21 November 2005

The city of Durban came to a standstill on Saturday to witness the dawn arrival of the Durban Clipper. At 0449 hrs GMT, the Durban entry in the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race arrived into port escorted by a flotilla of yachts under sail.

In a fairytale-like entrance, humpback whales and dolphins swam alongside the yacht as she entered her home port.

The early morning start by no means dampened the spirits of the people of Durban, with the "yacht mole" packed with supporters and media wanting a slice of the action. Emotional scenes took place on the quayside as crew was greeted by crew by family and friends.

'A proud moment'
Arriving in his home town, skipper Craig Miller said: "It is a proud moment to sail into my home town and experience such a phenomenal welcome."

Soon after the Durban Clipper's arrival, traditional Zulu performers had the crowd and crew members dancing. Lucia Shenge, the first Zulu South African woman to take part in a round the world yacht race, was first to take centre stage to show off her moves.

The Clipper Race has a long-standing history with Durban, this being the third visit. Local organisers have spent over two years preparing for the race and regenerating the marina area.

"The Clipper Race has brought so much to this city," said Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo, "allowing those the opportunity to sail that have never been on the water before and bringing on the development of our marina so that we can now host world class marine events."

Durban was the eighth yacht to arrive out of the 10-yacht fleet, with Glasgow close behind and Jersey expected on Tuesday after taking a pit stop in Cape Town to deal with rig problems.

Leg three will start at 1200 hours GMT on Sunday 27 November, with the fleet taking on the formidable challenge of the Southern Ocean en route to Fremantle, Western Australia.

During the leg, the fleet will enter the area known as the Roaring Forties - between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S - at one of the toughest times of the year, with strong and steady westerly winds expected.

The yachts will visit 12 international ports - including Fremantle (Western Australia), Qingdao (China), Victoria (Canada) and New York (US) - before finishing in Liverpool in July 2006.

The Route

	The Durban Clipper bears a blend of South Africa's flag and Durban's logo (Photo: Clipper Venture Plc)

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	The Durban Clipper  Clipper 05-06  eThekweni Online