The skippers and crew of the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race are enjoying the celebrity treatment during the Qingdao stopover.

    Still recovering from the paparazzi at the lavish welcome ceremonies held during the week, Race 8 winners De Lage Landen were invited to attend a formal press conference, with dozens of Chinese and international media in attendence.

    Five crew members, skipper Stuart Jackson, Race Director Joff Bailey and sponsor representative, Jialin Wang, general manager from De Lage Landen’s China office were all formally presented to the media.

    “We didn’t know what to expect and we then walked into a room full of media and dozens of cameras. I’ve organised press conference before, but never been part of one, so to be put on the stage and be looking from the other way and all you can see are cameras and eyes staringat you is crazy. It is amazing to see how interested they are in all of us and it was great to have been given this opportunity,” says British De Lage Landen crew member Emma Lomax.

    Reflecting on the attention during the last week in port, the 32-year-old marketing manager says, “It’s been like having a celebrity status that I’ve never had before. It’s overwhelming but equally really welcoming, as everyone is smiling and wants to capture the moment of us being here. It’s unlike anything, I’ve ever experienced before.”

    The next formal press conference is held tomorrow, where all eyes will be focused on the Qingdao entry that arrived into its home port yesterday. All ten skippers will also be met by the media before heading over to the Olympic Sailing Museum for a donation ceremony.