Clipper Yachts Sailing from China

Olympic Sailing Centre, Qingdao, China: At 1530 local time (0730 GMT) on Sunday a horn sounded across Fuschan Bay, Qingdao, marking the start of Race 7 of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race to Hawaii. The race restart marked the end of a successful stopover in Qingdao’s Olympic Sailing Centre, which acted as a dress rehearsal for the sailing events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The ten-strong international fleet crossed the start line in approximately ten knots of breeze from the south west, flying their Yankee One headsails at the start of the 4,400-mile race across the Pacific from China to Hawaii. Hull & Humber managed to sneak across the line first followed by Liverpool 08, the only boat that approached the line on a port tack. Tens of thousands of spectators lined the city’s waterfront to watch the send-off after a week-long visit that has generated unprecedented media attention. During the stopover 80,000 Qingdao citizens visited the marina to view the yachts and many of them returned to see the fleet set sail on Sunday. In sub-zero temperatures, the ten teams tacked up to the first mark in front of the Chinese sailing city’s breakwater, which was crammed with local residents. The home boat, Qingdao, managed to thrill the crowds by taking the lead as they headed off towards the island of Chaolian Dao to the east of Qingdao.

Prior to the race restart the skippers of the ten teams competing in Clipper 07-08 were invited to attend a special farewell ceremony at the Olympic Sailing Centre. Cloaked in the red velvet capes they received when they arrived, the skippers were led to a large stage flanked by hundreds of Chinese ceremonial drummers and lion dancers. Amongst the Chinese dignitaries attending the ceremony was the Mayor of Qingdao, Mr Xia Geng, who wished them luck on the forthcoming race: “Today the Clipper fleet sets sail to Hawaii. On behalf of the Qingdao Municipal Government and the Qingdao people, I would like to extend my best wishes to the entire fleet and all onboard. Your arrival here has enhanced the festive atmosphere of this Olympic city and enabled our citizens to feel once again the extraordinary charm of this world-renowned sailing event. Qingdao is willing to be a host port for future Clipper Races and I sincerely wish all the sailors good health.”

Each skipper was presented with a specially designed team banner before they paraded under the Arch of Triumph and down to their boats. Skipper of the homeport team Marcus Cholerton-Brown said: “From what we have experienced here in Qingdao the city is well set up for the Olympics. They have used the Clipper Race as a dress rehearsal and everything has run incredibly smoothly. It promises to be a fantastic event this summer which I look forward to attending.”

Following an extremely close and challenging upwind race from Singapore to Qingdao, the next stage of the race to Hawaii is expected to deliver some strong downwind conditions. Race 7 is the longest race of the Clipper 07-08 and promises some exciting racing as Clipper Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston explains: “The next leg across the Pacific is a first for the Clipper Race. We have visited Hawaii before but not from China. The route provides an interesting challenge tactically and we will watch with interest how the skippers and crews handle this one. The overall leader board is very close at the top and there is everything to strive for.”

• Photo: Copyright James Allen 2008©
• Video: Interview with Ricky Chalmers, Skipper of Durban 2010 and beyond after they came second in the race from Singapore to Qingdao