Skippers revealed this week

Ahead of the very important announcement next week to reveal the identities of the twelve professional skippers who have stepped up to take on one of the toughest jobs in the world, Deputy Race Director, Mark Light talks through the complexities of the role.

“You can’t underestimate the pressure on the skipper to safely guide their crew around the world for eleven months,” explains Mark, who skippered Derry-Londonderry during the Clipper 11-12 Race.

The Clipper Race management team received close to 200 hundred applications from all corners of the globe for the role, with skippers keen to test themselves against some of the toughest sailing conditions around the world.

“We’ve gone through an extensive worldwide search to find skippers with the ideal mix of sailing experience and people management skills.  The Clipper Race is a unique event so we can’t just restrict our search to sailing expertise as crew management plays a big part in the race.  We require exceptional leadership qualities, high levels of professionalism and 100 per cent commitment.”

The twelve professional skippers are set to be revealed next week ahead of the Clipper 13-14 Round the World Yacht Race, which promises to be the biggest in the race’s history with the introduction of the new fleet of Clipper 70s.

If you are interested in competing in the Clipper Race as crew, click here to request more information.