Clipper Race spreads its wings

Clipper Ventures, the parent company of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has bought one of the RYA’s leading sailing schools in the UK, the Hamble School of Yachting.

Clipper Race Chairman and Co-Founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston explains: “The decision to buy the Hamble School of Yachting is part of a wider strategy to develop our offering within the offshore sailing industry.

“Clipper Ventures is the world’s leading provider of offshore sail training and Hamble School of Yachting is one of the RYA’s leading sail training schools in the UK which makes us a strong match. We welcome Chris and his team to the Clipper Ventures family and look forward to an exciting future of maintaining ourselves as the Gold Standard for sail training.”

The Hamble School of Yachting has been running for over 35 years, specializing in helping people who want to learn how to sail by providing a full range of RYA sailing courses and lessons, from beginner to professional level.

The acquisition comes at an exciting time for Clipper Ventures which recently announced Clipper China, its Chinese sail training division set up to meet the country’s growing participation in offshore sailing. This expansion in China will benefit significantly from Hamble School of Yachting’s vast expertise in delivering world leading training.

Chris Rushton, Principal of Hamble School of Yachting, said: “The Hamble School of Yachting is well established in the UK sail training industry but to link up with Clipper Ventures and be able to share our commitment to increasing sailing participation and top-class standards on a truly global level makes this a very exciting move, especially given the growing opportunities to lead the industry in China.

“There is a huge crossover in what we both do and ultimately we are looking forward to working together to get more people out on the water and train them to the highest possible standards.”

In addition to growing both businesses through their networks of crew and students, there will be the added opportunity to develop the Clipper Race Additionally Qualified Persons and Clipper Race Skipper talent pools.

The Clipper Race is a challenge like no other and whilst 40 per cent of crew have never sailed before, it is an equally tough and enticing accomplishment for those with existing sailing qualifications. Clipper Race crew members often go on to formalize their Clipper Race training through the RYA training programme, with many crew from previous editions completing the Yachtmaster Offshore and Ocean qualifications.

Hamble School of Yachting will retain its existing name and branding, and will sit alongside Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Clipper Events and Clipper China under the Clipper Ventures umbrella.

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
Almost 5000 novices have been turned into ocean racers during the past 23 years of the Clipper Race, though still more people have climbed Mount Everest than circumnavigated the globe.

Eleven Clipper Race teams compete on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts. Around 710 crew come from all walks of life and from all around the world, with over 40 different nationalities represented. Crew can complete the full circumnavigation, or one or more of the eight legs that make up the Clipper Race.

The Clipper 2017-18 Race began in Liverpool in August 2017, visited six continents and crossed six ocenas. Clipper 2017-28 Race stopovers in Punta del Este, Cape Town, Fremantle, Sydney, Hobart, The Whitsundays, Sanya, Qingdao, Seattle, Panama, New York and Derry-Londonderry.

After crossing six oceans and visiting thirteen stopover ports on six continents, the fleet returned to Liverpool’s Albert Dock almost a year later for Race Finish on Saturday 28 July 2018, where the Sanya Serenity Coast team was awarded the illustrious Clipper Race trophy.

The twelfth edition of the race will begin in Summer 2019. www.clipperroundtheworld.com.

Source: Kathryn Pridie, Clipper Ventures