Neil Withers
Claire Johnson
I have done a fair bit of sailing on tall ships, including a couple of transatlantic trips, and wanted to try something different, which does not require a cast of thousands to perform a manoeuvre. I also wanted to have a break from my nice comfortable, but rather monotonous job in front of a computer.
Ian Deas
The Clipper Race has given me the opportunity to take a career break and embark on a once in a lifetime adventure. I have been given an extended leave of absence from my employer, Pantheon Ventures, a private equity fund-of-funds, with whom I have been with for 17 years and am an Investment partner in the San Francisco Office.
Keith Howard
For many years I have said to friends and family … one day I am going to sail around the world …. One evening last November I was on the train travelling home from work whereupon I saw a full page advert in the London Evening Standard for the Clipper 07/08 round the world race. Almost immediately I sensed this is it, I’m going to do this.
Mandy Brown
I lecture Personal and Management Development, at Hull University, and decided to practice what I preach - life needed a new challenge. Having decided to take a career break I had no idea what to do, just that I wanted to learn a new skill.
John Gray
I always thought that one day I would sail off into the distant yonder. From the very first time I was introduced to the sea as a child I suspect that I was hooked. That was probably the start of my long trip.
Hagen Tropper
I’ve sailed for about 25 years, most of the time in the Mediterranean Sea. My dream of lifetime was sailing around the world as a crew member in a race and now I have the chance and have quit my job to do it.
Tom Crabtree
From the day I first climbed on to a windsurf board age 6 I was hooked, I knew then that I wanted to spend as much time on the ocean as possible. Since then I have been fortunate enough to windsurf and kitesurf all over the world in some of the great locations from Western Australia to Brazil, Hawaii, Mauritius and South Africa.
Dave Colton
Ericka Norris
I am more inclined not to procrastinate these days 'Just do it' is my sentiment, and with that I have engaged new skills one being sailing. The 'team' effort is also an important dynamic.
Shyam Gupta
Msawenkosi Joe Xaba
Never having sailed before the last month has proved to be quite a challenge. I have taken part in a number of sporting disciplines before but this was completely different. I really did not know anything about sailing and when a friend approached me to tell me that Durban needed someone to sponsor for the race
David Joyce
I'm Dave Joyce (46) and I am an HGV driver. I live in Nottingham with my wife Caroline and we will have been married for 20 years on 20th September - just 4 days after the start of the race - good job she's got a sense of humour!
Anne Dickens
This 48 year old school finance manager has quit her job in order to be part of the Clipper race.
Initially signed for leg one, Anne won a place on the second leg as the top raffle prize at Clipper's 10th anniversary party.
Peter Burtenshaw
There is nothing more exciting than the prospect of sailing across an ocean and this will be an experience I will never forget. My sailing experience has mainly been confined to the placid Norfolk Broads where I grew up which, is a far cry from the rolling waves of the Southern Ocean.
Rodney Beresford
Many people seem to be wondering how a financial director from the very land-locked town of Benoni, South Africa ended up as part of the Durban Clipper crew. If I ware to blame/thank anyone for my interest in sailing it would be my father.
Johan Van De Westhuizen
Well my story is not a long one , I always had the dream to sail one day but work kept me from doing it. Had a chance about 15 years ago to do the Capeto Rio race but the boss back then refused to give me leave.
John Allen
I've always wanted to learn to sail, particularly after living so close to the sea for the last 10 years. My wife bought me a sailing weekend for my birthday which unfortunately we had to cancel. Two weeks later I saw the advert for Clipper 07-08 which seemed like a much better idea!
Stephen Holmes
I was ‘captured’ by what seemed to be an opportunity to do something quite challenging and out of the ordinary. As a teenager, I was enthralled by the media coverage in S.A. given to the ‘Cape to Rio Race’ and the yacht ‘Voortrekker’, and always wondered what it might be like to cross one of the great oceans in a yacht.
Nigel Owen
I'm a professional aerospace engineer, married with 2 children and keen amateur yachtsman with approximately 20 years of fair weather sailing experience in and around the British Isles, Channel Islands and Northern France.
Tore Taraldsvik
My first offshore sailing was crossing the North Sea to the Shetland Islands, some 20 years ago, as crew on a Whitbread 81/82 boat. The boat was all teak inside in those days! The most spectacular, and possibly dangerous, adventure during that voyage was the passing, as we learned later, of the full Russian Black Sea fleet going north, and having an unmarked submarine popping up a hundred yards ahead. Times have changed, hopefully.
Frank Ellis
Coming from Cornwall I have always loved the sea (mostly looking at it or being in it!); my sailing experience has been limited to odd bits of day sailing in the UK and Hong Kong. Whilst always enjoying it, the prospect of something a little more demanding had not seriously occurred to me until spotting an advertisement for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Neil Campbell
Elizabeth Clark
I am married to Gordon and have two children, Andrew and Louise.
When I saw the advert for Clipper 07/08 looking for people to sail round the world it fired my imagination and a long desired dream of learning to sail.
Wijbrand Tuinstra
Having come across a poster for Clipper Ventures Round the World Yacht Race 07-08 in the London Underground on a random and aimless trip in the city I made a mental note to follow up on what I had seen on the poster when returning to the Netherlands.
Janet Flynn
Inspired by watching Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman in The Long Way Round, I wanted my own adventure and when I saw all the Clippers getting ready for the 2005/06 race I knew I'd found it.
Tony Moore
Age 47, Accountant and Leeds United fan.
I have done a little sailing; in 2003 as a family we did a self sail on a 38’ catamaran around the Whitsundays in Queensland for a week which was quite gentle but still a bit of an eye opener as to what sailing was all about
Colin Hart
I'm 31 and from Dublin in Ireland.
I've been working as a creative in ad agencies all round the world for the past 9 years and as much as I love making ads that sell mobile phones and whiskey, and persuading people to bet and eat fast foods, I thought that I deserve a break to do something a bit more personally rewarding.
Jan Nel
Age 46, single and crazy! Born and grew up in Ladismith, Little Karoo, Western Cape, South Africa. Started sailing 2 years ago altghough I had an active sports career hiking trails, running marathons, canoeing, windsurfing, motorbiking and going on safaris.
Lucy
Several years ago a friend completed the BT challenge & I thought - I want to do that too. So hear I am looking forward to joining the Durban Clipper in China and sailing her back to Liverpool.
Bill Adams
Married with a 42 year old daughter, who works in ITU
Enjoy reading, theatre, films almost any sport and almost any music. Dedicated (read fanatical) supporter of Yeovil Town Football Club and Somerset Cricket Club
Susan Turpin
Gillian Tewson
It was a typical depressing February weekday and so, when my eye was caught by a Clipper poster of enthusiastic people, sailing a beautiful yacht under blue skies in a Round the World Race, on a whim I applied to join!
Patricia Storbeck
I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in November 2005. After an unsuccessful operation I spent the next year of my life going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment, leaving me weak, bald and barely alive. But I survived.
Pieter Storbeck
I always wanted to sail since I was little. I build my first radio controlled sailing yacht when I was six. When we moved to Hermanus, I found a sailing school, Ocean Sailing Academy, in Cape Town.
James Maltin
Peter Evans
After years of doing for others and reading adventures of others my family have let me have my turn.
Paul Harrison
Steph Hills
I started sailing three years ago and loved it, especially the buzz from racing. I was sailing with friends when I rashly announced that I was going to sail across the Atlantic before turning 40. A couple of weeks later (fate??) I saw an ad for the Clipper 07-08 race.
Charlie Neal
