Next generation of ocean racers start preparation for Clipper 2015-16 Race

More than 120 crew members taking part in the Clipper 2015-16 Race attended a crew brief at Little Ship Club, London, today (Saturday, 11 January 2014) where they met fellow race crew for the first time.

Crew members came from across Europe for the anticipated brief, which set the scene for building a winning team and getting the best out of the experience.

The tenth anniversary edition of the race will be the biggest race yet, with 14 boats competing and a record breaking 780 crew members taking on the challenge.

Clipper 2013-14 Race Team Sponsor and Official Learning and Development Partner, Mission Performance’s Founding Director Rob Lewis led the presentations with the theme of developing a team in extreme conditions. Rob spoke of his personal experience of taking part in and winning two races to the Magnetic North Pole.

Amongst stories of polar bear attacks and freezing eyeballs, he raised the importance of mental preparation - encouraging crew to get to mentally know their environment now so that they can thrive in all the conditions Mother Nature will throw in 18 months time.

Urging crew to take personal risks, he said: “Have the confidence to be honest with your crew, share your fears and anxieties. Give feedback and ask for feedback to ensure your team ego is bigger than your individual ego. Be open, honest, flexible and resourceful.”

Presentations continued from Crew Recruitment Manager David Cusworth, Chief Training Instructor Ben Bowley and a panel of crew competing in this year’s race who answered questions about their recent experience.  

The day provided a chance for crew to begin to get to know each other.  Flying in from Zurich for the event, Adrian König, IT Architect and Clipper 2015-16 Race crew member, was thrilled to meet his fellow crew, he said: “I’m always doing things that are a little bit on the edge. I’ve done multi hull sailing but due to family commitments I never got as far as I would have liked. The Clipper Race is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I had to take because it’s the quickest way to get what I want. I want to race and I want to win.”  

Over the last 19 years the Clipper Race has trained more than 3500 people and raced more than three million miles in the world’s greatest ocean adventure.

If you are interested in joining the crew and taking part in the world’s longest yacht race, click here to request more information.