Round The World Yacht Race To Stop At Santa Cruz

The Clipper Round the World Yacht race 07/08 fleet will be docking at Santa Cruz in California for a ten day stopover as it sails in after a challenging leg across the Pacific from Hawaii.

By the time the Clipper Fleet docks in Santa Cruz, the ten 68-foot yachts will have travelled 25,000 miles and stopped at nine ports on five continents. Despite those gruelling statistics, the yachts will still have another 10,000 miles to travel before they reach the end of the 10 month race.

During the ten-day stopover, routine maintenance will be carried out on the yachts; they will be restocked and the crews will take a rest from ocean-going duties, although they will still be very busy preparing the yachts for the race’s next leg, 3,300 miles down the Pacific to Panama.

The Clipper Round the World Race 2007-08 has a truly American feel with six American crew aboard a yacht named ‘New York’, and Santa Cruz being one of three US ports visited in the race’s circumnavigation of the globe. However, this is the first time that the Clipper race has been hosted by Santa Cruz. Clipper chairman and noted solo sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said: “We’re delighted that the Clipper Race will be visiting Santa Cruz in April next year. This will be the first time that the Clipper fleet has visited California and I’m certain that the crews will receive a warm welcome from the people of Santa Cruz.”

It would appear that the Port Commission is also eagerly anticipating the event, with spokesman Bill Lee adding: “The port of Santa Cruz is honoured to have been selected as a port of call on the Clipper Race. The race will create an ideal opportunity for family, friends and followers to visit our city. Be assured that everyone will receive a warm welcome.”

The ten yachts in the race are each manned up to 17 individuals from 27 countries and come from a variety of backgrounds. Prior to the start of the race in Liverpool, 40% of the crew members had no sailing experience, but by the time they reach Santa Cruz some eight months later they will all be able sea-hands.

This idyllic Californian town is expecting a mini bonanza with the arrival of the fleet and finding a hotel in Santa Cruz that isn’t sold out when the yachts sail in will be a challenge.

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys travelling.

Other articles by Andrew Regan

Getting the Latest Marketing News - by Andrew Regan
Few will dispute the importance of an organisation staying up to date with market development. In fact, no analytical business tool can question the value of monitoring business trends and other relevant information.

British Gambling Survey Reveals No Increase In Gambling - by Andrew Regan

Over the past few years casinos and online gambling in the UK have been subject to many newspaper stories, leading many to believe that an increased number of people were gambling, with the possibility of a large proportion succumbing

Astros announce Houston Baseball Media Wall of Fame - by Andrew Regan

The late female sports reporter Anita Martini, who in 1974 fought for the right to interview baseball players in the clubhouse post-game alongside her male counterparts, has been named as the inaugural inductee in the Houston Baseball Media Wall

Buying a Car With Kids in Mind - by Andrew Regan

Buying a new car can often be a daunting task and after buying a new house, it is probably the most important decision a new family can make. Faced with seemingly endless possibilities, try to keep the following

See What Your Credit Card Can Do For You - by Andrew Regan

Two-thirds of adults in the UK have a credit card, and over 60% of those have more than one. In fact, studies show that in 2004 there were more than 4 cards in use for every adult in the

Newest Articles in Recreation and Sports

History of RollerBlades - by Nathan Hicks
Roller blades, roller skates or inline skates all refer to a skate. History of roller blade is somewhat long and winding. While people often use the term roller blade for the boot with wheels underneath, it may

Curling in England - Alive and Well in Kent - by Gordon Bryan
Curling in England is alive and well, as October 1st sees the start of the 2008/9 season at Fenton's Rink near Tunbridge Wells in Kent.
This is the only place to play curling in England, and the small but growing

RTP Sports Camps - A Coaches Story! - by Kent Janz
It was 2001 and I had wanted to run my own Sports Camps for a few years. I was one of those hard workers that never gets any compensation. Always volunteering as a coach and working at

Golf Flexibility Tests -- Compare Your Flexibility To A Top Golfer - by Nick Bayley
Here are some simple golf flexibility tests you can do to see if your current flexibility is hurting your golf game or not. And the first golf flexibility test is the sit-and-reach test. This test is basically

Playing Competitive Checkers in Texas - by Patt Carpenter
Youth in Austin, Dallas, Houston and other locations in Texas play checkers more often than chess. If you're an individual who's a serious checker player, you sometimes have to defend your position that checkers is better than chess! Of course, both games have merit, but here are some of checkers finer points.