North American course for Clipper Race

The route for the twelfth edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has been finalized, with the 11 teams embracing both sides of North America during the 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation.

The first stopover on the continent will be Seattle, WA, with the teams having already completed over 30,000 nautical miles (three quarters of the total route). They will also have just crossed the mighty North Pacific Ocean – one of the most sought after segments of the Clipper Race for those seeking out the most extreme adventure.

On returning to Seattle, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Clipper Race Founder and Chairman says: “To see crowds line the walls of Bell Harbor Marina to cheer our boats in, after they have crossed the North Pacific Ocean, makes crew feel incredibly proud. It is this warm welcome that makes us very pleased to be returning for the third consecutive edition.”

From Seattle, the fleet will begin the penultimate ‘US Coast-to-Coast’ leg with a 4,200nm race to Panama. After transiting one of the most famous engineering wonders of the world, teams will race a further 2,000nm towards the bright lights of New York City.

From New York, the competition will really start to heat up for the Clipper Race Trophy as the final ‘Atlantic Homecoming’ leg gets underway. Teams will be raring to go for the short 700nm sprint that will take them to the brand new Clipper Race Host Port of Bermuda, arriving into Hamilton, the capital city of the island, at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in July 2020.

The 11 teams will complete the Atlantic crossing when they arrive at Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland, for a final stop before the grand finale where the race concludes in London, UK.

Race details – Skipper list – Race route – Facebook

The Clipper 2019-20 Race Route:
The eleven teams will begin the circumnavigation at St Katharine Docks on 1 September 2019, racing from London, UK, to Portimão, Portugal; across the Atlantic to Punta del Este, Uruguay; the South Atlantic to Cape Town, South Africa; across the Southern Ocean’s Roaring Forties to Fremantle, Western Australia; around to the Whitsundays on the east coast of Australia, back into the Northern Hemisphere to China where teams will race to Qingdao, via Sanya and Zhuhai; across the mighty North Pacific to Seattle, USA; to New York via the famous Panama Canal; to Bermuda and then it’s a final Atlantic crossing to Derry-Londonderry; before arriving back to London as fully proven ocean racers.

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race:
The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors.

Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training program ahead of their adventure. Some will choose to take on the whole circumnavigation while others will compete in one or more of eight individual legs.

The overall route is split into a series of global races and a maximum 11 points going to first place ascending to one point for eleventh place. The team with the highest cumulative points at the end of the final race wins the series, and the Clipper Race trophy.

Source: Kathryn Pridie