Back in the day

The Clipper Cup was once contested on the waters of Hawaii. Now it’s the prized trophy at Port Douglas Race Week in Far North Queensland (AUS). How did this valuable lump of silverware make such a journey?

The yacht race that would create the name Clipper Cup originally began in 1972 when members of the Waikiki Yacht Club created a 755-mile “fun race” to “race the winds of paradise”. It was to be an annual summer race around the major islands of the island state of Hawaii. Local sailors and visiting yachts competing in the biennial Transpac or Vic-Maui races were invited to attend.

By the sixth “Around the State Race” in 1976, interest in it had noticeably faded and there was talk of disbanding it entirely. Yet a few WYC members were not ready to give up on what they knew was a good idea. Through their efforts, the race was transformed into a biennial series of races that attracted yachtsmen from around the world, and, with sponsorship assistance from Pan American Airlines, the Clipper Cup Yacht Series was born. – My Sailing, read on