Clipper fleet arrives in Sydney
Local Wendy Tuck wins a tight race into Sydney to lead the 11-strong Clipper fleet into her home portIt was thrilling finale for the 2500nm Clipper leg from Fremantle into Sydney last night (December 14, 2017).
Australian skipper Wendy Tuck on Sanya Serenity Coast edged out Nikki Henderson (aged just 24) on Visit Seattle to cross the finish line at 21:21:18— less than 17 minutes ahead of her rival.
Tuck was ecstatic as the crew cheered and hooted as they crossed the finish line in Sydney Harbour.
“It was the most nerve-racking race of my life."
"The lead changed so much, it was such a competitive race so it feels amazing to get the win. Especially with all my family and friends here watching.
The two female skippers — Henderson is the youngest ever skipper in the Clipper race — have shown they have what it takes to race around the world competitively.
Tuck is now in fine form to contest her 11th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race using the local knowledge that helped her win Race 4 into Sydney. The 11 Clipper yachts will race to Hobart with the maxis on Boxing Day.
Tuck and her Sanya Serenity Coast crew dominated the 2500 nautical mile race from Fremantle to Sydney, being in the top half of the fleet for the whole distance and occupying top position for much of it.
She was given a close run for her money by Visit Seattle, with both teams being neck and neck at 1900 UTC with 21.32 nautical miles to go.
Visit Seattle, led by the 24-year-old Henderson, claimed its first podium position of the Clipper 2017-18 Race by finishing second at 21:38:03, less than 17 minutes behind Sanya Serenity Coast.
Henderson said it was really good fun, really hard work, nice to have some inshore racing, and a good feeling to get a podium.
Qingdao finished in third place an hour and 23 minutes behind Sanya Serenity Coast.
YACHTS ON DISPLAY
At the time of writing, roughly half the fleet was tied up at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA).
To follow the progress of the rest of the Clipper Race fleet, keep an eye on the Race Viewer and the latest ETAs on the website as linked below.
The Clipper 2017-18 now has 11 teams racing the 40,000nm around the world in identical 70ft yachts.
The Clipper 70s will be open for inspection and tours from December 19-22, with public talks on the race at Middle Harbour Yacht Club (Wednesday December 21) and the CYCA (Thursday December 22).
After the Sydney to Hobart race, the fleet sets sail for the Whitsundays on January 5, where more celebrations and events are in store.
You can keep up-to-date with the Clipper Race here.
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