Race 6: Visit Sanya, China arrives in Subic Bay, Philippines

The “Visit Sanya, China” team clinched 4th place in the Race 6 of the Clipper Round-the-World Yacht Race after reaching Subic Bay, Philippines, at 7:26:24 on the morning of February 14th, 2020 (Beijing time). The team had spent 25 days on the sea, covering over 4,900 miles since it departed from the dock of the Whitsunday Sailing Club in Australia on January 20th, 2020. The team, led by Scottish skipper Seumas Kellock, overcame a series of challenges and crossed the equator to return to the Northern Hemisphere before finishing Race Six of the series.

The fifth leg of the Clipper 2019-20 Round-the-World Yacht Race consists of Race 6, Race 7, and Race 8. The Race 6 was officially named “Forever Tropical Paradise Journey” by the Sanya Organizing Committee. Due to the wildfires in Australia, the start of the fifth leg of the Clipper 2019-20 Round-the-World Yacht Race was postponed to January 21st, 2020. The fleet was supposed to make Sanya its first stop and Zhuhai the third stop during the fifth leg; but after crossing the equator, the Clipper organizers decided to delay arrival in Sanya due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The fleet will stop in the Philippines, which was previously planned as the second of the three ports in fifth leg, for at least nine days.

Regretful as the sailors were for missing the chance to stop in China, they nonetheless enjoyed traditional Chinese culture and food during their voyage. In celebration of Chinese New Year, they put on traditional Chinese costumes and made dumplings. The sailors finished the dumplings in short order, and several crewmembers commented that they were eager to enjoy more Chinese food in Sanya in the future.

Ms. Lv Yang and Mr. Xu Yu, both of whom live and work in Sanya, served as the Sanya Ambassadors for Race 6. Both of them were pleased with the team’s performance during the race, and happy to have finished the race in high spirits.

Team members expressed concern for the people in epidemic areas, especially for those in Sanya. International crewmembers expressed understanding of the Clipper organizers’ decision to avoid stopping in mainland China. Still, many crewmembers felt regret that they would not be stopping in Sanya, which was one of their most anticipated stops on the round-the-world race. They extended their best wishes to all the people of China, especially those in Sanya.