Cambridge doctor to lead Qingdao in new season Clipper

The 27-year-old Igor Gotlibovych, who has a PhD in Experimental Atomic Physics from the University of Cambridge, will be skipper of the Qingdao team of the 2015-16 Cilpper Round the World Yacht Race, according to local authorities on Tuesday.

Hundreds of amateur sailors from around the world assembled in Portsmouth of England last weekend to discover which team and professional skipper they will be sailing with later this year in the world's longest ocean race.

They will be competing in the 10th edition of the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race which departs from London on August 30.

The Qingdao Team was announced and allocated to skipper Igor Gotlibovych, the youngest of the 12 professional skippers of the coming Clipper race.

"I feel very proud to be representing Qingdao. I was born in Ukraine, grew up in Germany and have lived in England for the last eight years, so there are many places that I can call home and now I can add Qingdao to that list," Igor said.

"We have heard about the famous Qingdao stopover and warm welcome awaiting us next year in March 2016 and can not wait to set foot on Chinese soil as triumphant Clipper Race competitors," he said.

Igor added: "Some of the Chinese crew members have started their training and will become very competent members of the Qingdao team."

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, founder of the Clipper Race, said: "This is the sixth consecutive time that Qingdao has been a valued partner with the Clipper Race. Next year marks a relationship spanning 12 years, the longest of any Clipper Race partner and we value this very much."

"We look forward to building on our achievements of raising the city's international profile, boosting tourism, introducing new business opportunities and especially enhancing Qingdao's legacy as China's sailing city," Robin said.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, known as the world's longest route at about 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers), is unique event which give opportunities for amateur sailors to sail around the world.

Many of the crew are complete novices before embarking on their extensive training and over 600 international crew will sail one or more of eight legs around the world, with almost a quarter of them achieving the ultimate sailing experience of a full circumnavigation in 11 months.