'Awakening the Dragon'

Qingdao is named ahead of the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race

Qingdao, one of ten internationally sponsored entries competing in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race, has taken one step closer to the race start with the naming of the yacht in a special ceremony at St Katharine Docks in London.

Skipper of Qingdao, Ian Conchie, and his crew are preparing for the start of Clipper 11-12 which, at 40,000 miles, is the world’s longest ocean race. It will begin from Southampton on 31 July 2011 and Qingdao will host a stopover in February 2012 when all ten of the 68-foot stripped down racing yachts and their crews will visit the Chinese sailing capital for a week-long celebration.

Leading the naming ceremony was Mr Yuan Zhiping, Vice President of Qingdao Yachting Association and consultant to Qingdao Sports Federation.
 
Mr Yuan said, “We appreciate this naming ceremony for Qingdao on behalf of Qingdao Municipal Government and the Qingdao people. As we all know the Clipper Race is one of the biggest sailing races around the world and it is also very famous in Qingdao because this race will mark the fourth time the race will visit Qingdao.

“On 31 July the race will start from Southampton and there will be a big ceremony for the start. We are also expecting from the Municipal Government the biggest ceremony ever to welcome the fleet to Qingdao as well as the Qingdao crew.”

To begin proceedings and give the invited guests a small taste of the welcome the crews will receive upon their arrival in Qingdao, a lion dance was performed by the Chinese Association of Southampton. Qingdao is twinned with the city of Southampton which will host the race start for the first time in the event’s 15-year history.

Mr Yuan Zhiping was joined by Clipper Race Chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, and Qingdao’s skipper, Ian Conchie, on the deck of the Chinese entry to perform the naming ceremony.

Sir Robin said, “This is the fourth time Qingdao has had a boat in this race and we’ve seen some enormous changes in Qingdao over the past eight years. When we first went there in Clipper 05-06 they hadn’t built the Olympic Sailing Centre, then in Clipper 07-08 we took our boats in to try it out, we saw it grow and we saw it being used for the Olympic Games which was fantastic. But I think one of the things that has given us the greatest pleasure is the way the people of Qingdao accept the Clipper crews into their homes. It is a wonderful cultural exchange and a wonderful sign of the friendship that you show us and which we appreciate enormously.

“Another great thing about Qingdao’s entry in the race is that the city of Qingdao has given us a number of citizens to sail on our boats. In this race we have nine sailing on this boat; people from Qingdao, learning how to sail, taking their skills back and introducing them to the people of China when they return home. In this way we can spread sailing throughout the world.”

The Chinese entry’s skipper was then invited to perform a ceremony known as ‘Awakening the Dragon’. Traditionally performed in Dragon Boat racing, a Daoist monk will kick off a race event by applying a dot of red paint to the eyes of the carved wooden dragon head which adorns a boat. This symbolic gesture is meant to end the dragon’s slumber and re-energize its life force, or chi, for the race to follow. So, following this tradition, Ian painted a red eye on either side of the bow to fight off evil spirits and bring the boat luck for the race ahead.

Ian said, “It makes me very proud and I’m very excited to be skippering the Qingdao entry in the Clipper 11-12 Race. I’ve had the fortune of being able to sail with the Chinese crew from Qingdao already and I’m really looking forward to sailing with all my crew over the next 12 months. I’m sure they’ll be wonderful representatives for the city of Qingdao.

“I think you can safely say that with the design we have on the side of our boat that she’s the best looking yacht in the fleet with possibly the best looking crew in the fleet! And I think I can speak for all of my crew when I say that we cannot wait to see the reception in Qingdao after hearing so much about it. It will be an especially momentous occasion for me because, as many of the crew already know, I will celebrate my 40th birthday just after we arrive.”

Ends

Notes To Editors

The Clipper Race
Clipper 11-12 will be the eighth edition of the biennial event operated by Clipper Ventures Plc. The race was established by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to give everyone, regardless of sailing experience, the opportunity to experience the exhilaration of ocean racing. Almost 500 people representing more than 40 nations will compete in Clipper 11-12. The only qualification for the race is the minimum age of 18 – there is no upper age limit.

About Clipper Ventures Plc
More than 40 years have gone by since Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's record breaking solo and non-stop circumnavigation in 1968-69. Now, as Chairman of Clipper Ventures Plc, he is at the forefront of promoting round the world yacht racing. Clipper Ventures, the marine events company founded in 1995, is focused on developing and promoting major events capable of attracting significant participation, income, media coverage and associated sponsorship revenue. Sir Robin founded the company on the premise that sailing should be made available to everyone, creating the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in which anyone, regardless of age or experience, can take part. More than 2,000 people have now competed in the seven races to date. The company also owns the rights to the VELUX 5 OCEANS race and runs successful events and training divisions.

Images
Low resolution images of Mr Yuan Zhiping and the skipper and crew of Qingdao on board Qingdao and Mr Yuan, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Ian Conchie performing the ‘Awakening the Dragon’ ceremony are attached. Rights free high resolution images from the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race for editorial use are available for download at: http://www.w-w-i.com/clipper_1112_race/

For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

For media information or interviews please contact:

Zoe Williamson, Communications Manager, Clipper Ventures Plc
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