Clipper Race: Qingdao wins Pacific test

(April 20, 2018; Day 28) – Qingdao is celebrating its maiden victory of the 2017-18 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race after crossing the finish line of the Mighty Pacific Leg 6 in first place.

The Qingdao team, skippered by 32-year-old German yachtsman Chris Kobusch, completed the 5,600 nautical marathon across one of the inhospitable and remote stretches of ocean at 22:27 UTC on April 19, some 27 days after setting off from its home port of Qingdao in China.

The race from Qingdao to Seattle, the ninth of thirteen races that makes up the Clipper Race circuit, included the toughest conditions faced so far in this eleventh edition of the biennial ocean adventure.

Following a light wind battle off the coast of Japan, which added nearly a week onto the overall time spent at sea, the eleven Clipper Race teams experienced a ‘Phenomenal Sea State’, which saw the fleet battle waves of over 14 metres and hurricane force gusts of up to 80 knots.

The skill and preparedness of Chris and his fellow Skippers ensured all emerged the front unscathed, and also set up some incredible racing, with the 70-foot ocean racing yachts reaching record speeds of up to 35 knots.

The racing for the final two positions on the podium went down to the wire, with second to sixth place separated by just 8 nautical miles on the final day of racing across the world’s biggest ocean.

Fellow Chinese team, Sanya Serenity Coast, led by Australian Skipper Wendy Tuck, navigated the light winds brilliantly to cross the finish line 08:01:15 UTC today to claim its fifth podium of the 2017-18 edition and maintain its lead in the overall standings.

The result is extra special for Wendy, who explains: “For me, crossing the North Pacific was always something I needed to do. Last race we had a knock down and pulled out of the race as we didn’t know how much damage we had sustained and how my injuries might have panned out. In the end these boats are tough, they will get round the world.

“So, the North Pacific is done. We never conquer an ocean, we just hope for a safe passage. This crew has done an incredible job. It has been long, it has been tough, it has been incredibly frustrating, but the crew have always kept morale up. Everyone has pulled their weight and kept going.”

Unicef, Skippered by British Yachtsman Bob Beggs, completed the podium by being third across the finish line.

As well as picking up 12 points for the race win, Qingdao, which has scored more bonus race points than any of its competitors so far, will also collect four extra points: three for being first through the Scoring Gate and one for being third fastest through the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint.

Whilst this is the first win for the team, it is unlikely to affect its overall standings where it is second to Sanya Serenity Coast.

The full Clipper 2017-18 Race fleet is expected to have arrived at Seattle by Monday April 22. The fleet will be berthed at Bell Harbor Marina in the Port of Seattle until the first race of the US Coast-to-Coast Leg 7 from Seattle to Panama begins on Sunday April 29.

For the latest ETA of the teams… click here.

Event details – Race facts – Race viewer – Facebook

Beginning March 24, the Clipper Race fleet left Qingdao, China for the 5,500 nm leg across the North Pacific Ocean to Seattle, USA. It will be the second consecutive stopover in the West Coast USA city, with the Clipper Race previously visiting during the 2015-16 edition.

Following the Seattle stopover, the fleet will depart again on April 29 to race over 6,000 nm from Seattle to Panama during the first of two races that forms The US Coast-To-Coast Leg 7. From there, the teams will race on to New York, Derry-Londonderry, and then to the finish in Liverpool, UK.

Background: Held biennially, the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race got underway August 20 for the fleet of twelve* identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. The 40,000nm course is divided into 13 individual races with the team having the best cumulative score winning the Clipper Race Trophy. The race concludes in Liverpool on July 28.

Each team is led by a professional skipper with an all-amateur crew that signs up for one, some, or all the races. The 2017-18 race, expected to take 11 months, has attracted 712 people representing 41 nationalities, making it the largest to date.

* Twelve teams began the first leg but one yacht (Greenings) ran aground just hours after the start on October 31 of the third leg from Cape Town, South Africa to Fremantle, Australia. The crew was safely evacuated but damage to the boat was deemed too extensive for it to continue in the 2017-18 edition.

Race Route – Race Schedule and Miles

Source: Clipper Ventures