Durban 2010 and Beyond - Crew Profiles

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The question of "who takes part in the Clipper Races?" always gets an interesting response due to the diversity of its competitors. No experience necessary! Young and old, male or female, at Clipper we encourage people from all walks of life to take part in the adventure!

Skipper

Ricky Chalmers

Age 46, Professional Skipper

Durban Clipper will once again have a Durbanite skipper at the helm when she sails into her home port after crossing the Atlantic from Brazil. Ricky Chalmers, 46, discovered sailing comparatively later in life than his new colleagues, but that is not holding him back from being a seriously competitive yachtsman. This will be his second circumnavigation, having been a crew member on the 2004 Global Challenge race.

Born in the city and educated at Durban High School and the University of Natal, Ricky had a nail-biting wait to find out which boat he had been allocated to and is delighted with the outcome.

“It’s quite a thrill really,” beams Ricky. “It’s my home port, I was born there, brought up there, my parents are still there and they’re super-chuffed about the whole thing!”

Crew Profiles

Neil Withers

Age 44, Firefighter

Neil was on the hunt for adventure when he found Clipper Ventures at the London Boat Show in 2006. Immediately the firefighter from London was hooked. He has worked for London’s fire brigade for the last 18 years and was one of a team sent out to help at Ground Zero following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and was also on the scene after the July bombings in London in 2005. He’s taking a sabbatical to take part in the race and hopes to meet up with firefighters from services around the world during the port visits.

No stranger to adventure, having dived, run marathons and climbed to Everest base camp and all the way up Mount Kilimanjaro Neil is prepared to take on all the oceans and the elements can throw at him. “It’s the trepidation of not knowing that’s the exciting part,” he says. “The biggest fear, I suppose, is the big seas and waves but I’m looking forward to the excitement of visiting all these countries and working as a team.”

Neil got married to his South African girlfriend, Lauren, at the beginning of July 2007 and she’ll be flying out to meet him during the port visits.

Mandy Brown

Age 46, Senior Lecturer

A senior lecturer in management at the University of Hull, Mandy had only ever been on a yacht a few times before getting caught by the Clipper bug. Here’s how she ended up as a round the worlder on Durban 2010. “In November in 2006, although having been in a job that I enjoy and had been doing for 12 years, I felt that life needing shaking up a little and it was time to face new challenge, so I had decided to take a 3 month career break in 2008.

I was sitting at my desk trying to decide what to do with the time. My only criteria were that I should learn a new skill and travel. Literally, as I was listing and crossing off options, into my inbox appeared an email seeking crew for the Hull & Humber Clipper – a Eureka moment. Timing, serendipity, whatever its name – this has meant that the career break is now for ten months and that I will be sailing all the oceans – the Great Blues.”

Now resident in East Yorkshire, Mandy lived in South Africa for two and a half years working on development projects in the ten southern African countries, worked for three months as a volunteer with street children in Bogotá, Columbia, and travels regularly to Singapore, Hong Kong and the Middle East to teach Hull University’s MBA programme.

Crew List

Anne Dickens, 49, Finance Manager
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
- Salvador - Durban
- Durban - Freemantle
Bill Adams, 67, Retired
Legs
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
Charlotte Neal, 32, Chartered Surveyor…
Legs
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Claire Johnson, 38 , Patent Examiner…
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
Colin Hart, 31, Art Director
Legs
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
Dave Colton, 61 , Communications Officer…
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
David Joyce, 46, Heavy Goods Driver…
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
- Salvador - Durban
- Durban - Freemantle
Elizabeth Clark, 57, Adminstrator
Legs
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
Ericka Norris, 56, Retired nurse/care…
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
- Salvador - Durban
Frank Ellis, 54, Civil Engineer
Legs
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
Gillian Tewson, 52, General Practitioner…
Legs
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
Hagen Tropper, 46, IT Systems Analyst…
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
Ian Deas, 51 , Investment Director…
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
James Maltin, 32, Investment Manager…
Legs
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Jan Nel, 46, Farm Manager
Legs
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Janet Flynn, 39, IT Web Designer
Legs
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
Johan van der Westhuizen, 40, Portfolio…
Legs
- Salvador - Durban
John Allen, 40, Farm Manager
Legs
- Durban - Freemantle
John Gray, 57 , Headteacher
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
Keith Howard, 50 , Senior Manager,…
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
Lauren McCorkell, 30, Nursery Assistant…
Legs
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Lucy Wood, 37, Recruitment
Legs
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Mandy Brown, 46 , University Lecturer…
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
Michelle Evert, 37, IT Consultant
Legs
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Msawenkosi Johannes (Joe) Xaba, 25,…
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
- Salvador - Durban
Neil Campbell, 53, Farmer
Legs
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
Neil Withers, 44 , Firefighter
Legs
- Full Circumnavigation
Nigel Owen, 51, Aerospace Engineer…
Legs
- Durban - Freemantle
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Patricia Storbeck, 40, Part-time Book…
Legs
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
Paul Harrison, 47, Architect
Legs
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Peter Burtenshaw, 27, Building Surveyor…
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
- Salvador - Durban
- Durban - Freemantle
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
Peter Evans, 53, Doctor
Legs
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Pieter Storbeck, 17, Student
Legs
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
Rodney Beresford, 46, Finance Manager…
Legs
- Salvador - Durban
Shyam Gupta, 27, Accountant
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
- Salvador - Durban
Stephanie Hills, 37, Public Relations…
Legs
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Stephen Holmes, 52, Engineer
Legs
- Durban - Freemantle
Tom Crabtree, 35, Property Developer…
Legs
- Liverpool - La Rochelle - Salvador
Tony Moore, 47,
Legs
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
Tore Taraldsvik, 64, Consultant -…
Legs
- Durban - Freemantle
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA
- West Coast USA - Panama - Jamaica
- Jamaica - New York - East Coast N.America - Europe - Liverpool
Wijbrand Tuinstra, 23, International…
Legs
- Freemantle - Singapore - Qingdao
- Qingdao - Hawaii - West Coast USA