First blood to Liverpool

Tim Magee's yacht wins opening leg of Clipper Round the World race

Liverpool 08 was the first to cross the finish line at 0614 hours (local time) in Race One, Leg One of the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race. Skippered by Tim Magee, Liverpool 08 entered the Port of Cascais, Portugal under a star lit sky with a gentle 5-10 knots of breeze.

With a distance of only two miles, Liverpool 08 was closely followed by Westernaustralia.com who came in at 0642 hours with the Durban Clipper taking third place at 0654 hours.

Avid Everton fan, Tim Magee, the 27-year-old skipper said: “We are ecstatic to have won the first race of this leg. The crew performed like true professionals and we are all looking forward to a few days rest before we focus on the Atlantic crossing to Brazil.”

After an emotional farewell from the River Mersey, Liverpool, last Sunday, the amateur crew of Liverpool 08 have endured treacherous conditions in the Irish Sea heading towards the Bay of Biscay. Light winds then hindered the fleet and tactics were paramount to secure early positions. Members of the crew include Liverpool Culture Company competition winner and Merseyside resident, Claire Daley along with brave 61 year old grandma, Eileen Skelly, also from the North West.

Race Director of Clipper Ventures Plc, Tim Hedges said: “This first race has been tougher for the crews than they may have been expecting – they have had to deal with both physical and mental challenges due to the extreme changes in weather.”

The next race starts at 1400 Wednesday 28th September where the crew of this 10 yacht race will take on the formidable challenge of the Atlantic.

The yachts will visit 12 international ports - including Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Western Australia), Singapore, Qingdao (China), Victoria (Canada) and New York (US) - before the race reaches a thrilling climax in Liverpool in July 2006.