I  have wanted to learn to sail for quite some time, but I could never find the time to do it and wasn’t sure what the right course for me would be. Living in China also doesn’t give you that many options and finding the time is always a problem. But as with any new endeavor, it’s simply a matter of making the time. What helped me was a great birthday present I received for my 30th - a 3 week training course in the UK with the training program of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, followed by racing on the 5th leg from Qingdao to Hawaii and then Santa Cruz, California.

This was a dream come true. I was not only going to learn to sail but I was also going to cross the Pacific Ocean! All of a sudden taking time off work seemed like nothing, and a week later I was in Gosport, UK, living and training on the Black Adder Clipper along with several other adventure seekers of different backgrounds and ages. The Black Adder, my home for the next 3 weeks, had been around the world several times and despite being smaller than the 68 ft Clippers we are going to race on, is still a great boat to learn on. Some of the people taking part in the course had sailed before and some of us had little idea of what was to come.

The training consists of three sub-courses: Part A - Yacht Theory and Practice; Part B - Yacht Operation; Part C - Sailing Strategy.

In part A we were taught how to sail safely and confidently. We learnt about the parts of the boat, how to rig it, raise the sails, tacking, gybing, reefing and man overboard drills among other maneuvers. We did a sea passage of 447nm with 20 hours night sailing and winds of up to F9. We learned to live on board and work as a team - a very important part of the Clipper race. For most of us this was the first offshore sailing experience and with the rough weather conditions it really put our sailing enthusiasm to the test. England is rather cold at this time of the year; it made us realize how vital it is to stay warm and dry. It was a real initiation to being an effective member of a team at sea.

In Part B we added some spinnaker exercises to our training and did 5 more days of sailing. Part C was a competitive 2 boat race. This was the closest we would get to actual race experience before setting sail on the clipper - we were all excited and a little worried about the 5 days of off shore sailing ahead of us. We battled strong winds and fast tides and heavy rains. We only knew our position at the starting line. After the race started, we kept looking to see our competition in the distance, never really sure if they were in front of us or behind us. A day before the finishing line we finally got some news from them; they had given up the race because their crew wasn’t coping well with the hard conditions. We had won! Of course we were very excited about it but also somewhat disappointed at the same time. We voted as to whether we should continue or whether we should start the engine and get back. We decided to stick with the race and cross the finishing line. That’s what we set off to do and we were going to complete the race no matter what... Crossing the line felt like a great accomplishment.

The experience certainly brought us all closer together. We felt more confident and comfortable on board. At times, the rough conditions made some of us think, “Is this something we really want to do?” but at the end of the day we all felt stronger and the sense of accomplishment overtook our fears.

It is also a great social lesson. Seeing how people from different walks of life, age groups and nationalities interact together when put into conditions where team work is essential for survival is quite inspiring. We had all left our normal lives behind and we had embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, testing our own abilities, challenging our fears and sharing an unforgettable experience. Everyone has a different reason to be part of the clipper race but we all share the same drive to learn to sail and help our team get closer to the winners’ podium.

We had great guidance from our skipper and his first mate. They were extremely inspiring. Their patience and experience really turned us from novices to beginner sailors in such a short time. We owe them our RYA Competent Crew certificates!

I hope to make the whole Qingdao Clipper team proud when I set sail in February, as well as Qingdao itself, and I do hope we will arrive first at the finish line although that doesn’t seem to be so important anymore. I already feel like a winner for daring to leave my desk and take on the challenge. This is a life changing experience which is turning out to be not only a great sailing lesson but also a lesson in how to make your life more exciting.

Teddy & Emma, Leg 5 Qingdao Clipper crew members

想学帆船已经有很长一段时间了，但一直抽不出时间也不知道应该选择哪种适合自己的学习课程。眼下生活在中国，帆船学习课程的选择并不多而且时间问题一直无法得到解决。但其实同学习其他新事物一样，最终的关键点还是回到怎么样创造出时间来学习。这次我和帆船的亲密接触得益于我三十岁生日，我获得了的一个生日礼物-赴英国参加克利伯环球帆船赛的为期三周的培训课程，之后我还将有机会参与到路线为从青岛至夏威夷然后到达加州圣克鲁斯的第五航段的比赛。

梦想就这样成为现实。我不光可以去学习帆船，还可以横渡太平洋。一时间，抽出时间告别工作不再是难事，一周以后我已身在英国的葛斯伯特，同其他几位不同年龄，不同背景的冒险者们一起在Black Adder号船上一起生活，参与培训。在接下来的三个星期里，Black Adder成了我的家，她已经环球航海多次了，虽然尺寸不及我们即将用来参赛的68英尺的克利伯帆船，但作为训练用船却非常棒。我们这些学员中有人曾经有过培训经历，而有的对即将到来的培训内容可谓一无所知。

培训课程包括三个部分。A，帆船理论和实践; B，帆船操作；C，帆船战略。

在A阶段中，我们学习了怎样安全驾船，自信地驾船。我们学习了船的部件，怎样安装船只，升帆，迎风换舷，顺风过帆，缩帆，落水后的正确反应等帆船技术动作。还在45节左右的风速中进行了447海里的夜间航行。我们学习如何在船上作为一个团队共同生活共同工作，这对于克利伯帆船赛是非常重要的一方面。对于我们大多数人来说这次是第一次远海航行，又是在这样恶劣的天气下，我们的热情受到了极大的考验。而恰逢英格兰阴冷的季节，我们认识到在海上保温和防湿有多至关重要。在海上保护好自己，做一个不拖后腿，帮得上忙的人，这也是一个考验。

在B阶段，我们的训练课程中加入了一些球帆操作练习，并又航行了五天。C阶段是充满竞争的两船对抗—这可能是我们在克利伯赛事前最接近实战的比赛经历了。面对即将到来的为期五天的远海航行，我们既兴奋又不免稍有担心。我们经历了狂风暴雨和滚滚涌浪。我们只知道起航时的名次位置。起航之后我们时不时观望一下对手情况，但是终究没能得知他们到底在哪里，是领先我们还是落后于我们。直到冲终点前一天，我们才得知由于他们的船员在恶劣天气下身体没能坚持住，已经退出比赛。我们赢了！很自然的，我们难掩兴奋之情，但是同时对这个结果又有一丝失望。是继续前行以求完成比赛，还是开启发动机打道回府？我们投票表决，最后我们决定坚持完成比赛直至冲完终点线。毕竟，从一开始我们的目标就是要冲过终点线，不论情势如何发生变化，我们依然要完成比赛！冲过终点线的那一刻，我们充满了成就感。

这次经历把我们更紧密地团结在了一起。在船上我们更加自信也更加轻松了。偶尔因为天气缘故，有些人会怀疑：这真的是我想要做的事情吗？但是一天的航行结束时，我们都感觉自己比原来更强大了，而那刻的成就感让我们无所畏惧。

此次培训同样是很好的一次社交课。观察不同阶层，不同年龄不同国籍的人在团体合作事关到生存的环境中怎样来协调人际关系是非常有意思的一件事。我们都抛开了我们之前的常规生活踏上我们生命中的一段冒险旅程，考验我们的能力，挑战我们的恐惧心理，共同分享这个难忘的经历。每个人参与克利伯帆船赛的动机可能有差异，但是我们都有着共同的动力：我们要学习帆船，我们要一起努力让我们船队更接近领奖台。

我们的船长和大副给我们上了很好的一课，我们很受鼓舞。是他们的耐心和丰富经历在很短的时间里把我们从帆船门外汉带入门。感谢他们让我们得到了英国皇家帆船协会的船员证书。

今年2月，我就要扬帆远航，我希望自己能成为青岛克利伯的骄傲，成为青岛的骄傲。同样我也希望我所在的船队最终能第一个到达终点，但是现在结果对我来说已经不再是最重要的了，因为能离开办公桌，接受挑战，这已经让我觉得自己胜利了。这次经历改变了我的生活，它不仅是一堂帆船学习课，更教会我生活原来可以过得这么激动人心！