World clipper race heading for Panama

 
453Views 0Comments Posted 05/05/2010

 Out and About

The adventure of a life time, non-professional sailors (with the exception of the skippers) embark on a 35,000 miles trajectory to prove what it takes to be a sailor … in a round the world race.

The world’s most challenging yacht competition,  the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was founded in 1996 by the first man to circumnavigate the world  non-stop solo, legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox Johnston.

Joshua Slocum's craft, The Spray

The first solo circumnavigation was by Nova Scotian, Joshua Slocum, in 1900 in  The Spray. He and his vessel disappeared six years later.

 The objective of the race is to give the opportunity to non professional sailors  to traverse the world’s oceans and  learn the value of team work when 10 identical 68 foot yachts set out for the unexpected.
The 09 – ’10 version of clipper set out its journey last September 13 2009.

Information about the vessels current position can be found online at the official website www.clipperroundtheworld.com (updated every three hours), as well as the crew’s stories in diaries photos and videos. The crew  of each clipper is made up of people of  different nationalities, lead by a professional captain; the 10 yachts sum around 400 people each team sponsored by an international city, region or country.
The ten month race is expected to finish in July, where all the vessels arrive at Humber port in the north-east  of England, after having completed a journey of 15 races throughout the six Continents.
The clippers, currently facing heavy currents are engaged in the San Francisco Panama leg of the battle. After a brief lay over they will transit the canal. {jathumbnail off}



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