“Blessed with spectacular light shows”

The ninth edition of the Clipper Race was the biggest yet as the crew members who took part reflect on some of the most unique and challenging moment.

“If anyone thinks that our Milky Way Solar system is void of traffic on any given night they are sourly wrong,” explained Team Garmin crew member, Mike Carter, during the 5,000 mile Race 2 across the Atlantic Ocean to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Most nights we are blessed with spectacular light shows with passing orbiting satellites and many meteorites descending from the heavens above ending their odysseys in spectacular flares across our passage.”

Now fast forward to the 4,500 mile race from Brisbane to Singapore where the crew battled with unbearably hot conditions.

“It is already very hot above and below deck,” revealed Old Pulteney’s Kees Postma, one day into Race 8.

“While at the same time there are countless squalls forming around us bringing funny wind and lots of rain. This makes it pretty hard to gear up correctly as anything more than shorts and t-shirts is too hot and anything less than waterproof clothing is too wet!”

The hot conditions didn’t last for long though as the fleet progressed north to Qingdao after the stopover in Singapore.

“Well, what a difference a few days makes. It is now cold, really cold and getting colder,” reported James Clements, on board Invest Africa.

“Mid-layers and thermal base layers have been broken out from kit bags and conversation frequently comes back to what people are wearing.

“Within the past 24 hours the water temperature has fallen by more than 50 per cent and it is now about ten degrees Celsius. We've had rough seas for the past few days and rather than gently rolled down the waves we have plunged off the back of them so there has been quite a bit of slamming.”

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