SICK sailor Sam Willis has vowed he will be fit enough to celebrate his 18th birthday with his Clipper crewmates, as his colleagues push hard to retake fourth place in the race. Sam, 17, of west Hull, said he was determined to regain his strength and keep up his sailing skills while he waits to rejoin the Hull and Humber Clipper in Durban, South Africa, in November.

Sam, who was evacuated from the yacht on Friday while suffering severe stomach pains, flew back from Brazil and was reunited with his family yesterday.
Meanwhile his Hull and Humber crewmates had zoomed into fourth place this morning, just 123 nautical miles behind the lead boat Qingdao.

Doctors in Brazil examined Sam and concluded the pains were caused by a stomach bug, probably from something he ate. Sam said: “I’m gutted I had to get off, but I’m relieved it wasn’t appendicitis. “I’m happy to be back home safe and well.”
Sam, who is an experienced sailor and the youngest person taking part in the Clipper Round The Word Race, said he was keen to keep his sailing skills up during his rest period.

He said: “I want to try to get as much sailing here as I can and hopefully meet the yacht in South Africa and carry on with the rest of the race.”

Sam intends to fly to Durban in mid-November to rejoin the clipper and also celebrate his 18th birthday with his crewmates.

Sam’s father, Duncan, was at Hull’s Paragon Interchange to welcome his son home.
Mr Willis said: “It’s great to see him again, but it’s a shame he had to leave the race.
“We’re just hoping he can get better and get back out to Durban and finish the race, because that is his dream.”

Meanwhile, the Hull and Humber yacht has been making steady gains in its bid to make up for time lost during the emergency boat-to-boat transfer of Sam on Friday.
At some points, the boat has travelled up to three times faster than some of the other competitors. A spokesman for Clipper said: “The Hull and Humber Clipper’s prospects are looking good after a week in the South Atlantic.

“But with 3,000 miles still ahead of them and no word yet from the race committee on whether they will receive a time penalty for rejoining the race immediately following Sam’s evacuation, there’s a lot still to do to gain maximum points from this leg of the race.”

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