Following their hero’s welcome and an unforgettable stopover in the Shandong provincial city of Qingdao, China, the teams competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race were treated to a spectacular send off for Race 7 of the 35,000-mile global challenge to San Francisco. As the brave sailors manned their boats and prepared to do battle with the largest ocean on the planet, thousands lined the breakwater of the Olympic Sailing Centre to send them on their way. A 15-knot breeze from the north gave a gentle introduction to the 5,680-mile race to California, USA, the longest leg in the history of the Clipper Race.

    Having taken line honours on the race into Qingdao, Spirit of Australia immediately showed they were a force to be reckoned with as they crossed the start line in first place. Hot on their heels were the two North American entries, Cape Breton Island and California with Uniquely Singapore, Hull & Humber, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Qingdao and Jamaica Lightning Bolt completing the order across the line.

    As they rounded the first mark Hull & Humber had moved into the lead with Qingdao in second place, much to the delight of the home crowd. California had moved ahead of Cape Breton Island with the Canadian entry rounding just seconds behind Spirit of Australia. Next at the mark was Jamaica Lightning Bolt, the only team to opt for their Yankee 1, followed by Uniquely Singapore and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital.

    In a slick hoist manoeuvre, Hull & Humber was first up with their medium weight spinnaker and as the fleet headed out into the Yellow Sea the English entry had a clear lead on the rest of the teams.

    Ahead lies thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean and, speaking before the race start, Clipper Chairman and legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said, “The next race will be a fascinating one. It is the longest and to complete the Pacific in one long, five-week bite is a major challenge. When the crews arrive in San Francisco they will have sailed for a longer distance than 99.9 percent of all boat owners and it’s a magnificent ocean for the amateur crews to have in their log books.”

    The spectacular welcome ceremonies the individual teams received upon their arrival in Qingdao were outdone by their departure ceremony. Joining the drummers, cymbal players and lion dancers, a 20-strong brass and woodwind military band heralded the skippers’ appearance on the stage. Draped in their red velvet ceremonial cloaks and tiger hats, each skipper was presented with a colourful combat flag displaying the name of their team.

    Amongst the Chinese dignitaries attending the ceremony was Madam Zang, Honorary Chairman of Qingdao Yachting Association, who wished them luck on the forthcoming race.

    “Ten days ago the heroes of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race were welcomed by Qingdao’s citizens with warm hospitality. Your arrival has added more jubilance to the Chinese Spring Festival in Qingdao and has enabled our citizens to experience the excitement and charm of this prestigious global sailing event.

    “Today marks the restart of the Clipper Race to set sail on the new journey to San Francisco. On behalf of Qingdao Municipal Government and the organising committee, as well as all our local citizens, I would like to extend our best wishes to all the teams and the crew members. I wish you a safe sail and I wish the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race a complete success.”

    Spread amongst the boats and bringing some Irish spirit to the International teams are crew members from Cork. They are racing on board the other nine yachts following the grounding of their yacht during Race 5. Race 7 brings them a step closer to Panama where they will take delivery of their new yacht and race under the Cork colours once more and will be sure of a warm welcome when the fleet arrives in Kinsale at the start of an eight-day stopover in Cork, Ireland in July. Conor Murphy is racing on board Jamaica Lightning Bolt.

    The 34-year-old pharmacist says, “I chose this leg of the race because I always wanted to cross an ocean the Pacific is the biggest and therefore presented more of a challenge. The hardest thing about it will be trying to stay focused and warm. The crew have been really welcoming and have really made me feel a valued member of the team.”

    As the teams head out to sea, one Clipper yacht remained in the marina. Team Finland is delayed leaving Qingdao as the boat awaits her replacement mast. Having lost her rig during the tough race from Singapore, plans are well underway although shipping a 90-foot spar and associated rigging is a complicated logistical process. The mast is being taken by truck from the UK to Luxemburg where an Air China Boeing 747 with the all important opening front nose is set to depart on Friday. The cargo will land in Beijing and the mast will then transported by truck to Qingdao. Following some final assembly, stepping, tuning, testing and adjusting it is expected that Team Finland will depart for San Francisco some time between 11 and 14 March.

    The Clipper 09-10 Race started from the Humber on the north east coast of England on 13 September 2009 and will return to there on 17 July 2010. It is the only event in the world where people from all walks of life can take on the challenge of a lifetime and race around the globe on stripped down 68-foot ocean racing yachts.