SO Southampton can’t afford the Clipper Race, reported the Daily Echo on Saturday.

The organisers were so impressed with Southampton that they decided to up their price from £70k in 2011 to £500k in 2013.

Wow, real kind spirited of the Gosport organisers.

I know inflation is above the Government’s preferred target but a 614 per cent increase within a couple of years?

Strange how some event organisers want the state to contribute. Does F1 ask Northampton to sponsor the British Formula 1 Grand Prix?

I guess Saints will be asking for money to help put on Premiership games.

If this event does generate £5m for the local economy, then all the organisers need to do is to appeal to all those businesses that benefit because if the rewards are so lucrative they will be falling over themselves to get a piece.

My impression is the organisers wanted Southampton to bid so we got into a bidding war with London and we know who would win that one.

There is some poor council officer in London somewhere thinking ‘we paid how much and Southampton paid how little.’ And let’s not forget the fact that Ocean Village is a building site at the moment and the view out towards Centenary Quay is not much different.

Let Southampton wait for another few years when Ocean Village and Century Quay are finished and then we can show off our sites.

Anyway we have the Ocean Global Race in 2014, so perhaps we can let London have the Clipper Race. It is not as if they have had many big events in recent years.

EAMONN KEOGH, Southampton.