Clipper Round The World Race

[corthellc]

What an opportunity! Amazing! what never heard of it?

Well Ten months, 35,000 miles of ocean racing and over 400 people facing the challenge of a lifetime. When the starting gun goes off for the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race on 13 September 2009 the fleet of ten sleek, stripped down 68-foot yachts will embark on a full circumnavigation of the globe. Could it be possibly these boats are full of amateurs? That's right one experienced Captain and 18 amateurs some never sailed before in there life.

pretty cool huh?

Well I have been fortunate enough have this opportunity come my way.

my problem is i need the support of the sailing community to make it happen.

But because of so much spam and so much abuse on the internet there is no trust that I am real and I am trying to do this and I am only 18 years old. Anyway thanks for listening. thats my grip for the day.lol

I am real I will answer you and would love to share this with everyone I can.

thanks crystal

[JeanneP]

I've gone to the web site, and it's very well done. But they left out the important part. How much does it cost a crew member to participate?

[corthellc]

Originally Posted by JeanneP

I've gone to the web site, and it's very well done. But they left out the important part. How much does it cost a crew member to participate?

Well if you sign up and pay completely up front it comes to 31,950.00 British Pounds. But if you sign up for addition legs as you get the money for them it comes to 33,450.00. For Training and the actual race, with some gear but not all of it you also have to pay for flights for training and flights to where you start and from where you finish. Also the rest of the gear you will be needing during the race. and medical shots needed to safely enter certain areas. For individual legs of the race the pricing is as follows.

Leg 1 UK- Western European Port - South America 4,660.00 British Pounds.

Leg 2 South America - South Africa 3,900.00 British Pounds.

Leg 3 South Africa - Australia 4,175.00 British Pounds.

Leg 4 Australia - Singapore - China 4,650.00 British Pounds.

Leg 5 China - TBC - West Coast North America 4,175.00 British Pounds

Leg 6 West Coast North America - Panama - Caribbean 4,280.00 British Pounds.

Leg 7 Caribbean - Ireland(unconfirmed) - UK 4,660.00 British Pounds.

[Frank]

Leave your money in the bank..go to the crew finder on this site ...go sailing

Just my 2 pesos worth

Saludos

Frank

ps this is not a negative post this is a positive post

[jimq26]

Just wondering if you had ever thought of getting a job?

You'll have to work but it's a step up from begging for free money to suit your personal needs.

You've got 8 months. Why not try it.

[Lighthouse]

Originally Posted by corthellc

pretty cool huh?

Well I have been fortunate enough have this opportunity come my way.

my problem is i need the support of the sailing community to make it happen.

Hi Crystal

Yes, it is pretty "cool".

However, to get the support of the sailing community I think it would be up to you to give a pretty compelling pitch as to why sailors should donate money to you and not to some other deserving cause. Give some reasons why you would be more deserving than say, a Pacific island community wanting to teach kids to sail, or, trying to set up a medical facility on an outlying island.

Please give us some reasons for helping you join this rally - why should we assist you? What sailing have you done up to now? Have you contributed anything to sailing? etc.

Help us out here. This is a whole lot of money.

Good luck.

[redbopeep]

Hi, Crystal,

I am normally very supportive of people who want to get out there and have great fun. But, I must say, that typically... when that great fun is at great expense and looks like a good business model for the event coordinators but not really a good deal for the participants, I'm not too excited--I worry about the participant. Then, when I learn that the participant is looking for ummm...handouts? I'm really not too excited. I don't know much about you, but your post paints a picture of a young woman who is truly out-of-touch with reality. I imagine that is not what you intended and that you're a nice person but you've just not thought this through.

9 out of 10 cruisers have saved money for years and years to be able to make their cruising dreams come true--and they're an independent bunch, though generous, they wouldn't consider asking others for a free handout. Making your appeal on this cruising website is likely not the most effective way to raise the money you seek.

This race you're interested in is a wonderful opportunity for someone, who really has the money to spend with no regrets, to have an exciting time sailing.

It sounds like you don't have that kind of money--and if it is your dream to race, I'd suggest you find other, less costly, ways of achieving that dream. Or, as already suggested, get a job, make a good amount of money and then live your dream with your own funds.

That's a huge amount of money. Slightly under $50K US. It is entirely out of proportion to the experience you'll be getting from the race organizers.

Putting it into perspective:

1. You can buy your own boat for $10K to $50K and sail it yourself around the world. Yea, it will be small, and you won't have all kinds of kudos for "racing" but you'll be having a blast and probably become a much better sailor for it.

2. There are cruisers who can live on $50K US for years--and years, and years...while cruising. I know folks who started in any given decade--1960's, 1970's 1980's 1990...and today....with 50K or less cruising kitty and they are all still sailing and living their dreams.

3. You can get an education with that kind of money--and then get a higher paying job and buy a bigger-better boat OR cruise for longer OR get a racing boat if that's your thing for some racing fun.

Final suggestion: Go to the crew finder on this site, answer some ads or place an ad about yourself and your interest in sailing--if you're really interested in sailing and not just this particular, costly, adventure. If you place an ad, you are likely to find cruisers who are willing to have you join them on their boat and you are likely to have a wonderful time sailing the world's oceans--all without spending $50K US. All for the cost of your food while on board and getting yourself to the boat. Now, THAT's a wonderful opportunity and you can feel fortunate to have it come your way.

Best of luck in your endeavors,

Brenda

[Collingwood]

Young lady, your begging post is completely out of place here.

You are asking for a lot of cash and so, I did a little homework and found your website, which although nicely done, was just one long request for money and yet, from it, we learn that your interests range from "snowboarding, snowmobiling, skating, hockey, horseback riding, lake sailing, sketching, sculpting and painting, to traveling." Many of the interests you name are rather expensive. We also learn that your family has a yacht, that you have within the past year or so visited Florida, California and Europe and that you own a horse. As you live in Wyoming, owning a horse may not be so unusual but that, as well as your trips and interests, obviously costs money.

There are thousands, nay millions, of deserving people in this world: people who own nothing and live short and painful lives on less than a dollar a day [read The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier!]. Can you come up with any good reason why the cruising community should give you the $35,000 dollars you are asking for to support just you, one person from a wealthy family [wealthy in absolute terms rather than relative to the society in which you live], persuing a high-cost interest when the same money could feed 1,000 pitifully poor people for an entire year?

My advice to you, if you want to join the race, is to do one or more of the folowing:

* get a job and save the money

* sell off some of your assets

* ask for cash by all means but ask your parents to lend it to you rather than begging from the general public.

I hope you can raise the money you need to fulfill your dream but not by begging and scrounging here.

[JeanneP]

Crystal, you seem to be verbally abused on many of the forums where you've posted this identical request, and at least one where you seem to be ignored. About the kind of treatment accorded to panhandlers.

Only people who know you will have any way to judge whether, after forking over that much money, you will persevere when the going gets tough and uncomfortable. After all, if you don't have to work very hard to get there, how hard are you going to work to stay there?

As one of the majority of cruisers who had only my own resources (counting in my husband's efforts as well, natch) on which to rely, I am not interested in pouring money down a rathole, which is what I look at any money given to a privileged 18-y.o. to spend on what she considers "cool". This is not said in anger, disdain or ridicule. You are a child who wants something and thinks that panhandling is the way to get it. If you don't work for it, what are you going to do when you discover just how much work is involved in this venture?

If you don't want to borrow, and your parents don't want to give you the money, then why ask strangers?

[Nausikaa]

Crystal, I am beginning to wonder how badly you need the cash. You posted an ad asking for cash yet you have not been back here for 24 hours. That's not a long time but when you are asking for money then you should be paying more attention.

I am not going to repeat what others have stated but I would like to reiterate one thing. Go to the crewing section of this forum and offer yourself as a crew on a cruising boat. You will, I am sure, be offered a berth and it will cost you your airfares and food; no more. What maybe more to the point is what you will get out of it in comparison to paying a fortune for the Clipper race.

If you do the clipper race you will visit but a few places, have a great experience and pay half the Chinese national debt for it. If you cruise instead on a cruising yacht you will visit far more places, be a "family" member rather than just a crew member, probably learn far more about seamanship and navigation as well as all else required to navigate a yacht around the world. Above all else, you will join the most friendly and supportive community on the globe. You will gain more at a fraction of the cost.

My advice, forget you plans for the Clipper race (even that being a falsehood as these are not clipper ships) and join the cruising community instead.

Good luck,

Aye // Stephen

[svtadpole]

The "Clipper" round-the-world yacht racing consortium is figureheaded by no less than Sir Robin Knox-Johnston ... generally speaking they own 10 Chinese-built 68ft ocean racing sloops similar to the Volvo round-the-world vessels (although less hi-tech being GRP rather than carbon fibre) ... each boat is sponsored by a city, state or country & it seems that the race legs & stopoffs are mainly cities or states which choose to sponsor a "Clipper" ... each boat has a professional skipper & is manned by paying crew ... some participating cities sponsor deserving individuals for parts of the race although, in the main, the crews consist of self-funded adventurers ... no proir sailing experience is required as full training is given ...

IMHO ... at an average of over 4300 per leg (7 legs total) it is quite a pricey way to get blue water racing experience

And finally, in parting ... these are Clippers :



whilst this is a bermuda rigged sloop :

[totemthepole]

This is totally ridiculous. 18 crewmembers paying 33,000 GBP equals 575,100 GBP which equals almost a MILLION USD!!!!! That is for EACH BOAT.

You can get racing experience for free, the same way I did when I was young. Give me a million dollars and I will build a boat to take in the race. This is completely absurd, I can't believe people are going for this. It is a scam.

[JeanneP]

Originally Posted by totemthepole

This is totally ridiculous. 18 crewmembers paying 33,000 GBP equals 575,100 GBP which equals almost a MILLION USD!!!!! That is for EACH BOAT.

You can get racing experience for free, the same way I did when I was young. Give me a million dollars and I will build a boat to take in the race. This is completely absurd, I can't believe people are going for this. It is a scam.

You won't get any arguments from me! Perhaps it's for the arithmetically challenged - more money than brains?

[chiroeurope]

Um you know,

I worked crew on two boats for three years in High school to earn the respect to get a partial sponsorship on a race in Lake Huron and that was for only two legs. I had to prove to a lot of people that I knew not only how to follow orders but also how to do what was need when needed without orders. It took a good part of hard work from my newspaper route and the gardening business I ran at the time to pay for those four days. It was worth it.

I than helped some others get to their dreams by finding ways to fund their dreams out of realistic means. What I see with the "clipper" race and so many other Adventure packages aimed at the public (many with the trappings of helping a charity) is that they teach people (especially the young) to expect society to give them what they want, gratis.

Crystal you have most likely written this board off as a lost cause and gone on to looking for kindred spirits that understand your desire and will aid you getting there. Good luck. If, and that is a mighty big IF you pull it off than I wish you the best off luck. Just remember that from what i see the crew are hopefully fully aware that they are being used as well as using others.

This is why among certain groups here in the UK the RYA certificates are only as good as a combination of the teacher who taught them and ability of the student to learn the lessons before they are needed. It is well known that in certain parts of the world you can pretty much buy your Yachtmaster which is really a shame as it was once a very high standard that required true understanding and skill.

Than again look at the education system globally and you see the effects of the Prussian model. The value of most degrees these days is limited to the head. I hate having to say that having a Doctorate myself (earned through over 7 years of good hard study).

To all the other cruisers here, I think we can see the bones of this here horse. Crystal, get your USCG certificate for crew and I am sure you can find more than a few people that will take you on and you will learn a whole lot more than what that race will teach you.

You like horses, good. Most stables need one or two good willing hands to help deal with the chores and it will build up the body strength you need to handle sheets under load or if you have to deal with and MOB (God forbid, but they have had one so far in the "race"). If you are really dead set on it than find a charity you believe in. Go to them and get permission for half of everything you raise to go to them and than go out and do the fund raising with a bit better plan than you have right now and a bit more grounding in the time involved.

My Father told us boys when young (he only had sons); First find what you want to do in life, Second find a place you can do it and afford to live, Third get there. Implied in that was counting the cost to get from start to the next start. As the only "finish" line for anyone is either the deep or a wooden suit. Think about that Crystal.

Michael

[Sheesh]

Have been considering this myself, I'm 33 have no family no inheritance and an average wage slave job, I have been dreaming of taking up sailing for almost 5 years. My options are work my *** off and save what I can, realistically this would take me 2-3 years to save for one leg at £4-5k. on the subject of value its not bad for 1 leg, they provide full training which comes to about of 32 days of training including 8 RYA qualifications (these are £100 - £500 each) so you do get something to show for it. As with all things the bigger and more organised things become the higher the costs. I think I'm going to have to curb my dreams and save for individual RYA courses and work my way through what courses I can afford.

I have such a determination to become a sailor and get out on the high seas I'm now teaching myself carpentry, looking at fibreglass/ferro cement/carbon fibre techniques for construction advantages of rigging types draft types. I've looked at materials, designs, construction, maintenance, stresses, tolerances, sourcing, manufacturers, looking to improve current design and innovate solutions beyond what is currently available... Long story short I am devouring every bit of sailing information I can possibly get my hands on to see if I can bring my goal of having my own boat closer, and I know if I make a mistake it could cost me my life. £30k would buy me a boat and supplies and have me sailing for 2 years around the world and give me somewhere to live at the end of it.

Personally I would be ecstatic to get my hands on a second hand sextant (yes I did look at making my own and can do it to a reasonable accuracy using ancient arabian designs but it wouldn't give enough for larger ocean voyages) or second hand books or charts I can use to practise and train myself but I would never have the audacity to ask for money just out of respect for myself.

If you think you can raise £30k for yourself good luck to you can think of 50 charities that I would rather give my money too..