Southside yachtsman on final lap of the world

THE Irish yacht with Southside sailor Conor O’Byrne on board is nearing the end of its epic 40,000 mile, 11-month Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

As Conor, a serving Garda from Stepaside who swapped the beat for the thrill of ocean racing recounted in Southside People last week, the crew can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the 10 month endurance test.

The amateur global race features 12 yachts and nearly 670 contestants from 40 countries around the world.

The Derry-Londonderry-Doire on which Conor served is led by Irish skipper Sean McCarter, who was selected from over 1,500 applicants for the job.

Sean has been an experienced and avid sailor since he could walk having been introduced to the sport by his father, Andy McCarter.

The crew of 21 along with crews on the 11 other identical clippers are taking part in the latest leg of the race which started last September. This latest stage from New York to Derry took two weeks and covered over 2,800-nautical miles across the Atlantic.

Skipper McCarter said:

“We are very excited to head home, particularly given our Clipper is supported by the UK City of Culture, it will be some homecoming.

“There are many Irish on our crew and the crews of the other 11 clippers so it’s a very special stage of the race to get back to Irish soil after sailing since last September.

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As with a race of this scale, Sean has had his highs and lows; a key moment was the rescue of one of his crew, Andrew Taylor, after he went overboard while crossing the north Pacific in violent weather conditions.

It was a scary moment as conditions deteriorated and impacted on their rescue effort, causing them to lose sight of Andrew for a period of time as he spent over two hours in freezing seas.

As well as Garda O’Byrne there are several other Dubliners on board including Niall Healey, an architect, Deirdre Egan, a finance manager, Susan Grady, a Dublin CEO and nurse Wendy White.

The total crew of 54 includes members completing the full race around the world and others participating in part or a specific leg of the race.