Christmas spirit travels from Liverpool to Sydney for the Clipper Race crew

The Clipper Race teams may be far from home but for the Liverpool 2018 crew staying on their yacht at the CYCA, Sydney this Christmas, a special gift from Mersey Ferries brought extra festive cheer.

Filled with themed presents, including Liverpool Monopoly, Merseyside football scarves, a much-loved ‘scouse’ recipe tea-towel, Liverpool mugs and hot water bottles, the parcel was sent to remind the crew of Liverpool, where the Clipper Race began its journey and is set to finish in July 2018.

Arriving to the delight of all crew men and women on-board, the present provided some light relief after a gruelling start to Leg 4 – The All Australian Leg.

Gary Evans, from Mersey Ferries said: “The Clipper Race is a truly inspirational global sporting event, so it’s wonderful to be able to support the Liverpool 2018 team over Christmas and provide them with some entertainment, after the challenging journey they’ve been on so far.

“The team at Mersey Ferries are looking forward to welcoming back all twelve teams to the Albert Dock in July 2018, and will be organising a viewing cruise for the occasion. We’ll continue to follow their journeys online and will also be speaking with the team of Liverpool 2018 on December 20th. We wish everyone involved the best of luck for the remaining legs of the race.”

Clipper

Lance Shepherd, Skipper of the Liverpool 2018 yacht commented on the gift, saying: “The support we have received from everyone in Liverpool has been incredible. Despite already racing 20,000 miles through some of the most remote parts of the globe, the Liverpool 2018 Clipper Race team has never felt far away from the support of its partners and the city.

“On behalf of the Liverpool 2018 crew, Merry Christmas to everyone in Liverpool, especially to all those involved with the partnership, and a big thank you to Mersey Ferries for the Christmas gifts; we will be thinking of you all as we continue the circumnavigation and cannot wait to return back to our home port in July 2018!”

The Clipper Race drew 220,000 visitors to Liverpool during the week-long schedule of festivities at Albert Dock in July 2017 when the race began and is now known to have generated a positive economic impact of over £7.5 million for the city.

The Clipper Race is one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other. With no previous sailing experience necessary, teams sail a record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht.

Divided into eight legs and 13 to 16 individual races, the Clipper Race is set to finish on the River Mersey in July 2018, as the spectacular 2017-18 edition comes to a close.

Details on the Clipper Race Viewing Cruise will be announced via the Mersey Ferries website in 2018.