These are stripped down racing yachts designed to stand up to everything nature can throw at them
The boats of the Clipper Race fleet are stripped down racing yachts with open decks, a coffee grinder to operate the primary winches, basic crew accommodation and, like all professional racers, they carry a wardrobe of eleven sails.
The ten masthead cutters are 68-foot long, designed by renowned English yacht designer Ed Dubois and built in Shanghai, China. The yachts have a glass fibre composite sandwich construction made of two layers of glass fibre with a layer of balsa wood in between. This makes the hulls strong but also lightweight and therefore fast. Before each race they go through an extensive refit lasting several months in order to prepare them for the rigours of the challenge ahead. They are built to the latest Maritime and Coastguard Agency construction and safety requirements, coded to MCA Category 0.
Sails are changed by the crew and you might be involved in flying one of three different sized spinnakers, each the size of a tennis court, or changing down to one of the small storm sails when conditions get tough. Sailing in big following seas with the wind behind you, the flat shape of the hull means that that the yacht will surf down the waves at anything up to 30 knots, giving a truly exhilarating ride.
Below decks and you will find some pretty basic amenities. In the small galley where the day’s mother watch caters for the crew, there’s no fridge or microwave or any of the gadgets you’d take for granted in your own kitchen. Yet in this rocking, rolling environment, meals fit for a king are produced and hastily polished off by the skipper and his 18 crew.
There are two toilet cubicles, or heads, (pick the one you use depending on which tack the boat is on) one of which has a shower fitting. But face it, half way across the icy Southern Ocean, just how badly are you going to want to get out of your warm layers for a lukewarm shower? In any event, water is precious and also heavy so while there is a watermaker on board, don’t expect the luxury of daily showers. Instead, the crew learn to love wet wipes and they become the currency of a racing yacht at sea!
Completing the tour below decks, there’s the nav station where all the communications gear, charts and radar can be found. And there’s a saloon where people gather to eat or relax. More often than not, those who aren’t hard at work or eating will be asleep during their precious off-watch periods. The crew sleeping area is open plan and basic, with just a thin canvas lee cloth to stop you falling out of your bunk. But, despite the constant motion and noise from on deck, you’ll soon find yourself sleeping like a baby before the on watch gives you a shake and it’s your turn to get back on deck to race the boat once more.