Racing the relentless route to the USA

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2025-26, which got underway last August in England, has the fleet en route from South Korea to Seattle, WA. This is Stage 9 of 13 with the 10 teams to expected to need 30 days to complete the 5,500 nm route on the evenly matched Clipper 70s.

The Clipper Race is the only event of its kind to train people from all walks of life to become ocean racers. Over 40% of crew had never sailed before signing up, with each participant undergoing four stages of intensive training before choosing to compete in one or multiple stages, with 90 out of the 600 plus crew taking on the full circumnavigation.

The course to the USA is renowned for its remote and demanding waters, noting Race Director Hannah Brewis, “The only way to describe it is relentless. You can’t stop and it won’t stop. The only way is to keep going.”

This is the longest leg, requiring crews to navigate the fishing fleets, variable winds and Kuroshio Current around Japan before hitting the North Pacific proper where it will face the infamous huge conditions that aren’t found anywhere else.

The Clipper Race crew can expect waves the size of tower blocks, winds of over 80 knots and sub-zero temperatures on board, as the fleet hurtles through large weather systems in one of the biggest and most remote expanses of ocean on the planet.

“Where we’re heading, at 44 degrees north, it is going to be anything but calm,” said Co-Founder and Chairman of the Clipper Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. “Our crews are very well trained for this; they are trained to cross oceans. It’s the reason that we do it, to make sure they are totally ready for what they are about to take on. In my view, it is the toughest leg of the race.”

The fleet expects to arrive between April 15 and 20, making it the fifth time the city has welcomed adventurers following a relentless race across the North Pacific Ocean. Celebrating ten years of partnership and five visits, Seattle will have featured on the Clipper Race route more times than any other US city.

The Clipper Race fleet will be based at Bell Harbor for the duration of its stay until their start on April 28 which takes the fleet south to Panama.

Event Details: www.clipperroundtheworld.com

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.

Held biennially, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has a fleet of identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s that compete on a multi-leg course around the world. The team having the best cumulative score over the entire course wins the Clipper Race Trophy. Ten teams will compete in the 2025-26 race, with the 14th edition getting underway from Portsmouth, UK on August 31.

The course has eight legs which includes stops in Puerto Sherry (Spain), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle and Arlie Beach (Australia), Subic Bay (Philippines), Qingdao (China), Tongyeong City (Korea), Seattle (USA), Panama, Washington, DC (USA) and Oban (UK) before returning to Portsmouth (UK) in summer 2026.

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race