Following California in to the safe confines of the Golden Gate Yacht Club came the three yachts who have done so much to help their stricken colleagues over the last 2,000 miles of wild ocean.

    For the crews of Hull & Humber, Spirit of Australia and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, race seven has been one to test their spirit and resolve to the core. Unsurprisingly, they rose to the challenge with a fierce determination and their safe arrival is testament for the professionalism and dedication of all who signed up for what turned out to be the toughest challenge of the Clipper Race so far.

    As the three yachts entered the famed Bay of San Francisco, a RIB whisked race director Joff Bailey out to Hull & Humber so that her temporary skipper could be transferred back to his beloved Spirit of Australia and complete the journey they started together way back in China. Brisbane born Brendan Hall was embraced by his crew who had performed so well and it was great to see the winning team reunited.

    A crowd of well wishers who had earlier braved the torrential rain to get the first glimpse of the arriving teams, stood in the rapidly darkening evening and as each yacht arrived in to the marina, the applause was loud, long and heartfelt. For many, the darkness helped to hide the bubbling emotion that was clearly felt and tears fell freely even before the proper reunions could start.

    Bob Bell became acting skipper of Spirit of Australia when Brendan departed for Hull & Humber and in doing so demonstrated that he is made of the right stuff. His family had made the trip to America to welcome him in and if they looked puffed up with pride, then they deserved to be so.

    “That was the most difficult challenge I have ever had’ said Brendan. “The crew of Hull & Humber have handled everything this race has thrown at them incredibly well. Not only did they lose their skipper but they have also taken on some of the toughest sailing conditions any sailor could hope to see. I feel privileged to have been able to help them at their time of need, as anyone would in this situation.

    “My own crew have also done a fantastic job in getting our boat across the Pacific without me on board. Bob handled his promotion to skipper with the utmost professionalism and all the crew have responded really well to their change in circumstances. It was a huge relief to see them sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and it was great to get on board and at the very end to bring the boat safely into port”.

    Bob added his own thoughts saying “It’s a relief to get here with an intact crew and a pretty intact boat and that’s the important thing.

    “The crew have been absolutely brilliant. They were so courageous and they put their trust straight in me for reasons I don’t really understand. We all just stepped up to the plate and off we went. Admittedly it was a bit scary in the first few moments as it sounded great in theory when we discussed it but when Brendan first got off the boat and we were on our own it came home to us. But we’re the kind of crew that just gets on with stuff and we pulled together and dealt with it and the crew held together brilliantly even when the bad weather hit. “

    Round the World crew member Andy Rose summed it all up when he described race 7 as “the most extraordinary challenge” before going on to say “we were incredibly lucky. The conditions that lead to the knock down of Uniquely Singapore and the rolling of California could have easily happened to us and its good for us that we escaped relatively unscathed”.

    The race committee were unanimous in agreeing that the fairest solution was to award the Australian team points based on their average points score and they now have another 10 to add to their tally.

    Hull & Humber had a strong retinue of family and friends as well and all along the pontoon, loved ones were embraced ashore. Della Parsons, who is completing the full circumnavigation was sporting a sling having dislocated her shoulder two weeks ago. She is off to a clinic tomorrow to get it attended to and some much needed R&R for the next two weeks will be welcomed.

    “It was very tough, undoubtedly the toughest leg of the race” she said. “I was expecting some fairly wild conditions but nothing like what we actually experienced on this leg.

    “With everything that we’ve faced: losing a skipper, boats dismasted and knocked down, people washed off deck and only held on by their lifelines, has completed coined the phrase that this really is the challenge of a lifetime.

    “The sense of achievement to be here in San Francisco is huge. As we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge this evening, it got more and more beautiful the closer we came. It really was an epic feeling and you really had the sense that you had come through one of life’s greatest challenges. More than 5,000 miles across the world’s largest ocean having gone through everything that we have has really brought together what was already a closely knit team”.

    Hull resident Arthur Bowers was his usual urbane self and summed up the events of the last few weeks with a wry chuckle. “We couldn’t believe it when Piers was injured and it was really sad to see him go” he said. “But Brendan has done an absolutely amazing job to shepherd both us and his own boat across 4,000 miles of ocean. Piers has been continuing to support us through e-mails and all of us wish him the speediest of recoveries”.

    Piers will be delighted that their fifth place in race 7 adds a further five points to their championship total.

    Over on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, they were equally delighted to have nursed their damaged yacht across many thousands of miles of ocean and been able to assist with escorting California as they closed in on the finish. They were quickly tucking in to bottles of Champagne and slices of cheesecake, which had been ordered from far away UK and delivered to the boat by a local supplier. Round the world crew member and birthday girl Jo Jackson had her daughter to thank for the generous gesture and it was clearly appreciated by all on board. While Jill Jackson could only imagine the party that was unfolding, there were plenty of Edinburgh supporters to help it along and numerous crew members were quickly enveloped in the arms of loved ones. They included Susan Leslie’s octogenarian grandmother who was adamant that she should fly in from Scotland for the occasion and waited patiently on the pontoon wrapped in a giant Saltire as she waited to welcome her grand daughter ashore.

    Despite nursing their rig after bending a spreader early in the race, the Scottish entry still finished in sixth place – their highest position to date and bag four more valuable points to add to their tally.

    Skipper Matt Pike paid tribute to his team saying “The crew handled it unbelievably well. In the briefing before we left, I told them the North Pacific would deliver a nice high in the middle and a series of lows coming across much like we should have had in the Southern Ocean. However, what we actually got was a storm that felt like it lasted the entire way across. By the time we got round the bottom of Japan, we had a couple of days which were fairly light and then the weather kicked in.

    “I am immensely proud of my team and what they have managed to achieve. They kept the boat together and they kept themselves together in conditions that I think would make professional sailors think that was one hell of a crossing. We had some really horrible weather on the way across but the crew took it, they remained in good humour, they are a really strong team and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

    “We now plan on celebrating our arrival with a few beers and I think it’s time to crack open that bottle of Benromach I’ve been saving for just this occasion”.

    Cork crew member Kevin Austen was delighted to be reunited with his fellow crew mate Sarah Boyle who had sailed on Spirit of Australia. Joining them was Orla Mellett, who had taken another pennant for the Irish team after sailing Cape Breton Island in to San Francisco in first place. Over on the other side of the marina, Mike Lewis, who had sailed in on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital was reunited with Noreen Osborne and Gavin Kelly who had just arrived on California. There to greet all of them was Hannah Jenner who will have her first proper crew meeting with all the Cork crew on Tuesday before flying to Antigua to start work on the replacement boat.