Flying the flag for Edinburgh out at sea

The latest in a series of sudden squalls ensured that not a single member of the 17-strong crew were sleeping after it struck the 68-foot racing yacht.

"This one hit with maybe three seconds warning and caught the spinnaker, the smallest sail, which made the boat fall on its side. It was 3am, everything was pitch black and I fell out of my bunk," recalls Cassie Milligan, one of a handful of youngsters chosen to represent her city in a round-the-world race.

"We all got on deck to try to rescue it and at one point we had to put on our safety harnesses and hold on for dear life. I think it was then we came together as a team and said, 'it's 3am and the sail has come off, we've got to get this fixed'."

For the crew of the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital yacht, that night in October was just one of many in which they battled 100ft waves, were hit by lightning and feared their sails would be lost.

As the pride of the Capital, the team raced for ten months against nine rivals on the world-famous Clipper Race.

Sailing through the finish line tomorrow on the Humber River will be a breeze compared to the challenges they faced during a 35,000-mile race across the globe.

Edinburgh's entry to the Clipper Race, which is run by the world-famous yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston - the first man to sail solo, non-stop, around the world - is made up of a cross-section of the city's population.

Among them were seven young unemployed people who answered a mystery notice in a job centre for 18-to-24-year-olds with "a love of adventure".

Taking part in the race - which has been won already by Spirit of Australia - is expensive, with costs varying from leg to leg, but to remain on the boat from start to finish costs in excess of 30,000.

However, the seven young members of the Capital Crew, as it has been named, don't have to worry about funding the trip and much of the gear they need has been supplied by Edinburgh outdoor equipment retailer, Tiso.

Cassie, an unemployed chef from Bingham at the time, took a leap into the unknown when she was chosen to join the crew for the first leg - Hull-Lochelle-Rio de Janeiro - of the race last September.

The 21-year-old says: "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity - I had to keep pinching myself. The furthest I'd ever been was Paris and it was amazing to be chosen.

"I think the highlight must have been visiting Rio and going to Copacabana beach, which I never imagined I would do. The lowest point must have been when the sail, which is the size of a tennis court, wrapped itself around the mast. It took 27 hours to unwrap it and we fell several hundred miles.

"I know everyone says this, but it really was a life- changing experience. Since then I've been trying to get funding to train professionally and I'd love to teach younger people."

While there were no threats of the clipper capsizing for Conan Henderson-Dott, who is now on the final leg - Jamaica-Cape Breton Island-Hull - he did have a scare when lightning struck the mast following a large squall in the Caribbean.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Leith, says: "That was the most drama we had, although the boat has a device that dissipates the charge into the water. We were hit by a lot of squalls and we just had to ride them out. I'd never been sailing before, but I didn't mind the jaunty sleeping arrangements and eating tinned food for months on end. The whole trip was a great experience."

Since Conan, an Edinburgh University maths graduate, has been onboard, he has abandoned a possible career in accounting in favour of taking to the open seas.

He adds: "You could say it's quite a world away from a maths degree at uni, but I'd really like to keep sailing."

While the Inspiring Capital's youngsters have been lining up their futures following their spell as ambassadors for their city, for one businesswoman the end means returning to her 9-5 job.

Julia Taylor, 34, who runs a successful research firm, took five months off work to fulfil her dream and joined the clipper's crew in China.

She has been onboard for the last three legs of the race and will return home to Stockbridge this weekend.

She comments: "For me, the Pacific stands out the most because it was a complete endurance test of your body and mind. We went through 35 days of constant storms, just extraordinary weather.

"We were tied to the railings the whole time and the swells were so tall, in some cases 100ft high, it was like a wall of waves. Much of the fleet was damaged and we ended up shadowing the California, as they had lost their mast and had no communication."

While 100ft waves, 6000 miles without a port and more than a month of constant storms would challenge the nerves of even the most experienced sailors, Julia said that the crew had enough on their plate without worrying.

She says: "You're not frightened because you are too busy to be scared and, to be honest, it was the most exciting part. In those conditions you get to know the boat and you all pull together. I don't think I'd ever do this again, once is enough, but I would like to keep racing. I always wanted to do something like this."

While it is the end of a remarkable challenge for the current crew, the bid to bring the race itself to the Capital next year is already under way.

City business leaders and council representatives are drawing up plans to ensure that next time the Capital's flagship will be sailing up the Forth, with the city's crowd cheering on its heroes.

LONG WAY HOME

The Clipper Race 2009-10, won overall by the Spirit of Australia:

Leg 1 Humber River, Hull, to Rio de Janeiro - 34 days at sea, 5,600 miles

Leg 2 Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town - 18 days at sea, 3,300 miles

Leg 3 Cape Town to Geraldton-Greenough, Western Australia - 25 days at sea, 4,700 miles

Leg 4 Geraldton-Greenough, to Qingdao, China - 34 days at sea, 4,300 miles

Leg 5 Qingdao to San Francisco - 35 days at sea - 6,100 miles

Leg 6 San Francisco to Port Antonio, Jamaica - 29 days at sea, 3,800 miles

Leg 7 Jamaica to Humber River - 33 days at sea, 5,000 miles