of the gulf stream.

I'm not too sure what to make of the Panama canal. It was certainly an experience, but I'm not sure how earnestly I'd recommend it. Given the choice of Rio, Qingdao, or Panama, I think I'd personally choose Qingdao first, but only because I haven't been there. Otherwise, canal or not, Rio's the place. Especially if you want hot.

Basically, ice doesn't come south of the Aleutian Islands. I think you can encounter it pretty much anywhere to the north of them.

 

[ChattingLil]

Wouldn't worry about the cold too much, you'll be in the tropics most of the time, and when it does get nippy, they'll have the clothing to keep it out..

not too sure about that either. my mate did it two years ago and he said that leg was quite miserable. If I remember right - he reported that the cold meant he wore all his gear all the time and consequently it was always wet. He's on holiday at the moment, but I'll ask him to log on when he gets back and give you a reply from the horses mouth.

 

[Litotes]

I have some reservations about this enterprise and some others like it. Perhaps things have changed, but a friend who did a Pacific leg (Hawaii, Japan, China) had a bad time. I'm not going in to the details, which were reported in the press, but there was a very serious accident. Now this can happen to any boat, but what worried me was the fact that there seemed to be no designated mate.The "next in command" after the skipper were two paying watch leaders, one of whom seemed a great deal more competent than the other. However, neither had formal responsibility to take over if the skipper was, for any reason, incapacitated. On this occasion he was not, but he was so shaken by the accident that he was effectively out of action for a while.

I believe any boat of this sort, taking a paying crew with varied ability and experience on long voyages should have a fully qualified and clearly designated second in command - whether paid or paying. Thus there could be no dispute or hesitation in any situation where the skipper was out of action. Having worked on big yachts myself many years ago, I also think that the teamwork and consistency of approach that can develop when skipper and mate are used to working together can be an important safety factor.

I believe accidents have been rare in the long history of the Clipper races and similar enterprises, so maybe my concern is unwarranted. But I remain concerned.

 

[thedoc]

clipper

Go for it, it is the opportunity of a lifetime. I did the last Global Challenge, the whole way, and had a fantastic time. Cold /wet conditions are all part of the experience and completely acceptable in a dry suit. Pure cold was a problem at 55-60 degrees south but you would expect that. We had a designated mate, had there been an injury to the skipper, and we had enough of a team ethos/ skills on board to have coped. We had a serious accident on board,I was the medic involved. The successful outcome and remote helicopter rescue brought the crew together, in retrospect we handled it very well as a team. The race remains a highlight of my life.