Pre-Race Training - Race News

Pre-Race Training

10 July 2007

The Courses

As a crewmember you will receive a minimum of 19 days of race training split into the following three parts.

Part A
An intensive seven-day training session covering basic seamanship and the skills needed to live and work afloat. A combination of day sailing and longer offshore passages will prepare you to take your place aboard an ocean racing yacht with confidence, competence and safety.

Part B
The next seven-day course will consolidate the lessons learned in Part A and begin to develop the skills necessary to race safely and competitively offshore. Again, the week will be divided between inshore and offshore sailing with the emphasis on team work and competitive racing techniques.

Part C
Once assigned to your team, this five-day race training session will include one or more two to three day offshore races enabling each crewmember to experience the pressures of ocean racing within a structured training environment and giving you a real taste of things to come.

Crewmembers taking part in the whole race will be required to join undertake Part C courses. In the run-up to the start of the race, time will be set aside for the teams to prepare themselves and their yachts. All crewmembers will be expected to participate in this preparatory period, the time you commit to it proportionate to the number of legs you are participating in.

Clipper Training

In 2007 Clipper Ventures launched a new division, Clipper Training, RYA-accredited and headed up by former round the world skipper, James Allen. We have been working hard to develop new and improved training courses that are available to the public, as well as to Clipper Race crew.

These world-class training courses now include Offshore Safety, teaching all the personal safety and survival techniques required to maximise the chances of survival in the event of an emergency at sea. It includes RYA/ISAF Basic Sea Survival, Offshore Emergency First Aid and the Marine Radio Short Range Certificate.

In addition we organise pre-race training courses in sail repair, rigging, electronic instrumentation, communications, media and engine maintenance for those crewmembers taking responsibility for those areas within their team onboard their yacht.