BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT ON: SYDNEY
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Sydney
Race 4 Highlights
It was a thrilling first stage of the All-Australian Leg from Fremantle to Sydney with sailing conditions varying during its fourteen day duration from fast downwind spinnaker conditions to a hard, slow upwind slog to Sydney Harbour.
Race 4: The ClipperTelemed+ Tasman Test featured some of the closest ever Clipper Race finishes that kept Race Viewer addicts on the edge of their seats throughout and a sensational home town victory for Sydney Skipper, Wendy Tuck, on board Sanya Serenity Coast who claimed the maximum twelve points.
For the first time in Clipper Race history, it was a female Skipper one-two with Clipper Race Skipper, Nikki Henderson, and her Visit Seattle crew finishing just seventeen minutes behind the winners. It was also a maiden podium place for Qingdao, with Skipper Chris Kobusch and crew collecting the 3 rd Place pennant (as well as three Scoring Gate points) and celebrating Christmas as overall race leaders.
All eleven boats were in by the end of the second day of the arrival window with the close finishes continuing – for the first time ever, a dead heat was declared between GREAT Britain and Nasdaq demonstrating that every point counts.
In the closest Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint of the Clipper 2017-18 Race edition, an incredible THIRTEEN seconds separated the top two teams with Sanya Serenity Coast claiming a further three bonus points and Visit Seattle getting two points. Just three minutes 16 seconds separated the top three teams with Qingdao taking the final bonus point.
Race 5 Highlights
After a Christmas break in Sydney, the Clipper Race fleet set off on the 73 rd Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race (RSHYR) on Boxing Day as part of a 102-strong fleet, which started with a spectacular Parade of Sail in front of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
PSP Logistics dominated the start of the iconic bluewater classic but experience proved to be the key as Wendy Tuck, marking her eleventh RSHYR, took line honours with Sanya Serenity Coast in the Clipper 70 Class and finished 40th overall. Garmin was the second Clipper 70 to cross the line just two minutes afterwards but the excitement did not end there…
The RSHYR was always going to be a memorable experience for the crew but with just 90 minutes separating the eleven Clipper Race teams, including mere seconds between some teams in the fleet, it turned out to be an incredibly thrilling few days for race viewers too.
Sailing is an unpredictable sport though and HotelPlanner.com was eventually declared the winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Clipper 70 Class after being granted a 120 minute redress for going to the assistance of a fellow competitor shortly after race start.
HotelPlanner.com Skipper Conall Morrison was given a standing ovation at the RSHYR Prize Giving when he was awarded the Rani Trophy for Most Meritorious Performance after the crew’s actions in helping a man overboard on a competing boat, successfully retrieving the man from the water within 15 minutes.
The awards for Clipper Race teams continued with Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy Tuck picking up the Jane Tate Memorial Trophy for being the first female Skipper to cross the finish line in Hobart.
Sanya Serenity Coast is now at the top of the Overall Race Leaderboard, two points ahead of Qingdao with Dare To Lead a further five points adrift. The third and final stage of the All-Australian Leg, which has been named Race 6: The Wondrous Whitsundays Race, will begin on Friday 5 January and will see the Clipper Race fleet head up the east coast of Australia to Airlie Beach, where the teams will be treated to true Queensland hospitality at the inaugural Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival between 13 – 29 January 2018.
SANYA TARGET AUSTRALIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY
Sanya Tourism Commission hosted a travel industry tourism conference designed to educate key tourism media, travel operators and destination marketing professionals about China’s tropical island destination of Sanya.
A key objective as a partner of the Clipper Race is to raise the global profile of Sanya as a holiday destination to key western markets such as Australia. The morning session aimed to educate delegates on the highlights of the island as a tourism destination which includes an average yearly temperature of 27˚C, pristine white sandy beaches and a wealth of cultural sites for visitors to explore. As part of the session, delegates had the opportunity to experience traditional entertainment from Sanya with a Li dance performance.
Keynote speakers included Mr Zhao Kuan from the Sanya Tourism Commission, who spoke about what Sanya can offer to tourists from Australia and also the excitement that is building ahead of the arrival of the Clipper Race fleet in February 2018. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston followed by highlighting the economic benefits that the Clipper Race can bring to a Host Port and how the race is a productive destination marketing platform. He used examples of how successful Host Port Partners can be such as Liverpool who generated £7.5M economic impact from hosting the start of the Clipper Race.
The conference concluded with the opportunity for guests to take a tour on-board the Sanya Serenity Coast yacht, meeting the international race crew and hearing about their experience so far and the excitement of their arrival into Sanya.
SETTING THE SCENE FOR SEATTLE AS A KEY DESTINATION FOR AUSTRALASIANS
December was a busy month for Visit Seattle in Sydney. It kicked off with the arrival of a delegation led by Visit Seattle who hosted a series of high-end events for leading Australian travel industry members. Their aim was to raise awareness of Seattle as a key destination for Australians for both tourism and trade.
In conjunction with the delegation’s visit, Visit Seattle hosted two sailing experiences on board the Visit Seattle Clipper 70 targeting local media, travel trade customers and consumers to create awareness of Visit Seattle’s partnership with the Clipper Race and to also build a relationship between Australian media and Visit Seattle.
To support its objective Visit Seattle launched a radio campaign with Sydney’s premier talk radio station 2GB, airing a series of destination interviews with Visit Seattle President and CEO, Tom Norwalk. The campaign featured a competition to win a half day sailing experience on board the Visit Seattle yacht, which was also aired through destination spots on 2GB's show "Talking Lifestyle."
The sailing experiences targeted tourism industry contacts through a competition which was put out through Flight Centre’s NSW Network, and consumer and trade media journalists, including publications from Boss Hunting, Fairfax Media, The Carousel and CIM news.
On the final experience Visit Seattle hosted consumers who were the winners from the 2GB radio competition, selected by the radio station.
The feedback from all three demographics has been very positive providing Visit Seattle with the perfect platform to build on in promoting and raising awareness of Seattle as the ‘new’ hot destination for tourism and trade for Australasians.
UNICEF AUSTRALIA REINFORCE COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS
Following the announcement that the Clipper Race has reached over 50% of its fundraising target for the 2017-18 edition. Unicef Australia leveraged its partnership with the Clipper Race to invite business guests, key stakeholders and partners to showcase its involvement with the Clipper Race and reinforce key commercial relationships.
Unicef Australia used its sailing experience activation to reinforce key existing partnerships and to act as a tool to leverage conversations for continued partnership and donation support. Attendees included guests from Ikea, Qantas, Australian Rugby Union, DLA Piper and 3P Learning as well as senior representatives from the Unicef New York office.
Guests were shown the Unicef Spinnaker of Support fundraising initiative which was on display in the RSHYR Village. Unicef’s guests marveled at the creative and cost-effective way of engaging supporters and raising funds for the charity as the crew go on their journey around the world.
Following the showcase of the Spinnaker of Support, guests from both sail days were brought on board the iconic blue Unicef yacht for a morning of sailing within Sydney Harbour. The platform of entertaining business guests on sail days and sharing a unique experience has facilitated a few hours of focused conversations and reinforcement of business relationships.
Jennifer Tierney, Director of Fundraising and Communications for Unicef Australia said “2017 was a particularly tough year for children. We were therefore so pleased to be able to join the Unicef crew aboard the Unicef boat to host key partners and supporters who have helped Unicef Australia this year. The informal setting proved the perfect opportunity for us to get to know our partners better, while enjoying the spectacular views of the harbour. Not only did our skipper and crew share sailing tips, they also made sure we enjoyed ourselves and that the whole experience was seamless - a truly wonderful way for us to wrap up 2017!”
The success of Unicef Australia’s activation with the Clipper Race in Sydney has already come to fruition, cementing conversations regarding partnership renewals between Unicef Australia and high-profile stakeholders. This business success showcases again how the Clipper Race can act as a conduit in business conversations and enhancing relationships.
CLIPPER RACE MARINE SUPPLIERS TAKE TO SYDNEY HARBOUR
The Sydney stopover saw three Clipper Race Official Suppliers leverage their partnership with the Clipper Race whilst the fleet was berthed at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA). Sydneysiders live and breathe sailing so what better platform for the marine suppliers to host business guests and showcase their product offering through their partnership with the Clipper Race.
Coppercoat, Official Antifoul Supplier, utilised its sailing experience to engage and build closer ties with product distributors and industry media. The day kicked off with Clipper Race Chairman and Co-Founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston welcoming guests on board a Clipper 70 and showing them around the yacht. After the morning sail, both morning and afternoon guests came together for a networking lunch and presentation on Coppercoat’s product offering and the Clipper Race. Australian and Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy Tuck took part in a Q&A session, supported by two crew members who gave an insight into life on board and their individual roles. The lunch session concluded with a prize draw for a year’s protection of Coppercoat antifoul. Business guests for the afternoon sailing session were then taken out on Sydney Harbor for an exhilarating afternoon of sailing.
Marlow Ropes, Official Rope Supplier, hosted its corporate sail day to showcase its brand and invaluable involvement in the race. Attended by key retailers of Marlow Ropes, the sailing experience enabled business guests to see first-hand how Marlow Ropes products perform on an ocean racing yacht that is sailed in some of the most extreme environments.
Henri Lloyd’s presence in Australia continued from the Fremantle stopover where they held a pop-up store through local retailer Burke Marine close to the CYCA. Henri Lloyd’s bespoke range created for the Clipper Race All-Australian Leg proved highly popular with crew members and the public. In addition to Henri Lloyd’s pop up store, business guests were invited out for an afternoon sailing where they utilised the platform to host new business discussions and showcase its support of the Clipper Race.
CLIPPER RACE CEO AWARDED OBE
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is proud to announce that its Co-Founder and Chief Executive, William Ward, has been awarded with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours List for his services to the economy and to the GREAT Britain campaign.
Following the announcement, officially revealed by Buckingham Palace, William said: “As a proud Briton, I am incredibly humbled to be recognised in this way. It feels quite overwhelming to be honest.
“I take enormous pride in the growth the Clipper Race has made since 1995 when my business partner Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and I first set out together. It’s always been a brilliant event for sailors and all those who possess an adventurous streak, but it’s also become increasingly important to our partners who have shared our vision and of course made our growth possible.
“The GREAT Britain campaign, which I am also very proud to be an Ambassador for, has always been a fantastic example of how our partners can best utilise our global business platform. Over the past three race editions partnered with the campaign we’ve worked with British Consuls in fifteen different destinations around the world, including London, Rio, Cape Town, Sydney, Beijing, Singapore, Da Nang, Seattle, San Francisco, Panama, New York and many more, using a GREAT Britain branded race team to showcase the important work the UK is doing around the world in business, tourism, education, sport and prosperity, projecting Britain’s values and opportunities as its GREAT Britain crew races around the world.”
Adding, William said: “The GREAT Britain partnership is just one example of hundreds of different business partners and international destinations we’ve worked with over our past twenty-one years in operation. It has been a fantastic journey so far and one which I’ve taken enormous satisfaction in seeing go from strength to strength, and I remain equally excited to see where it takes us over future decades.”
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has grown from a start-up venture to the world's largest event of its kind.
22 years in and now in its eleventh edition, 712 people signed up to compete in the Clipper 2017-18 Race on board its third generation of race yacht, the Clipper 70; over 5,000 people have now competed in this unique adventure and its organising company, Clipper Ventures, employs more than 70 staff across its HQ in Hampshire, UK, and training office in Sydney, Australia.
The relationship between its co-founders, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and William Ward, has been a great factor in the race’s success. William has always led the behind the scenes efforts to attract the business partnerships, like that of the GREAT Britain campaign, which have enabled the race not just to continue to be viable, but to grow with each edition.
Not one to seek the limelight, William has always been more comfortable playing the background role but his influence has been anything but low key. Aside from his business decisions, the friendship he and Robin have developed over the years has no doubt been a factor in the long-term success of the event, which has gone from strength to strength where competitors failed.
Commenting on William’s OBE in the 2018 New Year’s Eve Honours list, Clipper Race Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston congratulated his business partner, saying: “William highly deserves this recognition. It is very possible the Clipper Race may never have got off the ground without his brave decision to step in and back it all those years ago when the event faced its first challenges.
“William matches the passion the crew and I have and fully believes in the aim of the Clipper Race, which has been as integral factor in our success. We have faced all challenges to the business together over the years and with a weaker character at the helm, we may not have pulled through some of them but like the crew that choose to take on our challenge, William is determined and resourceful. He digs deep and has worked incredibly hard for what he believes in, which is ultimately why the Clipper Race has been the success it has been and how together and with our fantastic team, we’ve been able to provide this life-changing opportunity for so many people to enjoy around the world.”
William will be invited to officially receive his OBE at Buckingham Palace in the next few months.
INVICTUS GAMES SYDNEY 2018 PARTNER WITH CLIPPER VENTURES
Clipper Ventures was proud to partner with Invictus Games Sydney 2018 ahead of the RSHYR, which included two Clipper 68s crewed by wounded, injured and ill army veterans going through the recovery process taking each other on as well as the rest of the 102-strong fleet
The Invictus Games is an international adaptive sporting event for active duty and veteran servicemen and women. The Invictus Games Sydney 2018’s key objectives for partnering with Clipper Ventures were to leverage the Clipper 68s to promote the games in Sydney in 2018, to give 16 wounded, injured and ill UK and Australian veterans and defense personnel a unique sailing opportunity, and to act as a catalyst to build the Australian veterans’ sailing program into an entity that parallels that of the UK.
Billed as the “Ashes on the Water”, the British crewed Invictus Games Sydney 2018 GAME ON (CV10) was joined by Clipper Race Founder and Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, on board as navigator and beat the Australian crewed Invictus Games Sydney 2018 DOWN UNDER (CV5) into Hobart by just under 11 hours.
It was a sensational victory for Invictus Games Sydney 2018 GAME ON Skipper Will Parbury, who managed to beat six of the Clipper 70s across the line and was also presented with the Oggin Cup for being the first Armed Services yacht in the RSHYR on corrected time. The fascinating race between the two crews generated extensive coverage across key media outlets including Fox Sports Australia, Sky News Australia, Australian Business Corporation and The Australian (newspaper).
Ben Rahilly, CEO of the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 said; “It's been brilliant working with Clipper Ventures to create an Ashes on Water in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Service men and women need challenges to overcome and to be working in teams and Clipper Venture’s training and yachts provided the perfect platform. 16 inspiring stories of rehabilitation through sport are emerging as a result of the adventure and partnership with Clipper Ventures”.
CLIPPER CONNECT BUSINESS SERIES EVENT – CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURS AND SPORT
The fourth event in the Clipper Connect Business Series was a collaboration between the Clipper Race and Invictus Games Sydney 2018 to discuss the connectivity between entrepreneurs and sports success.
The panel leading the discussion included: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Founder and Chairman of the Clipper Race, William Ward, CEO of the Clipper Race, Tim Hodgson, Chief Commercial and Marketing Office of Invictus Games Sydney 2018 and Paul Wright, Head of Commercial Partnerships from the Australian British Chamber of Commerce.
The event opened with the opportunity for guests to network, before being seated to listen and take part in the panel discussion. Participants learned how the Clipper Race has evolved over the last 22 years and the entrepreneurial spirit behind its success. William Ward explained how the company has developed in terms of attracting global businesses to the race and the strength that the race has as a global marketing platform this, which can be illustrated with partnerships such as that with the GREAT campaign.
Tim Hodgson of Invictus Games Sydney 2018 gave the audience an overview of the creation of the Invictus Games and how it has developed through its entrepreneurial spirit since 2015. He also provided an insight into what the games has planned for Sydney in 2018, showing the audience some exciting footage of the Invictus Games, its objectives and also its projected outcomes.
He also discussed his experience of global business partnerships working with brands such as Jaguar Land Rover which is planning to execute its key business objectives using the Invictus Games Sydney as the platform. Tim finally highlighted the current interest that has been shown from corporate organisations both large and small within Sydney to support the Invictus Games
Paul Wright from the Australian British Chamber of Commerce gave us his insight into how a number of its members work alongside sports organisations on both a national and international level highlighting the benefits that this brings in terms of business development and entrepreneurial success. Paul practices this theory, recently becoming a Business Ambassador for the Rugby League World Cup in Australia and for the Commonwealth Games 2018, allowing him to continually develop commercial contacts through sport.
The panel then took the opportunity to discuss seven key characteristics for both successful entrepreneurs and sports professionals, including: passion, tenacity, vision, self-confidence, flexibility, rule breaking and tolerance of fear. Vicky Song, the first Chinese Woman to circumnavigate the world [who was in the audience], explained how these characteristics helped her to achieve her sporting success and achievements.
The event concluded with the guests having a further opportunity to network and also to take the opportunity to take a tour of the Qingdao team yacht.