Clipper yacht makes waves in world race

Published on Thursday 17 December 2009 08:37

THE Edinburgh Inspiring Capital clipper has completed the Southern Ocean leg of the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race in sixth place.

The leg from Cape Town, South Africa, to Geraldton in Western Australia began on 22 November and saw the 68ft yachts surfing down ocean swells at speeds of more than 20 knots.

Skipper Matt Pike praised the performance of his crew, saying: "They've really given it their all on this leg and we've shown everyone that we can be a competitive boat.

"We had some great close quarter racing in the last stages which has made it really exciting and kept the crew motivated right until the end."

The crew will resume the race on 3 January when they head up the Western Australian coast to Singapore and then on to Qingdao in China.

Sara Spence, one of six young people sponsored by the Duke of Edinburgh Award to join the crew, said: "The best part of the journey was seeing so much wildlife – I saw humpback whales, dolphins, albatross and flying fish, and the night skies were awesome.

"We competed hard and I got a real buzz from seeing another boat up ahead and working as a team to beat it."