15/16 Clipper Race starts
31 Aug 2015
The Clipper fleet docked in St Katharine Docks for the start of the race
CLIPPER RACE: The 12 teams competing in the Clipper 2015-16 Race passed under Tower Bridge, London, at the start of the 40,000 nautical mile global race in front of thousands of spectators.
Home team GREAT Britain led the fleet under Tower Bridge which lifted twice to salute the crews following the race’s Official Opening Ceremony at the international Race Village in St Katharine Docks.
The yachts are now making their way down the River Thames in a Parade of Sail, followed by a fleet of spectator boats and RNLI support ribs with tens of thousands of supporters lined along the riverbanks.
The opening leg of the race takes the teams over 5,000 nautical miles from the British capital, across the Atlantic Ocean, including the challenging Doldrums, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Race 1, the Atlantic Trade Winds leg, starts Monday 31 August at 12.30 BST (11:30 UTC).
Following the first stopover in Brazil, the fleet will continue on via Cape Town, Albany – Western Australia, Sydney (including the world famous Sydney-Hobart Race), the Whitsundays, Da Nang – Vietnam, Qingdao – China, Seattle, Panama, New York, Derry-Londonderry and Den Helder – the Netherlands, before returning to London’s St Katharine Docks for Race Finish on 30 July 2016.