Marlow Ropes ties up the deal with the Clipper 13-14 Race

Clipper Ventures has announced that Marlow Ropes has been appointed as the official rope supplier for the Clipper 13-14 Round the World Yacht Race. This partnership will mark the sixth consecutive time the specialist rope suppliers have partnered Clipper Race.

Marlow Ropes is recognised around the world for quality performance and innovation and already has a proven track record in supplying rope for the last five editions of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Chairman and founder of the Clipper Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, said, “For the ninth edition of the race we will be previewing our brand new fleet of 12, 70ft ocean racing yachts.

“Each yacht has a wardrobe of eleven sails which need to be hoisted and controlled by state of the art running rigging. Marlow’s ability to combine leading edge manufacturing techniques with the constant development of new fibres makes them a welcomed supplier to the Clipper 13-14 Race.” 

Each of the 12 racing yachts will be kitted out with 40,856 metres of rope, meaning a total of more than 5735kg of rope for the entire Clipper Race fleet. To rig one boat excluding spares takes 1415 metres of rope weighing 191kg using modern fibres such as Dyneema. Old fashioned ropes would weigh around 271kg which means around a 30 per cent weight reduction per boat using Dyneema.

The Clipper Race crews and skippers will benefit from Marlow’s expertise in rope splicing during a pre-race training course. They will also receive rope care advice to ensure that they get the maximum lifespan out of the running rigging during the 40,000-mile, 11 month challenge.

Marlow’s Leisure Marine Sales Director, Paul Honess, says: “Marlow is very proud to continue our association with the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, having supplied the fleet for the past five editions of the race.

“The fleet use standard ropes that can be purchased in any chandlery and offers us the opportunity to test our products. The boats are bigger and more powerful this year and will certainly test the ropes strength and durability.

"We received excellent feedback concerning our products, regardless of whether our clients are first time sailors or more experienced crew members. This helps us to refine and develop our product range and in turn has enabled us to optimise the running rigging kits for the new Clipper 70s.”

For further information about Marlow Ropes click here