Sailing around the world in 11 months

THE 12th edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has arrived in Cape Town once again, after a race of 17 days from Punta del Este in Uruguay.

The competition, that has taken place since 1995, started in London on September 1 and will be over at the same place in August 2020. The challenge: amateur teams sailing around the world in 11 months.

There are 11 yachts with almost 700 participants from more than 40 different nationalities, and only two members on each yacht are professional sailors: the skipper and the first mate.

Dale Smyth, deputy race director and former participant, said: “We can’t guarantee the safety of having so many people in tough conditions, but we work extremely hard at training participants and having safety procedures.”

Lyndsay Barnes, first mate on the “AQP Seattle” yacht and also a former participant, spelled out the importance of the professional role that was “always keeping an eye on everything”. Before starting her first race, she worked in property in London, and she hasn’t looked back.

“I love my role now,” she said. “I know what the crew is going through and what it’s like to be one of them.”

On this year’s edition, the ages of the participants go from 18 to 76 years, and although most participants are British, every year more South Africans, Australians, Chinese, Canadians, and other nationalities join the race.

Anthonie Botha, 68, a medical doctor from Ermelo in Mpumalanga, is participating for the first time this year. “I’ve never had sailing experience before,” he said. “I wanted to join the race from London to Cape Town, but now I’ve decided to continue to Australia” – the next stop, that will take up to 25 days across the Indian Ocean.