CANCELLED: Derry Clipper stop over latest casualty of Coronavirus pandemic, Maritime Festival now under review

The entire Maritime Festival - which is scheduled to take place in July - is now also under review, but has not been cancelled as yet.

Derry’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations due to be staged today have been cancelled due to coronavirus, while the city’s may Bank Holiday Jazz Festival has also fallen victim to the global pandemic.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Michaela Boyle said the decision to postpone the Race is the right one in the current climate.

She said that while there will be widespread disappointment across the region that the city will not be welcoming the race yachts into the Quay this summer, the health and safety of the race participants and the wider public must take priority.

She added that Council will continue to review its plans for the Foyle Maritime Festival on a daily basis.

She said Council will continue to work with Clipper Ventures over the coming weeks and months to look at options for facilitating the race to the city in the future.

Mayor Boyle commented: “This was not an easy decision for Clipper Ventures to take but I think it was the correct one. I would like to extend my best wishes to the race participants and organisers at this time and acknowledge their proactive and positive approach to putting safety first.

“We will continue to work with them over the coming weeks and months to review what options are available for the race returning here in the future. With regard to the Foyle Maritime Festival celebrations planned for the summer, we will continue to review this event in view of news that Clipper will not be part of the festival this year and keep the public informed of any changes and updates.”

In a statement, the Clipper Race Organising Committee said: “With the ongoing global outbreak of Covid-19 and the enormous impact it has created on world travel, the Clipper 2019-20 Race has been postponed with immediate effect.

“This decision has been in no way taken lightly. Our crew are currently under quarantine in Subic Bay, Philippines, where the Clipper Race fleet has been berthed since Sunday 15 March. The island of Luzon (where Subic Bay is located) is currently under “enhanced community quarantine”.

“In addition, the fleet was due to race across the North Pacific Ocean from 21 March towards Seattle. However, with the city currently in a state of emergency and travel and medical insurance restrictions in the United States, we could not allow our teams to depart without a viable destination. This, along with the growing global uncertainty on how the situation could develop in the coming months, meant postponing the race was the safest option for all involved.

“Our first priority, as soon as the local quarantine has been lifted, will be to assist our crew in Subic Bay in travelling home from the Philippines as swiftly as possible.

“The Clipper 2019-20 Race has three legs remaining. These race stages will now be postponed for approximately ten months, when the remaining circumnavigation will be completed. This length of postponement allows for us to avoid adverse weather patterns on the remainder of our global route.

“All Leg 6, 7 and 8 crew, along with our circumnavigators, will be able to rejoin the race when it resumes next year.

“This postponement will have an impact on the timing of future races. The next full edition of the Clipper Race will start in the summer of 2022. More details on this will be confirmed at a later date.

“We are extremely disappointed to postpone the remainder of the Clipper 2019-20 Race. We are proud of all of our intrepid crew for having competed in this race edition since it departed London and look forward to welcoming all of our upcoming crew next year when the race continues. We are also grateful to all of our crew, supporters and Race Partners for their continued support.”