Touring the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Boats

OutVentures Sailiing class toured the 70-footers

It was the perfect way to wrap up Sailing Fundamentals 2024. How convenient that the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race boats would be at Bell Harbor Marina in Seattle as we finished this year's classroom sailing. A couple of us were able to take advantage of touring these 70-footers. It was impressive to view them from above, but to be able to step on board, walk on their decks and go below opened one's eyes to a whole new world of sailing.

All of the boats were sloop-rigged. We were able to identify the equipment that we were used to on 30-odd footers, but there was more of everything - 8 fenders on each side, two steering wheels, and 6 or 8 wrenches. Also, the sizes of equipment, for instance, the shrouds, were massive. Those were about an inch in diameter rather than a quarter of an inch.

Down below, we toured sleeping quarters, storage areas, and the navigation room and shared sea stories. The instrument panel looked more like a flight deck than what we were accustomed. The last leg taking 32 days was from China and from Seattle the fleet will sail back to the UK via the Panama Canal. Truly impressive, but it was difficult to imagine sharing that space with sixteen to twenty-two crew members, especially for that length of time.


Link: http://https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/events-calendar/event/tour-a-clipper-70-ocean-racing-yacht7

Submitted: 05/02/24
Article By: Magner, Millie