Scotland’s biggest sporting event of the year has arrived in Oban in spectacular fashion as the West Coast town welcomes the Clipper Race to Scottish shores for the first time in its history, courtesy of the efforts of Glasgow-based, GRM Marketing.
Late on Friday evening, Oban welcomed the triumphant first teams into port having completed their gruelling 3,105-mile race across the Atlantic Ocean from Washington D.C, with Dutch team Perseverance being crowned champions in a thrilling finale.
Having received a rousing Highland welcome the crew, their families and a sizeable international fanbase have spent the week enjoying Oban’s Festival of the Sea and all that Argyll and Bute has to offer.
Now attention turns to Sunday as preparation begins for the race finale, heading from Oban to Portsmouth. With colourful fanfare and ceremony planned for their send-off, fans and crew eagerly await what will surely be a fantastic spectacle for race start and a thrilling conclusion to one of the world’s toughest sporting challenges.
A globe-trotting race featuring a vast international cast, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race brings with it considerable global attention, prestige and no small amount of fanfare. This is the first time that an international offshore yacht race has come to Scotland and represents a significant opportunity to elevate Scottish status within the global sailing community whilst also providing sporting fans with a chance to experience the spectacle first-hand at an iconic location.
GRM Managing Director Gordon Ritchie spoke of his delight in seeing the race arrive, “It has been a long hard road in getting to this point but we are delighted to welcome the Clipper Race to Scotland.
“The event will bring considerable benefits to the area and put Scotland on the map for international offshore yacht racing.”
The economic impact of the event in Scotland should also not be underestimated. In its previous host port of Londonderry, Northern Ireland the event created £11.1m in total event impact attracting an estimated 220,000 spectators during its week-long festival. This is a major coup for Scottish sport and can be attributed to the efforts of GRM Marketing in supporting and promoting Scottish interests on the international stage. The agency has been pivotal in bringing the global event to Scottish shores, from identifying suitable locations, bringing together the key parties and negotiating the deal to bring the event to fruition.
Indeed, this event is the culmination of over two decades of work from within the marine industry by GRM, who have succeeded in bringing the event to ‘The Gateway to the Isles’ this summer. The team have worked closely with the Clipper Race for a number of years, from supporting Scottish Whisky brands Ben Romach and Old Pultney in their sponsorship to managing the ‘05/06 Glasgow team entry and their promotion of the city which significantly led to the award of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
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![mod_600x300[1]](https://eventsbase.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mod_600x3001.png "Fun for families at forefront of Oban Mòd 2024")
