The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race departed Seattle today, April 28, to begin the penultimate leg of its global race route. The ten-strong fleet of identical race yachts, crewed by everyday people, slipped lines at Bell Harbor Marina to motor out through the Puget Sound to the Start Line for Stage 10: Warrant’s West Coast Challenge set for a finish in Panama.
The Clipper Race’s arrival into Seattle last week was hugely significant; when the teams arrived after a tough North Pacific Ocean from Tongyeong, South Korea, it marked ten years of partnership, five consecutive Host Port stopovers and four editions with a team representing Seattle. It also saw Seattle become the most-visited US city in the race’s history.
First calling into Bell Harbor during the 2015-16 edition, the Clipper Race has brought thousands of Race Crew to the city over the last decade, but it has also been a source of inspiration for thrill-seekers from the Pacific Northwest who have discovered an ocean race they can compete in, without the need for any previous sailing experience.
One of these people is Valarie Linton, an executive director from Vancouver, BC, who is racing the full circumnavigation around the globe on the boat named after its home port, Team Power of Seattle Sports. After a stopover in her closest port to home, Seattle, she is embarking on the seventh of eight legs. She said: “It’s a bittersweet moment, I’m saying goodbye to my mountains but I’m saying hello to the Panama Canal – how cool is that! It’s going to be a lot of wildlife and beautiful sailing so I’m looking forward to it.
“Seattle is such an amazing city, there’s so much art here! I live so close and it even made me think I need to stop by more so I can’t wait to come back after the race.”
The Clipper Race is unique in that it takes ordinary people and trains them to become ocean racers, with no previous sailing experience required. In this edition, there are 67 Race Crew taking part from the USA, including a physician from Bellevue, WA, and an executive director from Vancouver, Canada.
Beth Knox, CEO of Seattle Sports Commission, said: “This has been an incredible week hosting the Clipper Race here. Of course, it’s a fun event to bring to Seattle but every time we host we are reminded how special it is to have these relationships and form these friendships and connections that so many people all over the world bring. It has been a true joy hosting everyone here.”
The upcoming race from Seattle, USA, to Panama, will see the Clipper Race teams head south along the Pacific coast to Panama. This stage presents a mix of conditions, from strong breezes and coastal influences in the north to lighter winds and rising heat closer to the equator. Crews must balance speed with strategy, navigating changing weather patterns and making key tactical decisions as they progress south.
The brainchild of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world, the Clipper Race enables people from all walks of life to experience ocean racing. A true test of physical and mental endurance, the Clipper Race sees ten teams, led by a professional Race Skipper and First Mate, make six ocean crossings, facing everything Mother Nature throws at them from sub-zero temperatures in the North Pacific Ocean to blistering heat at the Equator.
Once the teams have completed Stage 10 and transited the Panama Canal, the second race of Leg 7 (Stage 11) will see the fleet race north to Washington, DC, USA. From here, the final leg of the race begins with its last ocean crossing across the North Atlantic to Oban, Scotland. It’s then a sprint race to its finish port in Portsmouth, UK, where the circumnavigation will be complete and final leader board positions decided.
