Equator Virgins get dirty in Clipper Race

by Catherine Green on 17 Oct 2005 The Cardiff Clipper was the first of the ten-yacht fleet in the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race to cross the Equator at approx 0100 hrs (BST) on Friday 14th October, unleashing the first of many messy ‘King Neptune’ rituals to the ‘Equator Virgins’ on board.

To successfully join the brotherhood of those who have passed across the Equator under sail, each of the ‘virgins’ has to stand trial for crimes of character under King Neptune, of which each are found guilty and doused thoroughly with ‘boat slops.’ Crew members dress in character and gifts are then passed overboard to Neptune with messages for safe passage across the Equator and good fortune on the seas – luckily for Neptune these gifts included Budweiser beer, a model of the Statue of Liberty and a mobile phone!

New York crew member, Sarah Warburton said: ‘It’s an odd thing crossing such an important line, which is invisible. I felt this deserved some fanfare, someone waving a chequered flag, border control and disco lights, but we celebrated in style anyway and we’re all fired up to get to the finish. We’re officially in the southern hemisphere, the winds look good towards Salvador and the race is hotting up!’

With approximately 300 miles to the finish line in Salvador, Brazil, the lead three yachts are still jostling for first position of leg one, with westernaustralia.com just ahead of Cardiff and closely followed by Liverpool 08, winner of the first race to Portugal.

This difficult Transatlantic crossing has seen many ups and downs but since the heat and calm of the Doldrums, the yachts are now experiencing excellent conditions with a steady 15 – 20 knot east-south-east breeze. The boats are due to arrive into Salvador in the early hours (BST) of Tuesday morning (18th Oct) to a traditional Brazilian carnival atmosphere.

Current positions as of 1600 hrs BST on 16th October
1. Westernaustralia.com
2. Cardiff
3. Liverpool 08
4. New York
5. Durban
6. Singapore
7. Jersey
8. Victoria
9. Qingdao
10. Glasgow

Estimated time of arrival in Salvador, Brazil:
Tuesday 18th October 2005 (0000 hrs – 1900hrs BST)

Time of departure for leg two from Salvador, Brazil
Monday 25th October 2005 (1600 hrs BST)

Estimated date of arrival for end of leg two in Durban, South Africa
Thursday 17th November 2005


The Route
Liverpool, UK
Cascais, Portugal
Salvador, Brazil,
Durban, South Africa
Fremantle, Western Australia
Singapore
Qingdao, China
Yokohama, Japan
Victoria, Canada
Curacao, Caribbean
New York, USA
Jersey, Channel Islands
Liverpool, UK


For more information log on to www.clipper-ventures.com