Clipper Race Restarts in Philippines

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Clipper 2019-20 Race did a ‘soft restart’ from the Philippines on Sunday, with 11 yachts crewed by amateur sailors departing for the North Pacific crossing to Seattle.

The 6,100-mile race, named the ‘Sailing City — Qingdao Cup’ in honor of the Chinese city represented in this edition, is expected to take just over a month. The teams will compete in one of the world’s most inhospitable places: the North Pacific Ocean. Some 150 race crew from diverse walks of life will face frigid temperatures. Hurricane-strength Force 12 winds are not uncommon. Fast sailing will definitely be on the menu. The crews will have some of the most exhilarating sailing experiences that can be gained anywhere in the world.

The North Pacific will likely have very wet and wild conditions throughout the vast majority of this race.

The Clipper Race fleet left on March 20. They’re spending four days making their way up the west coast of Luzon, Philippines. These first four days are the final offshore race training and fine-tuning ahead of the actual Le Mans race start on March 24.

Tune in tomorrow to see them on their way.