Getting your money’s worth offshore

Among the races that lap the planet, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is unique. Using evenly match boats built for the race, professional skippers lead a crew that have paid to participate for a portion of the race, or the full 40,000 nautical miles course.

Now in its 14th edition, ten teams recently completed the 27-day crossing of the North Pacific Ocean from Tongyeong, South Korea to Seattle, WA. During the 5,500 nm leg, the fleet witnessed massive waves, winds, and sub-zero temperatures.

“It was taxing, arduous, and an incredible achievement to have accomplished in my life,” said Jimmy Johnson, a firefighter turned circumnavigator. “The isolation and the vastness of the ocean and knowing not many humans have done this – it’s humbling.”

Skipper Angela Brandsma said a dramatic hailstorm squall was the standout moment of the leg: “The winds built all of a sudden, the hailstones were huge, and it was quite painful. You don’t get any warmth from the sun as you don’t see it for weeks.”

Team Qingdao’s Skipper Phil Quinn described conditions at their worst: “It was roughly 60 knots of wind going upwind and it makes life on board so hard and uncomfortable whether you are working with the sails, working on deck or in the galley.”

The next leg gets underway April 28 and will see the teams race from Seattle to Panama, then on to Washington, DC, USA. From there, the final leg of the race will see the fleet race over the North Atlantic to Oban, Scotland, before returning to Portsmouth, UK, in July for Race Finish.

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