Close fought battle for podiums in inaugural Clipper Race to Sanya
by Kathryn Foulkes 23 Feb 2018 21:46 GMT
23 February 2018
Serenity Coast Arrival - Clipper Race © Clipper Race
The inaugural Clipper Round the World Yacht Race stopover in Sanya, China, has begun in spectacular fashion, with gripping racing for podium places coming down the line as the fleet completed the course outside Sanya's world-class Serenity Marina.
The 4,300 nautical mile race from the Whitsundays, Australia, to Sanya proved to also be the inaugural win and fourth podium for PSP Logistics. Led by British sailor Matt Mitchell, PSP Logistics overtook Qingdao for the lead just four days from the finish line, and despite light winds allowing the chasing pack to close in, the team did enough to hang on for a maiden victory, crossing the finish line at 20:41:20 local time (12:41:20 UTC) on Thursday 22 February.
Upon arriving into the only five Gold Anchor Platinum globally accredited marina in Asia, Skipper Matt Mitchell said he was very proud of this team's victory: "It's awesome. It was pretty tense with every schedule when we got the position reports in and each time it did, we thought we had dodged a bullet. We dodged the final bullet this morning and we're really pleased we managed to hold the others off."
After 23 days of racing at sea, where teams battled the Doldrums, squalls and sweltering temperatures, it was Qingdao, led by German Clipper Race Skipper Chris Kobusch that became the second team to cross the finish line at 17:36:52 UTC.
However, it was Dare To Lead, which had a redress of 1 hour 24 minutes, that ultimately scooped second place after it crossed the line behind Qingdao at 18:17:39 UTC (02:17:39 local time).
Although the home team, Sanya Serenity Coast, didn't quite make the podium, it has managed to maintain its lead on top of the overall standings by claiming fourth place in a closely fought battle to the line.
Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy said: "We knew we had a big task in front of us, and whilst we didn't quite do as well as we wanted to, we held the others off.
"We concentrated on getting here in front of Unicef as we knew that Dare To Lead might beat us with the redress. Our game plan was to beat Unicef so we are happy."
Despite the late hour, Sanya Serenity Coast was given a hero's welcome, with a large crowd and lion dancers cheering the team into the Sanya Serenity Coast Marina. After being officially welcomed to the city and presented with the team's prize at the main stage of the Clipper Race Village, Sanya Serenity Coast crew member Victor Ansart, a 26-year-old Electrical Engineer from the USA, adds: "When we were coming there was a bunch of boats out to meet us for the arrival so it was really cool to be greeted by all the people of Sanya, they were all cheering us on and lighting us up with spotlights so it really was a great arrival."
Sanya's Vice Mayor, Xu Zhenling, also passed on her congratulations to the team. She said: "It is fantastic to welcome the Sanya Serenity Coast team into its home port. After spending six months at sea, the team has crossed oceans and has been fearless of the difficult tasks and has always shown the spirit of Sanya's tropical paradise – never give up! We are proud of you and hope that you enjoy your time here in Sanya."
The Sanya Stopover marks the halfway point of the Asia Pacific Leg 5, which also includes a race from Sanya to Qingdao in northern China.
Around 200 people from all walks of life and representing 22 different nationalities are taking part in Leg 5 of the Clipper 2017-18 Race.
The Clipper Race is seen as one of the world's toughest endurance challenges and is unique in that it is raced by everyday people with each of the eleven teams being led by a professional skipper. In 1996, legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world in 1968-69, founded the race as a way to give everyone, no matter their sailing experience, the chance to become an ocean racer. Approximately 40 per cent of crew members have never sailed before they sign up for the 40,000 nautical miles circumnavigation, which is divided into eight legs and features six ocean crossings.
The eleven Clipper Race yachts, along with their crew and supporters, will be based at Sanya Serenity Coast Marina and will enjoy the activities and excitement of the Clipper Race Village – a hub featuring food stalls, model yacht racing and the Clipper Race Dome where people can experience what it is like on board via virtual reality googles or try their skills at the Marlow Rope Knot Tying Station.
Race 8, which will see the teams head approximately 1,700 nautical miles to Qingdao starts on 4 March. From there, teams will head across the mighty Pacific Ocean to Seattle, before racing to Panama, New York, Derry-Londonderry, and Liverpool, where the Clipper 2017-18 Race will finishe on July 28, 2018.
clipperroundtheworld.com