De Lage Landen, the Dutch entry in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race, has arrived in Qingdao, China, today to a hero’s welcome, after taking its first victory in one of the toughest legs of the world’s longest ocean race.

    The De Lage Landen team was greeted at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre with a spectacular ceremony including fireworks, drums and, not least, dozens of Chinese and international media who all fought to get pictures and interviews with the heroic crew that has claimed their first victory in the Clipper 11-12 Race.

    As he stepped on to the pontoon in Qingdao after 18 days at sea in this challenging stage from Singapore, De Lage Landen’s skipper, Stuart Jackson, said, “I’m incredibly proud of all the crew, they’ve worked so hard since we started racing and it’s been coming together more, culminating in this victory in the race from Singapore to Qingdao.

    “What a stunning welcome by the hundreds of Qingdao people in the marina. We couldn’t have hoped for a better arrival celebrating our first win.”

    Stuart and the team were surrounded by dragon dancers whose performance demonstrated the respect the people of Qingdao have for the crews. Gifts of flowers, hats and scarves were given to the crew and the skipper was draped in a yellow cape, which symbolises nobleness and in ancient China it was only worn when emperors and generals set out on battle fields and returned victorious.

    The De Lage Landen crew was visibly overwhelmed by the spectacular welcome in Qingdao, including Michal Szmidt, who joined the race in Gold Coast Australia in December. The 26-year-old marketing specialist from Poland said, “I feel like a celebrity. I never expected such a huge amount of people here. They were all cheering me on and taking photos and I’m really proud we won – especially this part of the race with this great celebration reception in Qingdao.

    “It’s been absolutely fantastic to be part of the Clipper Race and I’m looking forward to share this experience with my colleagues around the world. You cannot compare this to anything else and I’ve learnt a lot of personal skills that I can transfer back to everyday life.”

    Michael is one of eight ‘ambassadors’ for De Lage Landen, the global provider of asset-based financing programmes which is leveraging its partnership with the team to launch a world-wide employee engagement programme. Inspired by the Clipper ethos, ‘Raced by People Like You’, De Lage Landen hopes that the way the race crew face challenges as one team will provide many inspiring examples in everyday practice.

    Ronald Slaats, CEO of De Lage Landen said, “On behalf of all our members worldwide, the congratulations and deepest respect go out to skipper Stuart Jackson and his crew on ‘De Lage Landen Embraces the World’ in winning the race to Qingdao.

    “Not only were the sailing conditions during the race very difficult. They also diverted their course to support fellow competitor Gold Coast Australia during a medical emergency. Our crew demonstrated true team spirit and sportsmanship in every sense of the word. We are extremely proud of our team with this exceptional achievement, and leading our journey to this very important arrival in China.”

    The crew were formally welcomed to the city by Wang Xiulin, Vice Mayor of Qingdao Municipal People’s Government. He said, “Battling treacherous waves and ferocious winds in this grim winter, you have successfully finished this harsh leg with your strong will, outstanding courage and professional sailing prowess. This remarkable feat allows the Qingdao citizens to once again experience the splendid world-class sailing event.”

    It’s been a dramatic race for the De Lage Landen crew, as they assisted in a rescue operation on Saturday, when an Australian crew member on board Gold Coast Australia broke his leg during a headsail change. Whilst the team were second to cross the finish line, their official finish time is yesterday (February 21) at 16.51UTC, as they were granted a seven hour redress for being part of the rescue operation.

    “When we got the call from Gold Coast Australia saying they had a medical emergency, we didn’t know what it was, but we immediately stopped the boat and started to sail towards them. We have two doctors on board and we were in a great place to offer support. When another boat has a problem, you are there to help,” De Lage Landen’s skipper, Stuart Jackson, explains.

    During the stopover in Qingdao a diverse programme of cultural activities awaits the crew and skippers of the ten-strong fleet, including meeting local families and ceremonial activities, as well as sponsors using the Clipper Race as a platform to do business and build relationships with Chinese organisations.

    The rest of the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet are expected to arrive in Qingdao over the next few days.

    This is the fourth time the city has sponsored an entry and hosted the Clipper Race fleet. Qingdao recently signed a contract to sponsor two more races until 2016 to build on its legacy as the sailing venue of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and to continue to strengthen its brand as China’s sailing city.

    The race started in Southampton, UK on 31 July 2011 and will end there on 22 July 2012 after taking 51 weeks to travel over 40,000 miles visiting 14 ports of call on six continents.