Clipper Race: From Seattle to Panama

The 2023-24 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is on the move again for the 4200nm leg down the western coast of North America from Seattle, WA to Panama. The 11 teams departed Bell Harbor Marina on May 4 where they had been berthed since their arrival, transiting the Puget Sound to the offshore location where they started on May 5.

The Seattle stopover saw one of the biggest crew changeovers of the edition, as the circumnavigation progresses into its final quarter. With yachts seeing a turnover of nearly all their leggers, there was a buzz of fresh-faced crew, excited and ready to join the rest of their teammates rejuvenated after an incredible stopover in Washington state.

Following the North Pacific crossing, the conditions the crew will face on the next race will vary greatly as they go from the cold to heat near the Equator.

“The joke is you start the race, hoist up your Code 3, the heaviest spinnaker that you use for the windiest of wind, you sail until you can’t fly it anymore,” said Washington, DC Skipper Hannah Brewis. “Then you hoist your Code 2, then you hoist your Code 1, which is the lightest spinnaker, once you can’t fly that, then you hoist your Windseeker which you use for the really really light winds, then you fly that till you can’t and the race ends.”

Due to the light conditions expected as the route approaches Panama, and the importance of making the Panama Canal crossing time, there are six mandatory gates that the fleet have to pass through, with each potentially being called as the finish line should it be needed.

“It can be frustrating to have six potential finish lines, but you don’t really think of that till the end,” added Brewis. “I actually think it’s really fun, its small goals to aim for. It can be tricky when it comes down to it, but there is no point in thinking about that till we get there”

The coastal course will see the teams at sea for about three and half weeks.

Race details – Team list – Race route – Tracker – Facebook

2023-24 edition will take the following route (updated):

Leg 1
Race 1. Portsmouth, UK – Puerto Sherry, Spain (1200nm) – 3 Sept Race Start, arrive 9 Sept
Race 2. Puerto Sherry, Spain – Punta del Este, Uruguay (5300nm) – 15 Sept Race Start, arrive 12-16 Oct

Leg 2
Race 3. Punta Del Este, Uruguay – Cape Town, South Africa (3555 nm)- 22 Oct Race start, arrive 6-10 Nov

Leg 3
Race 4. Cape Town, South Africa – Fremantle, Australia (4750 nm) – 18 Nov Race Start, arrive 8-13 Dec

Leg 4
Race 5. Fremantle, Australia – Newcastle, Australia (2510nm) – Race Start 19 Dec, Arrival 1-4 Jan 2024
Race 6. Newcastle – Airlie Beach, Australia (985nm) – Race Start 10 Jan, Arrive 16-17 Jan

Leg 5
Race 7. Airlie Beach, Australia – Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam (4515nm) – Race Start 28 Jan, Arrive 21-26 Feb
Race 8. Ha Long Bay – Zhuhai, China (645nm) – Race Start 2 March, Arrive 6-7 March

Leg 6
Race 9. Zhuhai, China – Qingdao, China (1370nm) – Race Start 12 March- Arrive 21-22 March
Race 10. Qingdao – Seattle, USA (5580nm) – Race Start 27 March, Arrive 21-26 April

Leg 7
Race 11. Seattle, USA – Panama Canal (4200nm) – Race Start 5 May, Arrive Panama 27 May-1 Jun
Race 12. Panama-Washington, DC, USA (1990nm) – Race Start 5 June, Arrive 17-19 June

Leg 8
Race 13. Washington, DC, USA – Oban, Scotland (3340nm) – Race Start 25 June, Arrive 12-16 July
Race 14. Oban – Portsmouth, UK (815nm) – Race Start 21 July, Arrive 27 July

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 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race got underway September 3 for the fleet of eleven identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. This 13th edition has 24 crew aboard each yacht, coming from 63 different nationalities (105 sailors from the USA) for the 40,000 mile circumnavigation of the world.

The course is divided into 8 legs and 14 individual races, with some of the crew in for the entire circumnavigation while others will do individual legs. The team having the best cumulative score over the entire course will win the Clipper Race Trophy.

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race