Tesco car park dream turns into global sailing race reality for Lake District teen
by Clipper Race 17 Apr 04:00 NZST
William Wrigley has fast-tracked his way to ocean racer © Clipper Ventures
William Wrigley, a 19 year old gap year student from St Bees, Lake District, has fast-tracked his way to ocean racer as he prepares to sail from Seattle, USA, back home to the UK in the final stages of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind that takes people from all walks of life and turns them into competitive ocean racers without any prior sailing experience required. Ten teams, led by a professional Skipper and First Mate, race identical 70ft long purpose-built yachts around the world, with the global route broken down into eight legs. Crew members can sign up to any combination of legs, or complete the entire circumnavigation.
An unlikely site of inspiration, a Tesco car park was the backdrop to the moment that William knew that one day, he wanted to take part in the Clipper Race. He said: "I first heard about the Clipper Race when I was in Oban, Scotland, with my dad a couple of years ago. We had just done a cycling trip across the Outer Hebrides and when we returned to Oban we saw the Clipper Race fleet had stopped in. My dad got me a leaflet and on the way home, as we made a pitstop to sleep in a Tesco car park, I read it and decided I wanted to do it!"
Already planning a gap year, where he imagined he might complete his professional yachting qualification, a trip to the Southampton Boat Show threw William a curveball when he realised there was time to train and compete in the final two stages of the Clipper Race, which includes a transit of the Panama Canal and a race across the North Atlantic Ocean.
William said: "I went to Southampton Boat Show with my dad and I saw one of the Clipper Race boats there - I had to go on it! I remember getting my dad to take a photo of me at the helm, and still at this point I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it with the time I had. The Clipper Race team was so friendly, and after a chat I realised there was enough time to still get this done in my gap year - it was a realistic option that felt like it was meant to be!"
Everyone who signs up to the Clipper Race must successfully complete four levels of comprehensive training run by expert instructors from the race's HQ in Portsmouth, UK. The training is designed to equip Race Crew with the skills they need to sail through all the conditions Mother Nature can muster, including storm force winds and waves as tall as tower blocks. The fast track option allows participants to complete all four levels back-to-back and get race-ready in record time.
In addition to the sailing itself, the training also prepares Race Crew for the challenges of living on board. Having completed the training block, it wasn't necessarily the sailing that posed the biggest challenges, as much as the catering. William said: "I had a great time doing the training, it's definitely been a learning curve. Cooking in the galley for so many people was a challenge!"
"Being away from home is a challenge but the Skippers, First Mates and people you meet along the way make it amazing. Not being able to come into port and have a nice shower on the actual race will be a challenge, but that's what you sign up for!" he adds.
William will be flying out to Seattle for the adventure of a lifetime next week to join his teammates on the London Business School yacht. He will be one of the youngest Race Crew taking part on the team so far, the closest age crew he has trained with are ten years his senior. With the camaraderie of teamwork and the leveller of ocean racing, it's something he's embraced.
He said: "I am younger than all the crew so far but it hasn't bothered me at all. We are all there for the same reason so you all have that in common. It's been amazing to talk and live with people who are older, with all this life experience that I've not had yet, it's great to hear what they've all done with their lives and it's been a great opportunity to talk about what I will do after this, what my future may hold.
"The training itself has been what I expected, but the friendships you make and the people you end up speaking to have been an added bonus. I've made some really good friends and met some really nice people."
The Clipper Race fleet is currently in the closing stages of Leg 6, where teams have been racing across the North Pacific Ocean from Tongyeong, Korea to Seattle, USA, where William's team, named after its sponsors London Business School, is currently sitting in third place on the overall leaderboard.
William will arrive in the US city next week ahead of his first race to Panama, which starts on 28 April. After transiting the Panama Canal, he will race to Washington, DC. From there, the final leg of the race will commence onwards across the North Atlantic to Oban - a full circle moment for William - before a relatively short sprint to the finishing port of Portsmouth, UK, where final places will be decided on Saturday 25 July.
Applications are open for crew to participate in the Clipper 2027-28 Race: www.clipperroundtheworld.com