‘Clipper’ bursary winners

Each will act as ambassadors for the city on legs from UK to Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town, China to San Francisco, San Francisco to New York and New York to UK (including Londonderry).

The five bursary winners are Niall Boyle (22) from Altnagelvin, Shauna O’Neill (22) from the Strand Road, Shayne McClure (39) from Strathfoyle, Matthew Plumber (42) from Sandbank and Padraig McConway (25) from Shantallow.

The bursary programme is being organised by Derry City Council ‘s KICKSTART to Work Employment Programme.

Mayor Maurice Devenney said: “I am very supportive of the bursary provided by Council for this unique event. The Clipper race is part of our preparations for the 2013 UK City of Culture and part of our international profile to bring the new opportunities for tourism, economic investment and cultural connections to a wider audience.”

Claire Lundy, Marketing and Communications Officer commented:

“The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the longest amateur yacht race.

“The bursary was open to unemployed or those participating in an employability progrramme living in the Derry City Council area who were committed to act as an ambassador to the city and help us share and tell the new story of the city as part of this unique event.

“Derry City Council’s investment in the bursary and the partnership with KICKSTART meant that it made participation in the race more accessible to people across all spectrums of life in the city.”

Heather Ewing from the Clipper Round the World team said: “The bursary winners are all novices and we provide an intensive sail training to become a safe and competent member of a race crew.

“The courses are fully accredited and all crew members undergo theory courses in navigation and meteorology. We are delighted that Council and KICKSTART has come on board to support the event in this way and we are looking forward to working with the bursary winners in this event.”

The Bursary was supported by Derry City Council and facilitated by the Kickstart to Work Programme.

The hosting of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in the city in July 2012 is supported by a range of agencies including Londonderry Port & Harbour, Ilex URC & Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

The Clipper 11-12 race will last 11 months, setting from off from Southampton on 31 July and returning in July 2012.

The race will start from the UK and will visit a mainland European port before the first transatlantic cross to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, on to South Africa, Western Australia, New Zealand, the east coast of Australia, Singapore, Qingdao, a mammoth race across the Pacific to the west coast of north America (which will take approximately five weeks) through the Panama Canal and from there up to New York and the east coast of North America, back across the Atlantic to Derry~Londonderry and back to the finish port.

The Clipper 11-12 fleet is due to arrive in Derry~Londonderry in July 2012.

Each of the yachts is raced by up to 17 crew and one professional skipper at any one time - a total of 18 on board.

Approximately ten crew members in each team will take part in the full circumnavigation while the other members will join the yacht for one or more legs, which means there will be approximately 45-50 people in the Derry~Londonderry team. Multiply that by 10 teams and there will be between 450 and 500 people competing in Clipper 11-12.