It was as if the Pacific Ocean wanted to have the last laugh. After enduring a challenge that would make even the most experienced sailor faint hearted, one might have hoped that benign conditions would greet the brave arrival of the home team in to California. Instead, lashing rain fell from a leaden sky, visibility was reduced to under a mile and both the Golden Gate bridge and the island of Alcatraz regularly disappeared behind a grey mist.

    But none of that could dampen the growing excitement within the Golden Gate Yacht Club. California crew, friends and family started to gather from late afternoon bringing with them hamper after hamper of food and drink to welcome their loved ones safely ashore. Joining them fresh from an operation in a San Francisco hospital yesterday was Clive Cockran. It was Clive who had been evacuated from the California entered yacht after she was rolled by huge seas 14 days ago and brought to America on board the Nord Nighingale merchant ship. He was in good spirits, full of praise for the care he had been given after a bad cut to his head and was adamant that he needed to be here to welcome home the crew mates with whom he had shared so much.

    Around100 supporters listened as the first radio call was put out to the yacht from the sea wall. ‘California, California this is Clipper Race Control, do you read? Over’. Silence. A second and third call was made and then suddenly, there was Pete Rollason’s voice crackling through the airwaves, the first time there had been outside contact since he spoke to the crew of the US Coastguard C130 search and rescue aircraft in the aftermath of the major storm. Hearing him delivered an instant smile to his waiting wife and young son and relief to all of those gather round the VHF radio. With an elegant air of understatement, Race Director Joff Bailey spoke on behalf of everyone when he said ‘Pete, it’s good to hear your voice’.

    Finally, California emerged through the brooding mist and growing darkness. Her stump of a mast complete with jury rig had helped speed her progress over the last few days and despite not looking her usual pristine self, she arrived unbowed and triumphant. From her deck, the crew in their red Henri Lloyd foul weather kit (and Emma Beaumont in her popular stars and stripes dress) waved to the growing cacophony of cheers coming from ashore and whoops of delight were returned from the boat. Finally, finally, their supporters could breath a sigh of relief as the lines were attached to the pontoon and their journey was over.

    First on the pontoon was Deb and Connor Rollason and the skippers three year old son was clearly delighted to see his Daddy for the first time since Cape Town. Behind them came a veritable cavalcade of supporters and with the long yearned for beers finally in their hands, a party swiftly developed as they waited the arrival of US immigration officials. A late arrival on Easter Sunday had threatened to keep all crews on board until the morning but the immigration department were good to their word and at midnight local time, passports were still being inspected and stamped.

    Taking time out, Pete Rollason reflected on their eventful journey from Qingdao.

    “It’s one hell of an achievement for all of us to get across the Pacific. We are understandably a bit disappointed that this happened to us as we were all out to get a podium on this race. We led for the first week and I think we were in second when we lost the mast but everyone pulled through and did a fantastic job.

    “We got hit by a wave on the port quarter which spun the boat round beam on to the wave and it just turned us over. The first I knew about it was I was swimming in my bunk but I managed to shout up on deck to check that everyone was ok. They shouted that the mast had come down so I grabbed what I needed and went up on deck to begin the job of cutting everything free.

    “The reception we’ve received here has been absolutely fantastic. It’s surpassed what I expected. Obviously it’s been a really tough leg for us but it really was something very special”.