Clipper Round the World 09-10
Qingdao’s participation in the Clipper Race has been instrumental in the city’s emergence as a world class sailing venue and helped secure the rights to stage the sailing events of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Skipper Chris Stanmore-Major has worked closely with Chinese race team and he and his crew have the task of building a winning campaign. This is where you’ll be able to read their diaries and follow their progress here throughout Clipper 09-10.
QINGDAO SKIPPER
Ever since Chris Stanmore-Major was employed as a bosun’s mate on the Hong Kong tall ship Ji Fung at the age of 18 he has, in his own words, “fitted into sail training like a square peg in a square hole.” As skipper of Qingdao in Clipper 09-10, his ability to train crews before the race start and to continue that learning process during the 35,000-mile challenge is vital.
Chris, 31, grew up in Torquay on the English Riviera and was taught to sail by his father, who first took him out on the River Dart when Chris was five.
“I’ve been sailing for as long as I remember,” he says. “At 18 I became a tall ship rigger for the Hong Kong...
READ MORE >MEET THE CREW
30 May 2009 – crew allocation day – was the first time the crew of Qingdao gathered en masse. They come from all walks of life - people like you getting ready to leave behind their normal lives to step outside their comfort zone and take on the challenge of a lifetime.
READ THE CREW PROFILES >