Signing up and choosing a leg
The Interview
In October '22, as a freshly wed, I made the decision to get on an interview with Clipper. I had already followed a discovery webinar in August and as wedding preparations were getting on, this adventure didn't get my full attention at first.
Plenty of e-mails reminded me that I signed up and gave my permission to e-mail me and very quickly the e-mails became more personal as I got to know the people behind Clipper who were eager to offer me the best possible experience.
I went for step 1. and booked the interview for October 25th.
The interview was great, obviously Clipper Ventures want to reassure themselves a certain level of sanity in the candidates signing up, but they also go the extra mile to entice you for the experience and gave plenty of opportunities to ask questions. As many of the people working for the Clipper organization have participated in previous races, they can clearly articulate what to expect based on their personal experience.
Choosing one or more legs
Probably the hardest choice to make after I made up my mind that I wanted to participate was the part of the race I would choose. As much as the adventure called, it would be too much of a stretch to go and circumnavigate. It is not only a choice that I make for myself, it also affects others around me.
Luckily Kate has been massively supportive and together we started to look at a list of options. No ports were confirmed, but in rough lines the tour around the world would be divided into 8 Legs.
LEG 1 | THE ATLANTIC TRADE WINDS
LEG 2 | THE SOUTH ATLANTIC CHALLENGE
LEG 3 | THE ROARING FORTIES
LEG 4 | THE AUSTRALIAN COAST-TO-COAST
LEG 5 | THE ASIA-PACIFIC CHALLENGE
LEG 6 | THE MIGHTY PACIFIC
LEG 7 | THE AMERICAS COAST-TO-COAST
LEG 8 | THE ATLANTIC HOMECOMING
It was extremely hard to pick only one of these trajectories and it took me a couple of Youtube videos, conversations with sailors, listing tradeoffs about the weather conditions, distance, stage in the competition .. to end up with an obvious winner.
Leg 5 attracted me, Australia, the place where we honeymooned, where my supporters uncle Garry and aunt Lynn can wave me off together with Kate. But also the middle of the race, when points can still make a difference to the end result. Conditions that will vary from warm (or even hot) weather to tougher conditions near the Phillipines, doldrums and an equator crossing. Sailing into a part of the world I’ve never visited before with a finish in China. I consider it less likely for me to sail these seas anytime soon and I won’t regret being gone when it’s winter in Belgium for the months of January and February.
As the race start came closer and all ports got confirmed, it became clear what Leg 5 will look like exactly. Set in the heart of the Whitsundays region, Airlie Beach, Australia will be the start port for Leg 5. The finish of stage 1 and stopover is Subic Bay, Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Subic Bay will be a destination for crew competing on Leg 5, before the fleet races in stage 2 on to Qingdao.
