Rio de Janeiro is the port of choice for the second stopover of the Clipper Round the World Yatch Race 09-10.  After sailing off from Humber, in the United Kingdom, and making their first stop in La Rochelle, France, the 10 competing vessels have started to arrive in Rio this Monday, 19 October, as Team Finland was able to secure line honours in Race 2 after crossing the Atlantica ahead of the competition.   This makes it two out of two for the Scandinacian entry, as teams will now regroup in Rio before facing yet another Atlantic crossing, this time sailing to Cape Town, in South Africa.

The Clipper Round the World is unique because crews are composed of ordinary people, not professional seamen.  Among the approximately 150 participants arriving in Rio, one can find students, executives, a taxi driver and even a pastor.  Before entering their training period for the race, some of these adventurers had never even stepped into a 68-foot yacht.

Conceived by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to complete a solo non-stop world circumnavigation, the Clipper aims at demystifying sailing and giving an opportunity to everyone who is willing face the challenge of taking a boat around the world.  Sir Robin Knox-Johnston himself will be in Rio de Janeiro during the stopover.

First priority on arriving in port will be to clean the yacht and begin the routine maintenance required to keep the boats in peak performance condition, as well as catching up on much needed sleep and food other than the tinned and dried variety on offer at sea.  Race 3 is due to start on Tuesday 27 October and it is important from the point of view of good seamanship that the teams get the opportunity to prepare themselves and their boats correctly for the next stage of the race.  Before that, on Saturday, he 24th, journalists will have the opportunity to sail around the calm waters of the Guanabara Bay in one of the competing boats.

Notes for Editors

Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race started on 13 September from the Humber on the UK’s east coast and will return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. Crew can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more legs. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

Images

A low resolution image of Team Finland’s crew following their Race 2 victory is attached. High resolution images are available on request.  Official images from Clipper 09-10 are available free for editorial use at:
www.w-w-i.com/clipper_0910_race/

Broadcast footage

Broadcast footage is available to download at:
www.clipperbroadcast.com
password: broadcaster

Interviews and general views are available on a generic race and specific boat basis to download on demand. (File format wmv).
               
For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

For media information or interviews please contact:

Glauco Paiva, Communication Manager
British Consulate General, Rio de Janeiro
Brazil Mobile: +55 (21) 9652-8453
Tel: + 55 (21) 2555-9624
Email: glauco.paiva@fco.gov.uk

Zoe Williamson, Communications Manager (in Rio de Janeiro, GMT -2)
Local Mobile: +55 21 8250 9210
UK Mobile: +44 (0) 7793 417 751
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: zwilliamson@clipper-ventures.com

Heather Ewing, Communications Manager
Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

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