---
title: Uniquely Singapore Clipper
date: 2010-01-31 14:43:33
permalink: https://lesterchan.net/blog/2010/01/31/uniquely-singapore-clipper/
author: Lester Chan
excerpt: "Thanks to Benjamin and Lionel from STB for inviting me aboard the Uniquely Singapore Clipper! We were out at sea nearly three hours, and I steered a boat for the first time, like driving a car without power steering."
categories:
  - Event
tags:
  - Clipper
  - race
  - Singapore
  - Uniquely Singapore
  - world
---

Thanks to Benjamin and Lionel from STB for the invite to go on board the Uniquely Singapore Clipper! We were out in the sea for almost 3 hours and I steered a boat for the first time in my life. It was somewhat similar to driving a car without power steering. This year is starting to get interesting. In January 2010 itself, I rode on a Segway and steered a boat!

The Uniquely Singapore Clipper is currently stop over at Singapore’s [Keppel Bay’s Marina](https://marinakeppelbay.com/) and will depart to Qingdao, China on the 2nd February 2010.

Singapore is currently at the 6th place in the overall race out of 10 teams.

## What is a Clipper?

To be honest, I have no idea what a Clipper is. > A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had multiple masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area.
> 
> The term clipper originally applied to a fast horse and most likely derives from the term “clip” meaning “speed”, as in “going at a good clip”.
> 
> Source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper)

## Race Schedule

Leg 1  
Race start from the Humber, UK: 13 September 2009  
La Rochelle, France: ETA 18-20 September, depart 22 September  
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: ETA 18-20 October Leg 2  
Rio de Janeiro: depart 27 October  
Cape Town, South Africa: ETA 14-16 November

Leg 3  
Cape Town: depart 22 or 23 November  
Geraldton-Greenough, Western Australia: ETA 14-18 December

Leg 4  
Geraldton-Greenough: depart 3 January 2010  
**Singapore: arrive 23 January, depart 2 February**  
Qingdao, China: ETA 19-22 February

Leg 5  
Qingdao: depart 2 March  
California: ETA 1-5 April

Leg 6  
California: depart 11 April  
Panama: ETA 4-7 May, ETD 12 May  
Port Antonio, Jamaica: ETA 16-18 May

Leg 7  
Jamaica: depart 22 May  
New York: ETA 3 June, depart 6 June  
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada: ETA 11-13 June, depart 19 June  
Cork/Kinsale, Ireland: ETA 1-4 July, depart 9 July  
Ijmuiden, Netherlands: ETA 13-14 July, depart 15 or 16 July  
The Humber: Race finish 17 July 2010