On September 3, 2023 local time, the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race, widely recognized as one of the most endurance and challenging events in the world, with a global distance of 40000 nautical miles, officially set sail from Gangwood Ferry Terminal in Portsmouth, UK.
当地时间2023年9月3日，被公认为世界范围内最具耐力挑战的赛事运动之一、环球里程长达40000海里的克利伯环球帆船赛在英国朴茨茅斯的冈沃夫码头正式起航开赛。
“青岛号”命名仪式
起航前夕，青岛派出代表团来到码头现场与全体船员共庆命名仪式美好时刻。青岛奥帆城市发展促进会常务副会长、青岛市重大国际帆船赛事（节庆）活动组委会副主席臧爱民等代表团重要嘉宾出席，精彩绝伦的中国传统舞蹈表演，搭配劲爽香槟美食，“青岛号”赛队船员在起航出发之前再次感受到了温暖的支持和热情的鼓舞，承载着希望和祝福。
Naming Ceremony of Qingdao
On the eve of the departure, Qingdao sent a delegation to the dock to celebrate the beautiful moment of the naming ceremony with all the crew members. Important guests from the delegation, including Zang Aimin, Executive Vice President of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing City Development Promotion Association and Vice Chairman of the Qingdao Major International Sailing Events (Festivals) Organizing Committee, attended the spectacular traditional Chinese dance performance, paired with refreshing champagne cuisine. Before setting sail, the members of the "Qingdao" racing team once again felt warm support and enthusiastic encouragement, carrying hope and blessings.
同时，青岛市体育局局长、青岛市重大国际帆船赛事（节庆）活动组委会秘书长蔡全记为“青岛号”送上祝福：
亲爱的“青岛号”船员们：
欢迎你们代表中国青岛参加2023-24赛季克利伯环球帆船赛。在新赛季即将开启之际，我谨代表青岛市人民政府、青岛市重大国际帆船赛事（节庆）活动组委会向加入“青岛号”大家庭的各位航海勇士表示热烈的欢迎，向即将征战环球航行的克利伯航海勇士们致以崇高的敬意和美好的祝愿！
青岛与克利伯环球帆船赛即将迈入相互成就、携手前行的第九届。青岛是克利伯环球帆船赛合作周期最长的“老朋友”，自2005年落户以来，“青岛号”已完成八次环球航行，承载了船员们扬帆世界的梦想，见证了“帆船之都”青岛的非凡成长。克利伯环球帆船赛不仅为青岛乃至中国继续培育远洋航海人才，也为青岛建设“活力海洋之都、精彩宜人之城”，打造世界著名“帆船之都”提供了新的发展机遇和强劲动能。
At the same time, Cai Quanji, Director of the Qingdao Municipal Sports Bureau and Secretary General of the Organizing Committee for Major International Sailing Events (Festivals) in Qingdao, sent his blessings to the "Qingdao":
Dear crew members of "Qingdao":
Welcome to represent Qingdao, China in the 2023-24 Clipper Round the World Sailing Race. As the new season approaches, on behalf of the Qingdao Municipal People's Government and the Qingdao Organizing Committee for Major International Sailing Events (Festivals), I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the sailing warriors who have joined the "Qingdao" family, and extend our high respect and best wishes to the Clipper sailing warriors who are about to embark on a global voyage!
The Qingdao and Clipper Round the World Sailing Race is about to enter the ninth edition of mutual achievement and joint progress. Qingdao is the "old friend" with the longest cooperation cycle in the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race. Since settling down in 2005, the "Qingdao" has completed eight global voyages, carrying the dream of sailors sailing the world and witnessing the extraordinary growth of the "sailing capital" Qingdao. The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race not only helps Qingdao and even China continue to cultivate ocean going sailing talents, but also provides new development opportunities and strong momentum for Qingdao's construction as a "vibrant ocean city, wonderful and pleasant city", and the creation of a world-renowned "sailing city".
目前“青岛号”船队正在集结，相信在经验丰富的格雷格·亨特船长率领下，大家一定能够发挥各自优势、团结一致，延续上一赛季总冠军的辉煌，一路乘风破浪、再创佳绩。
克利伯环球帆船赛两年一度停靠青岛，已成为青岛市民翘首以盼的欢乐节日，期待2024年我们相聚青岛，欢迎“青岛号”回家！
克利伯2023-24环球帆船赛吸引了来自全球55个国家和地区的700余名船员，组成11支赛队参加角逐。参赛选手年龄跨度大、职业背景多元，本赛季还首次出现了母女联袂同场竞技的情形。据统计，有22%参与本赛季的船员之前没有帆船航海经历，但因每支赛队都会由一名职业船长和大副率领，所有参赛船员还需要参加四个级别的赛前强制性培训，并不会对参赛造成障碍。
At present, the "Qingdao" fleet is gathering, and I believe that under the leadership of experienced Captain Greg Hunter, everyone will be able to leverage their respective strengths and unite to continue the glory of the previous season's championship, riding the wind and waves all the way and creating new achievements.
The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race, which stops in Qingdao every two years, has become a joyful festival that Qingdao citizens eagerly await. We look forward to gathering in Qingdao in 2024 and welcoming the "Qingdao" back home!
The Clipper 2023-24 Global Sailing Race attracted over 700 crew members from 55 countries and regions around the world, forming 11 racing teams to compete. The contestants have a wide age range and diverse professional backgrounds, and for the first time this season, there has been a situation where mother and daughter compete together in the same field. According to statistics, 22% of the crew members who participated in this season have no previous sailing experience. However, as each racing team is led by a professional captain and first mate, all participating crew members also need to participate in four levels of mandatory pre race training, which will not cause any obstacles to the competition.
青岛是克利伯环球帆船赛合作周期最为长久的赛事伙伴，双方牵手合作始于2005年。青岛以举办这项环球帆船赛事为契机，大力宣传推广帆船运动，为举办2008年北京奥运会帆船比赛做准备。与赛事合作的另外一项重要目标是将青岛打造成为中国乃至亚洲国际帆船赛事领军城市，在这方面青岛已取得骄人成绩，已经成功举办过沃尔沃帆船赛、世界帆联世界杯帆船赛等高端国际帆船赛事。克利伯环球帆船赛不仅促进了城市以及周边区域旅游业的发展，而且还提供了商业互动、合作交流的平台，有效推动了经济和贸易的发展，对城市以及周边区域产生了积极和深远的影响。
“青岛号”赛队在本赛季中推出大使船员项目，环球全赛段大使船员“青岛号”的王子祺将与其他分赛段船员共同参赛，在环球航海的过程中为城市的品牌讯息代言，为提升青岛的国际形象和影响力做出贡献。
克利伯2023-24环球帆船赛吸引了来自全球55个国家和地区的700余名船员，组成11支赛队参加角逐。参赛选手年龄跨度大、职业背景多元，本赛季还首次出现了母女联袂同场竞技的情形。据统计，有22%参与本赛季的船员之前没有帆船航海经历，但因每支赛队都会由一名职业船长和大副率领，所有参赛船员还需要参加四个级别的赛前强制性培训，并不会对参赛造成障碍。
Qingdao is the longest running partner of the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race, and the cooperation between the two sides started in 2005. Taking the hosting of this global sailing event as an opportunity, Qingdao vigorously promotes sailing sports and prepares for the 2008 Beijing Olympics sailing competition. Another important goal of cooperating with the competition is to build Qingdao into a leading city in international sailing events in China and even Asia. In this regard, Qingdao has achieved remarkable results and has successfully hosted high-end international sailing events such as the Volvo Sailing Race and the Sailing World Cup. The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race not only promotes the development of tourism in the city and surrounding areas, but also provides a platform for commercial interaction, cooperation and exchange, effectively promoting economic and trade development, and having a positive and far-reaching impact on the city and surrounding areas.
The Qingdao team has launched an ambassador crew project this season. Wang Ziqi, the ambassador crew member of the Qingdao team, will participate in the competition with other crew members from different stages. During the global voyage, he will endorse the city's brand message and contribute to enhancing Qingdao's international image and influence.
The Clipper 2023-24 Global Sailing Race attracted over 700 crew members from 55 countries and regions around the world, forming 11 racing teams to compete. The contestants have a wide age range and diverse professional backgrounds, and for the first time this season, there has been a situation where mother and daughter compete together in the same field. According to statistics, 22% of the crew members who participated in this season have no previous sailing experience. However, as each racing team is led by a professional captain and first mate, all participating crew members also need to participate in four levels of mandatory pre race training, which will not cause any obstacles to the competition.
青岛是克利伯环球帆船赛合作周期最为长久的赛事伙伴，双方牵手合作始于2005年。青岛以举办这项环球帆船赛事为契机，大力宣传推广帆船运动，为举办2008年北京奥运会帆船比赛做准备。与赛事合作的另外一项重要目标是将青岛打造成为中国乃至亚洲国际帆船赛事领军城市，在这方面青岛已取得骄人成绩，已经成功举办过沃尔沃帆船赛、世界帆联世界杯帆船赛等高端国际帆船赛事。克利伯环球帆船赛不仅促进了城市以及周边区域旅游业的发展，而且还提供了商业互动、合作交流的平台，有效推动了经济和贸易的发展，对城市以及周边区域产生了积极和深远的影响。
“青岛号”赛队在本赛季中推出大使船员项目，环球全赛段大使船员“青岛号”的王子祺将与其他分赛段船员共同参赛，在环球航海的过程中为城市的品牌讯息代言，为提升青岛的国际形象和影响力做出贡献。
未来十一个月，比赛船队将航行驶过世界上最为遥远和凶险的海域，随时接受大自然的洗礼，冰冷刺骨的低温、40尺高的大浪、热带的酷热高温，还有赤道无风带的死寂。船员们航行的海域各具特色，包括北大西洋、南大洋、咆哮西风带、北太平洋等，都非常有挑战性。
克利伯2023-24环球帆船赛于今年9月3日从英国朴茨茅斯起航出发，由11艘克利伯70英尺大帆船先后承载着来自全球各地七百余名船员完成八个赛（航）段、历时十一个月的环球航海比赛。根据比赛进行的时间先后顺序，停靠站点依次如下：英国朴茨茅斯（起航地） - 西班牙加迪斯湾 - 乌拉圭埃斯特角城 - 南非开普敦 - 澳大利亚弗里曼特尔 - 澳大利亚纽卡斯尔 - 澳大利亚艾尔利滩 - 越南下龙湾 - 中国珠海 - 中国青岛 - 美国西雅图 - 巴拿马运河中转 - 美国华盛顿 - 苏格兰奥本 - 英国朴茨茅斯（归航地）。船队预计于2024年3月抵达青岛。
克利伯帆船赛首场比赛已经开始，总里程1200海里，本场比赛目的地是本赛季克利伯环球帆船赛版图上的新站点——西班牙波多雪利，在这里停靠休整后，船队将横跨大西洋驶向乌拉圭埃斯特角。
克利伯环球帆船赛
克利伯环球帆船赛是世界上最具耐力挑战的极限赛事运动之一。该项赛事独具特色，比赛船队要航行驶过世界上最为遥远和凶险的海域，环球航行总里程超过40000海里，是对身体和意志的极致考验。
克利伯环球帆船赛是全球范围内唯一针对非专业人员开放参与的航海赛事，无论你来自何地、什么职业、先前是否有过帆船航海经历，都可以报名参赛，但必须完成并通过强制性的赛前四级别培训。比赛船队由职业船长和大副带领，参赛船员可以选择环球全赛段，也可以选择其中的一个赛段或者是若干个赛段。
克利伯环球帆船赛由罗宾·诺克斯-约翰斯顿爵士于1996年创办，罗宾爵士是成功完成单人不间断无补给帆船环球航海壮举的世界第一人。
克利伯2023-24环球帆船赛包括八个赛（航）段，14个独立赛程，赛（航）段分配如下：
赛段1：英国朴茨茅斯-西班牙波多雪利-乌拉圭埃斯特角
赛段2：乌拉圭埃斯特角-南非开普敦
赛段3：南非开普敦-澳大利亚弗里曼特尔
赛段4：澳大利亚弗里曼特尔-澳大利亚纽卡斯尔-澳大利亚艾尔利滩
赛段5：澳大利亚艾尔利滩-越南下龙湾-中国珠海
赛段6：中国珠海-中国青岛-美国西雅图
赛段7：美国西雅图-巴拿马运河-美国华盛顿特区
赛段8：美国华盛顿特区-苏格兰奥本-英国朴茨茅斯
Qingdao is the longest running partner of the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race, and the cooperation between the two sides started in 2005. Taking the hosting of this global sailing event as an opportunity, Qingdao vigorously promotes sailing sports and prepares for the 2008 Beijing Olympics sailing competition. Another important goal of cooperating with the competition is to build Qingdao into a leading city in international sailing events in China and even Asia. In this regard, Qingdao has achieved remarkable results and has successfully hosted high-end international sailing events such as the Volvo Sailing Race and the Sailing World Cup. The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race not only promotes the development of tourism in the city and surrounding areas, but also provides a platform for commercial interaction, cooperation and exchange, effectively promoting economic and trade development, and having a positive and far-reaching impact on the city and surrounding areas.
The Qingdao team has launched an ambassador crew project this season. Wang Ziqi, the ambassador crew member of the Qingdao team, will participate in the competition with other crew members from different stages. During the global voyage, he will endorse the city's brand message and contribute to enhancing Qingdao's international image and influence.
In the next eleven months, the racing fleet will sail through the most distant and dangerous waters in the world, ready to receive the baptism of nature at any time. The cold and piercing low temperatures, 40 foot high waves, tropical scorching heat, and the dead silence of the equatorial windless zone. The sea areas where the crew navigates have their own unique characteristics, including the North Atlantic, Southern Ocean, Roaring Westerlies, North Pacific, etc., all of which are very challenging.
The Clipper 2023-24 Global Sailing Race set sail from Portsmouth, UK on September 3 this year. Eleven Clipper 70 foot sailboats carried over 700 crew members from around the world to complete eight stages of the 11 month global sailing race. According to the chronological order of the competition, The stops are as follows: Portsmouth, UK (departure point) - Gaddis Bay, Spain - Cape Est, Uruguay - Cape Town, South Africa - Freemantle, Australia - Newcastle, Australia - Elle Beach, Australia - Xialong Bay, Vietnam - Zhuhai, China - Qingdao, China - Seattle, USA - Panama Canal Transit - Washington, USA - Auburn, Scotland - Portsmouth, UK (destination). The fleet is expected to arrive in Qingdao in March 2024.
The first race of the Clipper Sailing Race has begun, with a total distance of 1200 nautical miles. The destination of this race is a new station on the map of this season's Clipper Round the World Sailing Race - Podosheli, Spain. After stopping here for rest, the fleet will cross the Atlantic and sail towards Cape Este, Uruguay.
Clipper Round the World Sailing Race
The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race is one of the most endurance and challenging extreme racing events in the world. This competition is unique in that the racing fleet has to sail through the most distant and dangerous waters in the world, with a total global navigation distance of over 40000 nautical miles, which is an ultimate test of body and will.
The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race is the only sailing competition open to non professionals worldwide. Regardless of where you come from, what profession, or whether you have previous sailing experience, you can register to participate, but you must complete and pass the mandatory pre race four level training. The competition fleet is led by a professional captain and first mate, and participating crew members can choose the entire global competition stage, or choose one or several stages.
The Clipper Round the World Sailing Race was founded by Sir Robin Knox Johnston in 1996. Sir Robin was the world's first person to successfully complete the feat of a single uninterrupted supply sailboat sailing around the world.
The Clipper 2023-24 Global Sailing Race consists of eight stages and 14 independent schedules, with the following allocation of stages:
Stage 1: Portsmouth, UK - Portsmouth, Spain - Cape Est, Uruguay
Stage 2: Cape Este, Uruguay - Cape Town, South Africa
Stage 3: Cape Town, South Africa - Freemantle, Australia
Stage 4: Freemantle, Australia - Newcastle, Australia - Elly Beach, Australia
Stage 5: Airley Beach, Australia - Xialong Bay, Vietnam - Zhuhai, China
Stage 6: Zhuhai, China - Qingdao, China - Seattle, USA
Stage 7: Seattle, USA - Panama Canal - Washington D.C., USA
Stage 8: Washington D.C., USA - Auburn, Scotland - Portsmouth, UK
关注船队比赛动向可以登录赛事官网Follow the trend of fleet competitions by logging into the official website of the competition：www.clipperroundtheworld.com，或关注克利伯帆船赛微信公众号Or follow the Clipper Regatta WeChat official account：
