Clipper Race: The Salvage Saga

Published on November 3rd, 2017

The crew of Clipper Round the World Yacht Race team Greenings (CV24) were safely evacuated after running aground on the western side of Cape Peninsula, which sits roughly halfway between Cape Town and Cape Point during Leg 3 of the eight-leg global sailing race.

The Clipper 70 yacht, which has already circumnavigated the world twice before, ran aground just hours after the start on October 31 at approximately 2140 UTC (2340 local time) which saw the 12 teams leave from South Africa for the 4,754 nm Southern Ocean sleigh ride towards Fremantle, Australia.

The Skipper and all 17 crew members are safe and well and there were no injuries reported on board but all were evacuated on to rescue boats provided by the NSRI (National Sea Rescue Institute) for precaution to return to shore at Hout Bay.

Greenings had won both stages of the Clipper 2017-18 Race so far.

Following careful analysis of the boat on November 1, the Clipper Race office confirmed the vessel is partially underwater and will take no further part in the Clipper 2017-18 Race. This video update on November 3 with Race Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston now shows the boat has moved ashore.

The position of the boat on November 1.

Event details – Race facts – Race viewer – Facebook

The third stage of the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race, officially known as Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race, got underway October 31 for the 12 teams from Cape Town for the 4,754 nm Southern Ocean sleigh ride towards Fremantle, Australia. Teams are expected to finish between November 21 and 25.

Background: Held biennially, the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race got underway August 20 for the fleet of twelve identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. The 40,000nm course is divided into 13 individual races with the team having the best cumulative score winning the Clipper Race Trophy. Each team is led by a professional skipper with an all-amateur crew that signs up for one, some, or all the races. The 2017-18 race, expected to take 11 months, has attracted 712 people representing 41 nationalities, making it the largest to date.

Race Route – Race Schedule and Miles