Skipper Change for Unicef

Jim Prendergast is to stand down as skipper of Unicef. Although he had reported to Airlie Beach following treatment for kidney stones, he subsequently felt he couldn’t continue and has tendered his resignation to the Race Office.

Martin Clough, who stood in as Skipper for the Australia Leg, will ultimately continue to lead the team for the remainder of the round-the-world race but is unavailable to do so until Qingdao.

Therefore Clipper Race Australian Training Skipper Paul Atwood will take over for the next leg to China via Vietnam.

Race Director Justin Taylor says: “We are sorry Jim felt unable to continue but know that Martin has got to know the crew well over the last couple of months.

“Paul Atwood is an excellent Training Skipper with our Australian centre in Sydney and will lead the team until Martin can take over again in Qingdao in mid-March.”

Paul Atwood is an experienced yachtsman with over 25,000nM in his logbook from a combination of inshore and offshore racing, coastal and ocean passages, including The Sydney-Hobart and Fastnet races in 2015. He worked as a training skipper on the Clipper Race in the UK last year. He is a Masters post-graduate of Christ’s College at the University of Cambridge.

Due to the late change Martin Clough will take Unicef out for today’s parade of sail and will then return to Abell Point Marina to hand over to Paul Atwood. Unicef will rendezvous with the rest of the fleet for the Le Mans start on Tuesday afternoon local time.