East Cambs company director Glenn Manchett has touched base in China – six months into taking part in the 2018 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Glenn is one of 20 on board Sanya Serenity Coast – and a tough job for him as he’s the yacht engineer.
So far competitors have covered 24,000 miles and with many more to go before the 11 month race ends.
They were welcomed in Sanya, China, by celebrating crowds as their hosts put on a spectacular ceremony in the gardens of its marina.
Clipper Race founder and chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston then took to the stage to thank the organising committee in Sanya for their hospitality.
After racing some 4,300 nautical miles from The Whitsundays, Australia Glenn’s yacht finished the latest race in 4th place.
Glenn has just celebrated his 54th birthday on board the yacht.
A race spokesman said: “It was a close race despite taking over 23 days and the team got a fantastic welcome into its home port.”
The team is currently top of the overall race leader board.
Glenn had never stepped foot on a sailing boat before starting clipper race training.
Fast forward 365 days and Glen finds himself on board, taking part in one of the biggest yacht races known to man.
With the other half of the race still to go, the race does not stop.
All crew members are expected to work sailing shifts of four hours on and four hours off with them getting as much sleep as possible in between!
“Glenn was pushed to his physical limits in the level one selection process to gain a place in the clipper world yacht race,” said a spokesman.
He completed four levels of compulsory training including how to live at a 35-degree angle for prolonged periods while racing and learning to race with broken sleep as he sails through the night.
Looking back at the training, Glenn said: “Each training week was tough: sailing is complicated, I didn’t ever imagine how complicated, with masses of unfamiliar and illogical words (‘sheets’ are ropes, not sails!).
“Couple that with sea-sickness (I’d never had it before so I thought I’d be immune) and it was like spending a week in a bad dream.”
When departing for the race at Liverpool Albert Docks he waved his family and friends off saying “I won’t lie I’m bricking it, but I’m ready”.
An incredible £241,935 has already been raised by the race but there is still a long way to go towards the overall target of £400,000.
The teams are competing to raise the most for the charity with Unicef currently leading the way followed by GREAT Britain and Liverpool 2018.
With the Sanya stopover now in full swing, crew from across the globe are spending their time discovering the best of Sanya through tour days to top sightseeing spots, enhancing culinary skills through Chinese cooking classes, and enjoying the first 11 boat Sanya Serenity Coast In-port Race
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here