PACKING LIST - DOC
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Personal Care & Hygiene

  • Washbag. A compact washbag is handy. Ideally one with a hanging hook. Clipper yachts don't have mirrors - although obviously the marina washrooms do. If you need a mirror on board then consider including a compact in your washbag.
  • Chamois style travel towel makes for a less smelly environment below decks! Remember, there may be 12 on board - and 20+ on the race itself).
  • Seasickness medication / remedies (if you suffer)
  • Sun Hat. We do have sun in the UK sometimes! When it is sunny, a sun hat is useful. As with skiing, the sun on water intensifies the effect and you can get seriously sunburnt in the summer months.
  • Sun Cream x 1 factor 50+
  • Lip Salve with UV protection
  • Sunglasses if you wear glasses it's worth considering prescription lenses. Also some 'croakies' to keep them on your head!​
  • Foam ear plugs (To combat the snorers)!
  • Wet wipes (small pack) in case you go offshore overnight (your personal hygeine 'saviour').
  • Travel bottle of alcohol gel. The yacht will have this - or soap - but it's handy to have some.

Important / Specialist Kit

  • Warm Sleeping Bag! (synthetic is best but for L1 Training a warm sleeping bag of any type will be fine.  There are specialist marine sleeping bags on the market). 
  • Pillow.  Synthetic is best. Down will absorb moisture and mould and isn't recommended
  • Sailing boots (In our opinion, by far the best boots for cold legs and RTW crew are Le Chameau Neptune. They are warm, dry, bullet proof tough and do a great job!) Consider hiring a pair for training. If you subsequently buy or hire a pair for the race we'll give you back 50% of the hire fee you paid for training!
  • Deck Shoes (Trainers are OK for training if you are on a budget but - in that case bring a spare pair in case they get wet!) Musto & Sebago are good brands to consider.
  • Woolie Hat or Polartec Beanie / Sealskinz waterproof beanie
  • Snood / Buff / Scarf  (Great for keeping your neck insulated - acts as a gasket and stops water going down your neck!).

Other Important Stuff

  • Passport (necessary if you need to go to France as a port of refuge - or you're boarded by Border Control)
  • Next of Kin Details (for Clipper)
  • Clipper Training Wet Notes (ask the office for them).
  • All Clipper Paperwork Completed. Make sure Clipper have all your paperwork - and you've paid !
  • Personal Insurance (recommended)

General Clothing

  • ​1 x Kit Bag (We suggest your bag is no more than 90 litres and should be soft - not a suitcase! You shouldn't be filling a 90L bag! 70 litres is a good size and should also do you for the race. A bag with rucksack straps makes for easier travelling when on foot or transferring from airports, etc. Waterproof is a good idea - but certainly not essential. A separate zipped up area for laundry is useful).
  • Underwear - for training, nothing special. For the race I recommend merino wool. Icebreaker are good. I used 5 x pairs for RTW.  One fresh pair each week! They are quick drying, comfortable, don't 'bunch' when wet (when you get a wet bum on the rail) and they resist odour well - which is good.
  • Socks - A medium weight ski sock plus normal cotton socks are fine for training. Merino wool socks and a pair of Sealskinz are useful for the race. A light pair worn under a thicker pair work well for cold races.
  • T Shirts / Base Layer Tops.  For training, cotton T Shirts are fine but synthetic, fast-wicking shirts (base layers) are essential for the race. Bamboo and icebreaker brands make good base layers. Henri Lloyd, Musto, Gill and various other brands (including non-sailing brands) will also suffice. In the winter merino base layer long johns work well to keep you warm.
  • Quick drying Trousers (maybe 2 x pairs). A pair of walking or hiking trousers will work well and if they zip down to shorts, all the better.
  • Shorts (two pairs in summer). Again, synthetic material is fast wicking and therefore best.
  • Fleece tops (One lightweight and one heavy weight for the winter months and night sailing).
  • Lightweight waterproof jacket (In summer your Clipper Lightweight is perfect) or
  • Mid layer Jacket - this is worn over your fleece and under your 'foulies' (which are provided by Clipper). In cold weather this combination, plus a base layer wicking top, will keep you warm and comfortable. A good mid layer, fleece-lined jacket is a good buy. Henri Lloyd offer Clipper Crew good discounts.
  • Casual Shirt & Trousers (In case you get to go to the pub).
  • Gloves (As a regular sailor, my hands are pretty tough, but some like having a pair of sailing gloves to protect them from calouses, etc. A pair of sailing gloves with chamois/leather palms and fingerless tips is useful for this and still allows rope handling. For cold hands, consider warm, waterproof mittens, although nothing works great in the depths of the Southern Ocean, except, perhaps, rubber frozen meat packers gloves). For most conditions, Sealskinz winter mittens will do a good job, especially when worn with merino wool under-mittens.

Useful Additional Kit

  • Sailing Safety Knife (Handy but not essential L1 but I always sail with one when at sea). I recommend the Gerber EZ Knife - with blunt nose. It's blunt-ended (so you don't stab anyone, including yourself) but it has a very effective and super sharp serrated cutting blade which is needed if you have to cut the rope on a Clipper Yacht (spectra core is like steel and blunts knives fast). Tie it to your life jacket so you don't lose it!
  • ​Multi tool (Handy but certainly not essential). The Gerber is good value, or the Leatherman Wave is the industry standard. The knife on a multi-tool isn't really good enough to cut thick spectra in a hurry - hence the safety knife.
  • Head Torch with a red lens. (Especially useful on L2 onwards  for night passages).
  • ​Dry Bag (5L or 10L dry bag is useful for organising stuff. Use a mini carabiner and clip it to your bunk and use as a place to keep your deck stuff - like knife, headtorch, etc.
  • Small Note Book and biro (For making notes during and at end of the day).​
  • Clothes pegs x 2 (for airing out your towel on deck - saves it blowing away).
  • Knee pads - for sliding around on the foredeck in rough weather - soft spin lock knee pads are good - especially if you have tender knees!
  • RYA Sailing Logbook & Syllabus Useful and needed for logging personal miles if you continue sailing and want to log mileage for qualifications later.
  • 12v Charger for phone
  • Protective case for phone - Otterbox are good. 

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