The Island of Jersey plays host to the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race from Friday 21 July until Tuesday 25 July 2006. On this page, we will bring you information on the organised events, special deals on travel and accommodation, and ideas of what to see and do during your stay.

If you have a loved one onboard one of the yachts, then being in Jersey to be with them for the stopover is a real must. Jersey is so easy to get to from the UK and is a beautiful and relaxing place to visit for a short break. We are planning an amazing party for the crews (watch this space for details) and it will be great fun to get involved in all the atmosphere of the race. We expect to be able to put together some super flight and accommodation packages for families and friends nearer the time - watch this space for details. And leg 1-6 leggers - make sure you're there too! You won't want to miss out on watching your crewmates arrive into Jersey and then join them in the bar for beers! And of course there's the famous party...!

We have some special accommodation offers for the crews on board too - a chance to check into a comfortable hotel for some much needed rest after several weeks at sea!

Enquiries

Need advice or information? Feel free to contact us by email at stopover@jerseyclipper.com if you have any questions regarding the Jersey stopover.  We will be glad to help!

New A welcome booklet, including full details of the stopover programme can be downloaded here

On Saturday 22 July, the Clipper crews, friends and family are invited to a picnic at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.  The Trust was founded by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell over forty years ago with the mission to save species from extinction, and it has a proven track record of doing just that. Species that have been pulled back from the brink include the Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon, echo parakeet and Mallorcan midwife toad. Their dedicated conservationists are hard at work in Island and Highland threatened habitats around the world continuing the battle to protect and conserve many more. Durrell has 50 projects in 18 countries around the world.

With its international headquarters in Jersey, the Trust has built up a worldwide reputation for its pioneering conservation techniques, developed under the leadership of its founder, the late renowned author and naturalist Gerald Durrell. Today, Durrell is continuing to develop its overseas work in new areas of the world, with a particular focus on vulnerable communities of endemic animals, which make such a valuable contribution to global biodiversity.

“When asked, as I frequently am, why I should concern myself so deeply with the conservation of animal life, I reply that I have been very lucky and that throughout my life the world has given me the most enormous pleasure.  But the world is as delicate and as complicated as a spider’s web.  If you touch one thread you send shudders running through all the other threads.  We are not just touching the web we are tearing great holes in it.” Gerald Durrell 1925-1995.

Tickets to the picnic are available to friends and family of crew members, and past leggers for £15, including return transport from the harbour, welcome drinks and a meal.

Clipper crews, friends and family are invited to the prize giving party at Mont Orgueil Castle on Sunday 22 July. Built in the thirteenth century to protect the island against the French, this dramatic castle towers over the harbour at Gorey. This jewel in Jersey's crown is one of the best preserved castles in Britain and one of the most photographed sites in the island. It makes the perfect back-drop for the prizegiving, with spectacular views over the island and across the sea to France.

Tickets to the party are available to friends and family of crewmembers, and past leggers at a cost of £25 to include return transport from St. Helier, welcome drinks and barbecue.

Please check back here within the next 24 hours for details of how to obtain tickets to the Sunday night prizegiving party and to the Saturday evening zoo picnic.  Tickets will be compelementary for the leg 7 crews but there will be a charge for guests. Tickets will be for sale online, with advance booking necessary as we are expecting to be catering for over 300 people.