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Sanya yacht departs London for Clipper Race

ehainan.gov.cn | Updated: 2019-09-04

Three Chinese yachts Visit Sanya, China, Zhuhai, and Qingdao embarked on their 40,000-nautical mile adventure with eight other yachts from London's St Katherine Docks on Sep 1 on the first leg of the 2019-20 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.   

The fleet is scheduled to stop over at 15 cities across the world and arrive in Sanya in February next year. 

At the departure ceremony, all the crew of Visit Sanya, China for the Atlantic Trade Winds Leg race met the public with their skipper Seumas Kellock, 26, from Edinburgh, who has been working rigorously for the past three years towards the goal of becoming a Clipper Race Skipper. 

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Visit Sanya, China embarks on its 40,000 nautical mile adventure with 10 other yachts from London's St Katherine Docks on Sep 1. [Photo/Hainan Daily] 

Zhang Xiaodong, chairman of the Chinese Yachting Association, also attended the opening ceremony to cheer on the crew of the Chinese yachts.

In recent years, sailing has developed rapidly in China, and this year's Clipper Race has three Chinese yachts named after the cities of Qingdao, Zhuhai, and Sanya. The number of Chinese crew members has also reached a record high, said Zhang. 

The Visit Sanya, China yacht became the first Chinese yacht to be crowned champion last year, promoting the Chinese maritime spirit to the world, while also stimulating the enthusiasm of people to participate in sailing events, she added. 

The first leg is divided into two stages. After sailing from London, the UK, the fleet will reach their stopover in Portimao, Portugal, and then they will pass through the Atlantic Ocean and arrive at Punta del Este, Uruguay.

A total of 18 ambassador sailors were selected globally for the Visit Sanya, China yacht and half of them are women, aged between 23 and 51.

During the departure ceremony, Sanya set up a tourism exhibition zone, hosted tourism promotion salons and a yacht-naming ceremony, as well as organized a number of shows displaying the distinctive cultures of the Li and Miao ethnic groups.