Clipper yacht race crew unwind in Tauranga

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race crews are back in racing mode after an action-packed stopover at Tauranga, in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty.

The yachts were farewelled from Tauranga Harbour on Sunday (4.12.2011) with a traditional Māori kapa haka, as the teams set out into the lively waters for the start of the sixth stage of the race.

While they were relaxing in the Bay of Plenty the crews enjoyed a multitude of activities - white water rafting, fishing, sky diving, paddle boarding, hiking, land yachting, sampling abundant local seafood and wines have all been on the agenda.

"Tauranga is a special place for sailors with its huge harbour, white sand beaches and dramatic backdrop of Mauao," Clipper Ventures communications manager, Heather Ewing said.

"We knew it would be an amazing location for the first-ever New Zealand stopover in the Clipper Race."

White Island

Scotsman, Robin Oliver, a crew member on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital said the Tauranga stopover was "just like being at home except with sunshine and lots of it! It’s wonderful, everybody’s so friendly here. It has been brilliant."

One of the activity highlights was a visit to White Island - an active marine volcano just off the Bay of Plenty coast.

Heather Ewing said her crew had enjoyed "an amazing day on stunning volcanic White Island."

"Climbing Mount Maunganui with a Māori guide was another big hit, before soaking in the geothermal salt water hot pools at the base of the mountain. Tauranga has been such an interesting and enjoyable stopover for our crew - they’ve been raving about it."

Fishing success

Clipper crew member and keen fisherman David Hall, who had been trying unsuccessfully to catch a fish since the race started in Southampton, UK, in July, had better luck in Tauranga.

During a day’s fishing on board the MV Manutere with Tauranga Marine Charters, Hall hauled in six big ones - and has the photos to prove it.

Hall, a teacher from Hong Kong, said the fishing was "really fantastic", and that his fellow crew members had enjoyed his catch for dinner.

Bay of Plenty on show

This is the first time the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has visited New Zealand since its inception in 1996.

Each yacht is sponsored by an international city, region, country or company, and crewed by intrepid volunteers who pay their own way.

The Clipper Race had been a great opportunity to showcase Bay of Plenty to the world, Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager, Glenn Ormsby said.
Just weeks after the cargo vessel MV Rena went aground in Bay of Plenty waters, the Clipper Race had provided an opportunity "to show our water’s clean, the beaches are open and we’re ready for summer," Ormsby said.

"The race has been great for the local economy too - the hotels, bars and restaurants have been booming, there's been plenty of work for the local marine industry doing maintenance and repairs on the boats, and we've had fantastic exposure to international media as well."

Background: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

• The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the world’s longest yacht race - 40,000 miles over eight legs.
• The 2011/12 race started from Southampton, UK on 31 July 2011, and finishes in July 2012.
• The event gives paying amateur crew members the chance to sail around the world, either for the complete race or one or more legs. The only qualification for the race is the minimum age of 18 - there is no upper age limit.
• Some 500 crew members, representing 40 nationalities (including eight New Zealanders), will take part.
• Race organisers own a fleet of 10 identical yachts and provide qualified skippers to lead each team.
• Yachts are named after cities, countries or regions and crewed by people from all walks of life, representing more than 40 nationalities.
• The race is divided into individual stages and points are accumulated in a Formula 1-style scoring system. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the Clipper Trophy.