News

Training the next generation

15 August 2008

What a difference a week makes… After leaving the Solent on Monday in gale force winds on the RORC Cowes to Madeira Race, the crew of Jamaica have found themselves almost becalmed off the Spanish coast. The yacht, one of the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet, is competing in the race as part of the summer’s busy programme organised by Clipper Events.

Jamaica’s skipper, Simon Bradley, writes, “The last 48 hours have seen a wide variety of conditions from F7 winds (gusting F8) to as little as 2-3 knots of very light airs, with the crew busy changing sails as the winds dictated. The storm jib, Yankee 3, Yankee 2, Yankee 1 and windseeker have all seen action over this period, not forgetting the mainsail using reefs 1 to 3 as well. The crew have quickly discovered how heavy the sails on a Clipper 68 are, especially when they are soaking wet (that’s both the sails and the crew). The winds have all been forward of the beam, so the delights of downwind sailing still await us, but at least the sun is out and the foul weather gear can be left hanging up down below.

“We’ve just spent the last seven hours in only 2-3 knots of breeze, sandwiched between the Spanish mainland and the Cape Finistere TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme). It’s very hard to make a 32 tonne boat sail with so little wind, especially when there is a residual swell left over from the recent stronger winds. All the crew worked hard and we managed to make some progress towards Madeira. The wind has filled in now from the south west at about 10 knots, so we are moving again at last!

“Most of the crew have recovered from the dreaded ‘mal de mer’ and have rediscovered their appetites and sense of humours. It’s amazing what a little sunshine and calm seas can do!

“We heard yesterday that 6 out of the 11 yachts in the race had to retire, all of us on board Jamaica hope that no-one has suffered any injuries beyond the normal cuts and bruises that are par for the course in these conditions.”

You can follow the progress of Jamaica here.

While Jamaica does battle once again on the high seas, the next generation of Clipper crews are about to embark on the second stage of their Clipper Training in preparation for Clipper 09-10 which starts from the Humber on 13 September 2009.

The first Part B training course will head out of Royal Clarence Marina on Sunday on Uniquely Singapore. It will be the crew members’ first experience of the Clipper 68s, the yachts that will become their home while they compete on the adventure of a lifetime. Much of the seven-day course will be spent offshore, introducing them to the skills needed to effectively race these 68-foot yachts, including learning how to sail under spinnaker – both in daylight and at night – and wring every last fraction of a knot of speed out of the boat. As we saw from the very close racing during Clipper 07-08, an extra knot of boat speed can make the difference between winning a race and finishing way down the field.

Five of the Clipper 07-08 crew have gone back to the classroom with Clipper Training this week. They are on the specialist fast track Yachtmaster course which will develop the skills they obtained during the 35,000-mile race and teach them the further skills they need to become a commercially-endorsed Yachtmaster. All that stands between them and a qualification to work in the sailing industry is six weeks of very hard work and a series of exams they must pass.

This week the students, four round the worlders and a legger, have been studying for their Yachtmaster theory exam which covers, among other topics, navigation and meteorology. They will sit their exam on Saturday and, if they pass, will be awarded their RYA Yachtmaster Shore-based Certificate. Sunday is a day of rest before they get back on the water and head out into the Solent for two days of boat handling experience, and another five days working towards their RYA Day Skipper qualification. This will be their first experience of skippering yachts. They won’t be let loose on the Clipper 60s or 68s just yet – this part of their training will take place on smaller, 38-foot yachts.

Before setting off on the Clipper 07-08 Race in September 2007 all five of the crew took a sea survival course – one of the individual courses offered by Clipper Training. They will also take a First Aid course which will certify them for three years – skippers regularly renew or upgrade this area of their qualifications in order to ensure they are up to speed with the latest techniques.

They will also work towards their RYA Coastal Skipper qualification and, back in the Clipper classroom, hone their VHF radio techniques and protocols to gain their RYA Short Range Certificate. By the end of their six-week training all five of them should be able to skipper a yacht safely without an instructor on board and will spend ten days at sea while each of them skippers two 60-mile passages. Then comes the final prep week when they will tackle the remaining skills before undergoing the all important final exam.

Who knows… one of them, like Jamaica skipper Simon Bradley, who was a crew member on the Times Clipper 2000 Race, could be a skipper on a future Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.