Tropical pit stop
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is set to return to the Whitsundays.
16 May 2019
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Following the positive economic impact of its previous visit, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race will once again return to Airlie Beach to launch the second Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival.
This will be the third consecutive edition of the Clipper Race to feature the Whitsundays. The Clipper 2019-20 Race fleet and hundreds of its international crew members are due to arrive in early 2020, with the eleven 70-foot ocean racing yachts to be berthed at the Five Gold Anchor Global Accredited and award winning Abell Point Marina – soon to be rebranded to Coral Sea Marina|Resort – at Airlie Beach.
Regarded as one of the toughest challenges on the planet, the Clipper Race is the only event which trains everyday people to make six ocean crossings, covering six continents, testing them to their absolute limit.
After racing more than 20,000 nautical miles halfway round the globe, the crew will be able to relax and explore the 74 Island Wonders of the Whitsundays.
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Clipper Race Founder and Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said: “The Whitsundays has been an extremely popular stopover port during the last two editions of the Clipper Race.
It is a truly stunning location and a perfect place to really relax and unwind midway through our intense race route.”
The Clipper Race Stopover in the Whitsundays will complete Leg 4, a 3,500 nautical mile race from Fremantle, Western Australia, to Airlie Beach. For three weeks, the eleven teams will race through the Southern Ocean, cross the Bass Strait, and navigate the infamous Southerly Busters. The reward will arriving in the warm, azure waters of the Coral Sea to be greeted by the incredible sight of the Whitsundays.
The Clipper 2019-20 Race will commence from St. Katharine Docks, London, on Sunday 1 September 2019.
Says Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, “St. Katharine Docks, London, has always provided such a spectacle for our Race Start. With its rich maritime history, it’s always a pleasure to see our fleet lined up there ready for its circumnavigation.
“For crew to embark on their adventure by sailing past the Tower of London, with a backdrop of the capital city’s skyline, they’ll probably need to pinch themselves and say yes, this is really happening.”
The fleet will visit 13 ports on its global route, including Cape Town, Fremantle and the Whitsundays in Australia, Zhuhai, Qingdao, and Sanya in China.
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