A burgee with a tale to tell
by Gaynor Portlock 24 Apr 2019 13:14 BST
Skipper of Liverpool 2018, being presented with the Liverpool Yacht Club Burgee © John Clarke
On 15th August 2017 Liverpool Yacht Club hosted a dinner for their club president, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, the Clipper Yacht skippers and selected crew members from all the Clipper yachts that were taking part in the August 2017 to July 2018 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is one of the biggest challenges of the sailing world and is an endurance test like no other.
The sea does not distinguish between Olympians and novices, and with no previous sailing experience necessary, people from all walks of life take on a record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70 foot racing yacht.
At the dinner Liverpool Yacht Club presented the skipper of "Liverpool 2018", Lance Shepherd, their club burgee. The next day, the burgee was seen flying from the port side spreader of the Liverpool 2018 yacht.
During the parade of sail and at various stops along the way including Punta del Esteu in Uruguay, Cape Town in South Africa, Fremantle, Sydney, Hobart and Whitsundays in Australia, Sanya and Quigdao in China, Seattle in USA, Panama, then New York in USA, Derry/Londonderry in Ireland before returning to Liverpool, the Liverpool Yacht Club burgee was flown.
Once the race was complete, the burgee was eventually returned to the club displaying the signature of Lance Shepard a little the worse for wear.
The burgee is to be mounted in a cabinet along with a few pictures from the dinner, which will then put on display.