The crew of Ireland’s Derry-Londonderry yacht sets sail from Cape Town this week on the next leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2011-12.
Last week the Tourism Ireland crowd threw a party down at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, for their intrepid sailors and it turned into a lively celebration of all things Irish, from toasts with Guinness to Londonderry’s cultural icons and traditional high-kicking dancing and lively music.
A tour of the 68-foot (20-metre) racing yacht revealed a “˜snake pit’ of ropes, a mean “˜coffee machine’ used to winch the sails and extremely compact living quarters below the deck. Crew members are ordinary yachties who apply for places on the boats and pay their way, some sailing the whole way around the world, while others take up the challenge for just one leg of the race.
At the end of leg two of the race, which ended in Cape Town, the Derry-Londonderry was lying fifth. The next leg, to Geraldton in Western Australia, will be across open seas for 7700 kilometres and will take the 10 teams approximately 25 days.
The race ends in July 2012 in Great Britain, which was also the starting point.
To follow this exciting race, go to www.clipperroundtheworld.com.
