Double DC Prizegiving

District Pier at The Wharf in Washington, DC was alive with celebration as Race Crew, Officials, Supporters and Team and Host Port Partner Events DC gathered for the Clipper Race Leg 7 Prizegiving. It was a double event, with the results and achievements of both Race 11 and 12 being recognised. The sun-soaked waterfront at The Wharf provided the perfect setting to celebrate the success and share stories of the last two races.

Image: Celebrations flowing on District Pier

The evening marked the end of a challenging yet exhilarating leg, celebrating the perseverance and skill of the participants on the penultimate leg of the circumnavigation.

To kick off the festivities, Clipper Race Director Mark Light took the stage, welcoming Clipper Ventures President and Founder of the Clipper Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston to address the audience. In his opening remarks, Sir Robin expressed his gratitude to Events DC for its hospitality and praised Race Crew for their exceptional performance during Leg 7.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston - “Well done on completing the longest coastal ocean race. It was a long and interesting one and you had to deal with very interesting tactical hurdles to get here. Crossing the Panama Canal in itself is a huge event and then you had the very beautiful Chesapeake Bay before making your way to Washington, DC. Great effort by all.”

Image: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston waves at Marine One during speech flyby

Following Sir Robin’s address, Angie Gates, President and CEO of Events DC, extended a warm welcome to the Clipper Race fleet: “On behalf of the Events DC Board of Directors and staff, I want to extend a very warm welcome to the incredible Race Crew, esteemed guests, and Race Officials. Sir Robin, I am thrilled to have the chance to spend time with you and host you here in the nation's capital.

Image: President Angie Gates takes to the stage

We are thrilled to have you all in the nation's capital for this stopover. We have made history with this event, and we could not have done this without the support of all of you. This evening is about celebrating the dedicated Race Crew who have embarked upon this brave adventure. You have braved the elements, pushed yourselves to the limit, and experienced camaraderie that only comes from a shared global challenge.

Your resilience, teamwork, and passion for sailing have inspired me, and I’m sure it has inspired many others. We are delighted to showcase Washington, DC through this prestigious event. Our city is a vibrant hub of history, culture, and innovation, and we hope you all have the opportunity to explore everything this city has to offer.”

Race 11: #SailConnected with SENA results

The first round of race results to announce was for Race 11: #SailConnected with SENA, with the Scoring Gate points first on the agenda. Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam crossed in third, with Our Isles and Oceans following in second, but it was Zhuhai that secured the three coveted extra points for being first through the gate.

Image: Zhuhai celebrates its third place win

Next up, it was time to welcome the Ocean Sprint winners to the stage. It was Perseverance that
clinched third place, earning a bonus point. Qingdao secured second, gaining a well-deserved two points. The team’s consistent high performance continues to push them further up the leaderboard. However, it was Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam that emerged victorious, banking three points. This victory is crucial, bolstering its position and helping the team maintain its lead at the top of the overall leaderboard.

Full results are shown below:

3rd Perseverance (50:05:31) 
2nd Qingdao (49:50:18) 
1st Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam (48:25:39)    

The moment arrived to celebrate the podium results of Race 11.

To present the third-place award, Kirsty McVicar, Counsellor for Trade Policy, Economic Security and Agricultural Policy was invited to the stage. Race 11 marked a significant achievement for PSP Logistics, currently sitting ninth on the overall leaderboard. Under the skilled leadership of Skipper Mike Miller and AQP Lottie Wade, PSP Logistics secured its second third-place podium finish of the race so far.

Image: Race 11 third place goes to PSP Logistics

Placing second on Race 11 from Seattle to Panama was Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam. The podium was another solid result for the team, adding a fifth podium to its roster of results, and taking them to the top of the overall leaderboard after arriving into Panama last month. The team’s second place pennant was presented by Commodore Roger Readwin, British Naval Attache to the USA.

Image: Second place on Race 11 goes to Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam

Rounding off the Race 11 results, the Qingdao team had its moment to shine as the team was crowned Race 11 winners. Philip, Henry and the Qingdao race crew came to the stage to accept their pennant.

Image: WINNERS, it's Qingdao to the stage!

Presenting the prestigious first-place pennant was H.E. Dame Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the United States. In a moment filled with pride and celebration, Ambassador Pierce handed the award to the jubilant crew of Qingdao as the team celebrated to its team song Thunderstruck by AC/DC.

Leg 7 Media Prize

With the Race 11 prizes awarded, next it was time to announce the Media Prize for Leg 7; an award that honours the exceptional moments captured by Race Crew whilst battling the elements. This accolade recognises the powerful photos, captivating videos, and compelling blogs sent back by Media Crew, that illustrate either life on board, incredible interactions with nature or simply some fun content created whilst crossing an ocean.

Competition for the Media Prize is always fierce, with each team eagerly submitting its unique perspectives and storytelling talents to the Communications Team ahead of Prizegiving.

Highly commended nods went to Perseverance, for its take on the social media trend ‘Of course we are..’ where the team portrayed the unique perks of sailing on board Perseverance.

Other commendable entries were Aidan Smith and David Spence on Our Isles and Oceans for their stunning images of a storm-laden sky and a pod of dolphins on the race from Seattle to Panama. Both beautifully captured Mother Nature’s untamed beauty and incredible interactions of the crew and natural world.

But the overall Media Prize winner was... two winners!

Zhuhai was selected for the crew’s charming and creative rendition of ABBA’s classic hit "Waterloo." And for hosting its very own Eurovision song competition on board with costumes. The video was shot on Race 11, and the blend of humour, creativity and fun was a tough act to follow. The video was a team effort but art-directed and produced by Alan Thomson.

However, there was another incredible piece of footage – never before captured on the Clipper Race. Ella Neiper on Our Isles and Oceans was awarded the joint prize for recreating a real-life scene from JAWS with incredible GoPro footage shot from the boat of a shark swimming right behind them. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston presented Ella and Zhuhai’s Media Crew Alan with the prize pennants.

Image: Duo of Media Prize winners take to the stage

Impact Champion Award

A new award for the Clipper 2023-24 Race, this award is designed to recognise any person or entity that has had an impact upon the Clipper Race ecosystem in any capacity.

This leg’s Impact Champion Award went to Ralph Morton, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Sports & Entertainment at Events DC, for his instrumental work in bringing the Clipper Race to Washington DC. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Ralph, he is a huge advocate of the Clipper Race, and was largely responsible for also originally bringing the Clipper Race to Seattle. The award was presented by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Image: Thank you and well done to Ralph Morton

Leg 7 Charity Champion and fundraising update

As the Clipper Race circumnavigates the world, the teams put exceptional effort into raising funds and awareness for Charity Partner, UNICEF. The Charity Champion award recognises individuals or teams for their efforts in raising these vital funds.

Before announcing this leg’s winner, Mark Light gave an updated on the funds raised so far, which now amounts to an impressive £415,497.82. Mark said: “UNICEF has helped save more lives than any other humanitarian organisation. On this edition we have now helped raise over £415K. It is incredible to see how our teams continue to work on innovative fundraising initiatives, helping us exceed this edition’s target of £360,000 so early in the race – what an incredible effort. Keep up the good fundraising effort as we need your help to raise even more money to help more children.”

The top three teams are listed below:

3rd – Yacht Club Punta del Este - £43,867.07
2nd – UNICEF - £53,595.17
1st – Bekezela - £57,452.53

The award for Leg 7 was presented by Sir Robin, and awarded to the Dare To Lead team for its Dare To Ride event in Seattle. During the Seattle stopover, Clipper Race sailors took on the cycle paths of the Emerald City to raise money for UNICEF. 36 miles later and a whopping £2,000 raised, there were sore legs all around but an awesome day out exploring the gorgeous scenery of Seattle and Lake Washington. And it wasn’t just a stopover affair. Dare To Lead crew members around the world also got involved remotely by taking part in their own fundraising cycles. Sean McPartland, a circumnavigator on Dare To Lead who led the event was invited to the stage to receive a pennant.

Image: Charity Champion Sean McPartland from Dare To Lead

Race 12: Come Sea DC Cup results

Attention then turned to the results of the second race of Leg 7, from Panama to Washington, DC. A relatively short race of wind holes and squalls that came out of nowhere, tactics were everything, with some bold decisions paying off for the top-scoring teams.

Spanning approximately 28 nautical miles wide, the Scoring Gate offered teams the chance to earn crucial bonus points, however only two teams went for the gate on Race 12.

Zhuhai was tempted away from the rhumb line and its effort paid off, crossing in second place, narrowly missing the top spot by a razor-thin margin of just 41 seconds. Claiming the first-place honours once again was Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, adding another three points to their impressive tally. This victory further solidified its ranking in the Clipper Race standings.

The Ocean Sprint results, which had been kept under wraps by the Race Office until Prizegiving, were next to be revealed. The Race 12 Ocean Sprint covered a challenging stretch between 27°N and 30°N, with a rhumb line distance of approximately 183 nautical miles. As always, the varying conditions faced by each team during this segment depended greatly on its east or west positioning as they crossed the sprint’s start and finish. It was a hotly contested sprint, with just 26 minutes separating the top three.

Image: Ocean Sprint double whammy for Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam

UNICEF secured third place and then claiming second place and an additional two bonus points was Qingdao, the winners of Race 11 and 12. Qingdao’s strong performance in the Ocean Sprint bagged the team second place and even more points, helping them inch closer up the leaderboard. No stranger to an Ocean Sprint win, Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam once again took to the stage to celebrate a victory, and three extra points on the tab.

Full results are as below:

25:11:45         Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam
25:18:59          Qingdao
25:38:01          UNICEF
26:16:01          Zhuhai
29:58:48          Our Isles and Oceans
31:27:12          Dare To Lead
31:55:31          Bekezela
32:47:04          Perseverance
33:43:29          Washington, DC
34:28:06          PSP Logistics
36:08:28          Yacht Club Punta del Este

As the evening's excitement continued, it was finally time to crown the winners of Race 12: Come Sea DC Cup and invite the three podium teams to the stage.

Angie Gates, President and CEO of Events DC, returned to the stage to present the awards.

Third place on Race 12 went to UNICEF, led by Skipper Dan Bodey and AQP Laura Hampton. The team proudly headed to the stage to the lively beats of its team anthem, "Get Ready for This." This crucial podium finish has boosted UNICEF to fifth place on the overall leaderboard, marking a significant milestone in its campaign.

Image: Return to the podium for UNICEF

Angie Gates remained on stage to award the second-place pennant to Zhuhai. Known for its consistent podium finishes (the team has been on the podium for 50% of the circumnavigation so far), Zhuhai’s latest success reaffirms its position as formidable contenders for the overall podium. Currently sitting in third place overall, this victory narrows the gap to the top, setting the stage for a fierce competition for the leading position.

Image: A familiar place up on the podium for Zhuhai

The highlight of the ceremony was the announcement of the first-place winners. To the electrifying tune of "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, once again, the Leg 7 Qingdao team made its way back to the stage, receiving its second first-place pennant of the evening.

Image: Double win for Qingdao!

The stage is certainly set for the eighth and final leg. With four Jokers still to play across fleet Race Viewer addicts had better get their sleep in now, before Race 13 commences on 27 June.