Clipper Race: Celebrity Model Amy Willerton to Join Final Leg

Amy Willerton, a British actress, model, TV Host and beauty pageant titleholder – who won the title of Miss Universe Great Britain 2013 and represented Great Britain at the Miss Universe 2013 pageant – will compete in the final leg of the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race.

No stranger to endurance challenges, having completed the London Marathon and various triathlons, Willerton will join the Garmin team in June 2016 when the Clipper Race sets sail from New York for its homecoming leg to London, expected to take approximately two months to complete.

Like 40 per cent of Clipper Race crew, Amy had no previous sailing experience before completing an intensive four week sail training course at the race’s Sydney, Australia base in preparation. She said: “I love taking on a challenge and trying something new and the Clipper Race is the Everest of the ocean. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve done, both physically and mentally and there is so much to learn and to be aware of. But of course that’s what makes it more exciting.”

“I don’t think most people would associate me with challenges like this, as they just see a girly-girl in front of a camera, however I’m a real tomboy at heart and I can’t wait to get stuck into this challenge.”

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is a 40,000 mile ocean odyssey across six continents which takes eleven months to complete. The only event of its kind which trains amateurs to become ocean racers, it consists of twelve teams racing each other through some of Mother Nature’s harshest conditions.

Legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, 76, was the first man to sail around the world, solo, non-stop in 1968/69. He established the Clipper Race in order to allow non-sailors the opportunity to experience the thrill of ocean racing.

After meeting Amy at the Clipper Race’s training HQ, Sir Robin commented: “It is great that Amy has decided to go beyond her comfort zone and join the Clipper Race. Around a third of our crew are female and perform just as well as their male crewmates. Amy really impressed our training team in Australia and I have no doubt she will put everything into the experience and be a worthy crew member.

“Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean is no easy feat. There could be rough weather and big challenges to overcome, and it takes a huge amount of dedication and team work. Amy is joining the final leg of this highly competitive 11-month race and there will still be much to race for as the teams head for home. I wish Amy all the best of luck.”

The only professional on board each yacht is the Skipper, however whilst the crew may be amateur, Mother Nature allows no handicap as storms, strong winds and big waves challenge the crew and make for testing sailing and living conditions. In complete contrast to her glamorous LA lifestyle, Amy will sleep in a small bunk and share a confined 70 foot living space with up to 23 other crew mates.

Amy will be in a watch system which works in four hour shift patterns to allow the boat to keep racing 24/7, she will also join the rest of the crew in taking turns to cook and clean for the entire team, all while the boat can be heeling over at a forty-five degree angle.

Including stopovers in Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland and Den Helder, the Netherlands, Amy and the rest of the Clipper Race crew’s adventure will conclude in London on 30 July 2016 with a spectacular Thames River parade.

Amy added: “Being on the Clipper Race is a huge responsibility and it’s made me grow up a lot. The team skills I was lacking when I did I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here have been realised since learning to sail. The danger is very real and making mistakes or being lazy can be catastrophic!

“You are so close to nature and really you are in the hands of the sea – it’s a beautiful thing when you learn to recognise how to bend the wind to your will and watch the sunrise and sunsets on the water. The storms provide the adrenaline I love, such as when you are facing a wave as big as a house and all you can do is keep going!”

Explaining why she chose the final leg of the race, Amy said: “I am now based in the US and work a lot in New York so sailing home to London means a lot to me. I’ve made the trip many times by air but never in my wildest imagination would I have thought I would ever sail all that way.”

Event Website – Standings – Team Reports – Facebook

Source: event media.

Background: The 40,000 mile Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race began in London, UK on August 30 for the fleet of twelve identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. The series is divided into 16 individual races, with the team with the best cumulative score winning the Clipper Race Trophy. Each team is led by a professional skipper with an all-amateur crew.

The third leg began October 31 and takes the fleet 4845 nm from Cape Town, South Africa to Albany, Western Australia. The fleet is estimated to finish between November 22 and 26.

The ports along the race route are Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; Albany, Sydney, Hobart and Airlie Beach, Australia; Da Nang, Vietnam; Qingdao, China; Seattle, USA; Panama; New York, USA; Derry-Londonderry, Ireland; and Den Helder, Netherlands before returning to London by late July.