Clipper Race

Clipper Race 2013-2014

The Clipper Race starts on Sunday 1st September 2013 from St Katherine’s Dock, in London.

The Clipper Race is a sailing race that circumnavigates the globe.  What makes it special is that the 12 racing yachts are supplied by the organisers  along with a fully qualified Skipper for each yacht.   The paying crew are racing novices and 3 training course have to be completed in order to participate in the race.  Participants can sign up to complete the entire race or one or more legs.

The race course for 2013-2014 is as follows:

Leg 1 – The race starts from London, UK then onto Brest in France then following the trade winds they head across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.  This is a total of 5630 miles and should take around 33 days to complete.

Leg 2 – From Rio the yachts make use of the South Atlantic trade winds and head across to Cape Town in South Africa.  This leg of the journey is 3390 miles and takes about 18 days to cross the infamous Southern Ocean.

Leg 3 – Still taking in the Southern Ocean and the most extreme leg of the race, the yachts head to Albany in Australia from Cape Town.  Not for the faint-hearted, this leg is 4700 miles of strong winds, large swells and gale force storms.  A relief to all when the coast of Australia is viewed some 23 days later.

Leg 4 – This leg is a must for those sailing enthusiasts that want to sample all that the seas around Australia have to offer.  After leaving Albany the yachts make for Hobart in Tasmania and then up to Sydney and finishing in Brisbane on the East coast.  A 4200-mile route that will take around 28 days.

Leg 5 – By now it is December and the yachts leave from Brisbane and head North through the islands of Papua New Guinea to Singapore.  From Singapore, it’s on to Qingdao in China, a mere 7400 miles and some 53 days at sea.

Leg 6 – This leg is quite simply crossing the biggest ocean in the world.  Leaving China behind the boats cross the mighty Pacific Ocean to land in San Francisco Bay some 5600 miles and 33 days later.

Leg 7 – This leg will see the yachts leave San Francisco Bay and head down to the Panama Canal and then onto Jamacia and finishing in the big apple,  New York.  A great way to see the coasts of America.  This leg is some 5100 miles and will take about 38 days to complete.

Leg 8 – The final leg of 3750 miles takes around 22 days to complete.  The yachts leave New York and return to London via Northern Ireland having clocked up a total of 39,770 miles of ocean, memories and long-lasting friendships.

To follow the progress of the race, or to take part (!) find details on Clipper Round theWorld

Image courtesy of clipperroundtheworld.com