Never in the history of the Clipper race have all the skippers who started the race finished it. I suppose there's no reason to have thought that this year would be any different. At the same time, it was a huge surprise to hear that it was our skipper who would be withdrawing.
I don't really know anything more than is in the official announcement. Diane sent a note around to the crew, and while it's a bit more personal, there isn't really anything more to it. Maybe that's because there isn't anything more there. "Personal reasons", while vague, could easily be all there is to it. Leaving everything behind for a year is a huge commitment, and it could be as simple as after two months at sea with the prospect of nine more ahead, she decided it wasn't worth it.
On the positive side, I know our new skipper, Matt. He was an instructor on my Level 2 and Level 3 training weeks, and I thought he was excellent. He skippered a boat round-the-world two years ago. He knows his shit. He's a great teacher and a great leader. You never want to have disruption like this, but given that we have it, I couldn't imagine anything that would leave me more comfortable with the situation.
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