Chinese Teams Dominate in Seventh Stage of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

22nd February 2024

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Qingdao crew arrives in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Chinese sailing teams from the cities of Qingdao and Zhuhai grabbed the top two spots in the seventh stage of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The nail-biting race, stretching over a marathon of 4,000 nautical miles from Airlie Beach, Australia, to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, saw the Qingdao team emerge victorious in the end.

The team had a tight grip on the first position for the last week of the race, but as they approached the finish line, the wind slowed down, and their competitors, the Zhuhai team, began closing in. A narrow finish line and better winds for the boats to the east and west meant that the Qingdao team had to work even harder to maintain their lead, which they did successfully.

The Qingdao team's skipper, Philip Quinn, said that it was a nerve-wracking night as they did not know where their competitors were, but they managed to pull off a win against some great competition. The team from Zhuhai crossed the finish line just 40 minutes behind Qingdao, having made a bold move of heading further west to find stronger winds, which paid off.

This was an impressive achievement for the Qingdao team, which celebrated its first podium of the 2023-24 edition. It was also a debut race for the skipper and the first mate duo, who managed to steer their team to a win.

Published in Clipper Race

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Clipper Round The World Yacht Race

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About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is undoubtedly one of the greatest ocean adventures on the planet, also regarded as one of its toughest endurance challenges. Taking almost a year to complete, it consists of eleven teams competing against each other on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training programme ahead of their adventure.

This unique challenge brings together everyone from chief executives to train drivers, nurses and firefighters, farmers, airline pilots and students, from age 18 upwards, to take on Mother Nature’s toughest and most remote conditions. There is no upper age limit, the oldest competitor to date is 76.

Now in its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race started from London, UK, on 02 September 2019.