Third circumnavigation for New York Skipper - Media

Third circumnavigation for New York Skipper

22 October 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
22 October 2007

Double circumnavigator Duggie Gillespie arrived in Salvador, Brazil, on Sunday (21 October) to take over as Skipper of New York following the departure of Jerry Crew. Duggie, 40, has previously skippered corporate charters on the Clipper 68s and will skipper New York from Salvador back to Liverpool, where the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race will finish on 5 July 2008.

Soon after arriving in Salvador on Sunday, Duggie met up with the New York crew and started to prepare the yacht for the race ahead. “I’m really looking forward to it, although the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind trying to get everything sorted to fly out this morning,” he said.

Experienced skipper Duggie grew up in Kirkcudbright in Scotland and started sailing dinghies at school. After qualifying from the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester as a Chartered Surveyor, he took part in the first Global Challenge, the British Steel Challenge 1992-93, as a crew member aboard Interspray.

On returning from the Global Challenge, Duggie became a mate for Challenge Business and within a year became a skipper. Although he has two circumnavigations under his belt, the Clipper 07-08 route will provide a new set of challenges for him.

“Part of the appeal of taking part in Clipper 07-08 is visiting new places. It is a totally different route to my previous circumnavigations and I am really looking forward to the new challenge,” Duggie said. “I’m really looking forward to sailing into New York next year – that is going to be quite an experience,” he added.

“This will be my first east-about round the world race, so I’ll be going round the opposite way to the last times,” Duggie said. “It will give me a chance to ‘unwind’ my previous two west-about circumnavigations!” he added.

Race Director Joff Bailey said, “We’re delighted to have Duggie onboard as one of our ten Clipper 07-08 skippers. He has experience of successfully leading a team of amateur sailors around the world, and brings a wealth of experience to his role as skipper of New York.”

Duggie won both the Challenge Business inaugural Challenge Transat race and the Round Britain Challenge 2003, skippering the yacht LogicaCMG. When he is not sailing, Duggie enjoys outdoor sports including fell running and sea kayaking.

Jerry Crew, 42, left Clipper 07-08 in Salvador by mutual agreement with the Race Team and has returned to the UK for further medical treatment on a leg injury sustained during the race from La Rochelle to Salvador. Jerry sailed the first two races with New York finishing both in ninth place.

Race Director Joff Bailey said, “We wish Jerry all the best for the future and thank him for getting New York safely to Salvador.”

Leg 2 of the Clipper 07-08 Race from Salvador to Durban, South Africa, starts on Wednesday 24 October at 1500 GMT (midday local time). The progress of the fleet can be followed on the race viewer on http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com where the positions of the yachts are updated every six hours.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

- A low resolution image of Duggie is attached. High resolution files are available.

- Images from the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race will be hosted by World Wide Images on their online gallery at http://www.w-w-i.com/clipper_0708_race/. They are free for editorial use. Journalists may register on the site to obtain access to them.

- The Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race began on 16 September 2007 in Liverpool. The race lasts ten months and takes in 35,000 miles of ocean racing. The overall race is divided into seven legs and a total of 14 individual races. Points are accumulated according to each race position, and the yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

- For media information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Heather Ewing, Communications Coordinator Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000 Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695 Email:

Zoe Williamson, Communications Coordinator. In Salvador, 15-25 October: mobile: +55 71 9118 5242
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000 Mobile: +44 (0) 7793 417 751 Email:

- For further information log on to http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com