The Australian Coast-To Coast Leg: Stopover highlights

Leg 4: The Australian Coast-to-Coast Leg is one of the most varied legs on the entire Clipper Race circumnavigation, where Race Crew can expect to take on squalls, storms and surfing ocean swells as they race thousands of miles around Australasia.

However, in between the challenging offshore races, there’s the chance to soak up the sunshine and hospitality in some relaxed Aussie destinations. On the last race edition, Clipper Race crew got the chance to enjoy a trio of stops to break up some epic sailing conditions through the Roaring Forties and into the tropics. Here’s what they got up to:

Fremantle

This vibrant Western Australia city is the first port of call after taking on the Roaring Forties on a huge ocean passage from South Africa across the Southern Indian Ocean. Crew were welcomed to WA with cold beers, blue skies and BBQs, with just over a week in Fremantle to explore before embarking on the first race of Leg 4.

Image: Race Start out of sunny Fremantle kicking off Leg 4

Stopover highlights included a friendly cricket match between the Clipper Race XI and the Fremantle District Cricket Club, plenty of sausage sizzles, an alfresco Prizegiving party and heaps of opportunities to enjoy Freo. The city boasts a cool food and drink scene and perfect swimming beaches close to the marina, as well as the stunning Rottnest Island, home to incredible snorkelling and the native quokka, just a short ferry away from town.

Image: Rottnest Island

Image: Swapping coffee grinders for cricket bats in a friendly game with the locals

As the teams geared up for Leg 4, on Race Start day Australian circumnavigator Justin Howard reported from Fremantle: “It was excellent to sail into my home territory. Now we’re heading round to Newcastle, which is very close to home, and then to Airlie Beach where I’m super excited to get to as I’ve spent a lot of time up there and in the Whitsundays. And I get to see my four children! I haven’t seen them for five months; it’s going to be really cool.” 

Newcastle

A new addition to the Clipper Race route, the fleet made its first ever stop in the New South Wales beach city of Newcastle. The fleet docked at the incredibly welcoming Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club having spent Christmas and New Year at sea battling some challenging conditions south of Tasmania. Starting with friendly arrivals, the stopover featured a sunset Prizegiving, a Hawaiian party complete with local band and BBQ, the chance to join the local outrigger canoe club, as well as being a relaxing port for crew. The local beaches and surrounding region served up outdoor activities from surfing and swimming at Newie Beach to sampling the local Hunter Valley wines or catching a local band in one of the many independent pubs and venues.

Image: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club volunteers providing a warm welcome to crew

Ineke van der Weijden, Skipper on Perseverance commented: “What a wonderful stopover in Newcastle! The Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club gave us a fantastic welcome and a home for a few days while we recovered from the previous race. Most of us managed to get some activities in like cycling, swimming, wine tasting and surfing. But most of all, we got some much-needed rest and time to get the boat ready again. Thank you, Newcastle!”

Image: Clipper Race fleet in NCYC

Image: Clipper Race crew joining in with the local outrigger canoe club

Airlie Beach

Next up and completing the trio of Aussie stops was Queensland’s Tropical North town of Airlie Beach.

Image: Dare To Lead arriving in Airlie Beach

Hosted by the Coral Sea Marina Resort, and set against a beautiful backdrop, Clipper Race crew got involved in lots of activities, from sunrise yoga sessions to meeting some friendly Aussie wildlife, as well as the Little Ripper Clipper Race Cup which saw the crew swap a 70-foot yacht for dinghies in a highly competitive race hosted by the Whitsunday Sailing Club. Being the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling with turtles and tropical fish was only a short boat ride away, with the chance to explore some of the beautiful Whitsunday Islands it was a slice of paradise away from racing.

Image: Sunset prizegiving

Image: Meeting some of the locals

With Western Australia and the Tropical North being leg changeover ports, it allowed for Race Crew and their supporters to spend some extra time in these amazing destinations or explore a bit more of Australia in their downtime.

Cameron McCracken, First Mate on Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam sums up the experience: “Australia will always be one of my favourite places in the world to sail because of the beauty that surrounds it all.”