The appeal of the Clipper Race for many of its participants is the chance to race a big boat in challenging conditions of wind, wave and weather all the way around the globe. Sometimes the conditions are particularly demanding and unfortunately a crewmember gets hurt.
In early March, Trudi Bubb, 50, a British sailor on board the race boat Unicef was injured when the boat fell off a wave during extreme weather in the Yellow Sea and Bubb suffered a fall below decks in the galley area. Bubb is suspected of having a fractured arm and Unicef is diverting to Shanghai so she can receive X-rays and further medical attention.
The fleet of Clipper racers on the leg from Da Nang, Vietnam, to Qingdao, China, was hit by storm conditions with winds gusting to 80 knots with extended periods at 55 to 60 knots. According to a Clipper Race press release, “It was a tumultuous night with the fleet experiencing some of the worst conditions of the entire 40,000-nautical-mile circumnavigation so far.”
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Crewmember Trudi Bubb. |
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Courtesy The Clipper Race |
Unicef relief Skipper Paul Atwood described the conditions: “Slamming, driving rain, the steady 50 to 60 knots breeze peaking at a gust of 92 knots, the air full of horizontal spray, waves filling the cockpit…
“Last night was a tad hectic, very windy, very bouncy and saw us go around in circles as we attempted and succeeded in one evolution after another, each of which take 10-15 minutes in the Solent, or Sydney Harbour, but which last night were taking 60-90 minutes each.”
The Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race, the 10th edition of the biennial global series, is the world’s longest ocean race at more than 40,000 miles, taking 11 months to race between six continents.
It is currently the eighth stage of a 14-race global series, from Da Nang, Vietnam, to Qingdao, China.
