UTC时间2015年12月12日2108时分（北京时间2015年12月13日早间0508时分），代表中国参赛的青岛号赛队越过终点线，以第五名的成绩顺利完成克利伯2015～16赛季环球帆船赛赛程4“Elliot Brown计时者杯”比赛，获得8点积分，总航程2088海里，耗时12天。

    青岛号船长Bob Beggs接受采访说到：“这段比赛极其艰难，非常有挑战性。有很长一段时间一直是遭遇逆风，行进艰难，有时候还遇到了相对较强的狂风，后几天状况有所好转，速度逐渐提了起来。驶过巴斯海峡的时候，情况开始乐观了，完赛最后几天里一路追赶，以一个不错的位置完成了比赛，顺利抵达悉尼。”

    船长Bob Beggs还对全体队员的比赛表现做出了高度评价，他说到：“自从我在开普敦站接过青岛号赛队船长一职以后，我一直努力的让各个当班船员间有机融合、接洽娴熟，从这段比赛过后，我已经看到我们的队员做到这一点了。比赛后半程的几天时间里，我们的名次曾一度落后至第十，经过我们的努力和配合，最后以第五名的成绩完成比赛，这一结果还是值得鼓励和赞扬的。”

    从奥尔巴尼至悉尼的这段比赛总航程2088海里，比赛途中海况复杂、风况变化多端，是本赛季克利伯环球帆船赛中航程最短、但比拼最为激烈的一段比赛。

    完赛抵港以后，澳洲赛段中国青岛号上的大使船员鞠硕硕感慨说到：“这段赛程确实是个巨大的挑战，但是我觉得我已经成功做到了。比赛开始的期初阶段，我经历了晕船，挺难受的，但是我努力坚持，终于克服了。我原来在电影里看到过极具挑战性的海况，看上去像是特效制作的，这次我亲自上船比赛，真真切切地感受了一番，完全不是特效，非常真实，真的很吓人。和平时生活或者坐在办公室里上班完全不一样，通过比赛，我更加深入的了解了我自己。感谢青岛给我提供这次机会，能够作为青岛市的大使船员参赛，很骄傲、很高兴。

    克利伯环球帆船赛创立人、赛组委主席罗宾爵士也对青岛号赛队和其他完赛赛队表示了祝贺，罗宾爵士说到：“在这段海况风况及其复杂的比赛中，赛队船员们表现的非常出色，他们的水准达到了一定高度，完全可以和专业的航海选手一起在南大洋中同场竞技。我为他们感到骄傲，他们更应该为自己也感到骄傲。他们经历了南大洋赛程的洗礼，顺利安全的完成了比赛，祝贺他们！这也正好为即将上演的劳力士悉尼至霍巴特帆船挑战赛做好了热身准备。”

    克利伯2015-16赛季环球帆船赛赛程4“Elliot Brown计时者杯”奥尔巴尼至悉尼段比赛是本赛季克利伯环球帆船赛澳大利亚赛段中3个赛程中的第一个赛程，第二个赛程（赛程5）将是世界知名的劳力士悉尼至霍巴特帆船挑战赛，第三个赛程（赛程6）从霍巴特出发至艾尔利滩终点站。

    克利伯帆船赛船队将在悉尼停靠近两个星期，在这里度过圣诞节。劳力士悉尼至霍巴特帆船赛，既克利伯2015-16赛季环球帆船赛赛程5的比赛，比赛将与2015年12月26日开赛。

    东南亚赛段比赛赛段5将从澳洲的艾尔利滩出发，途经越南岘港，继而抵达中国青岛，预计抵达青岛停靠站的时间是2016年3月中旬。

    QINGDAO SAILS INTO SYDNEY IN STRONG POSITION

    The Qingdao team has arrived in Sydney, Australia, finishing in fifth place in Race 4: The Elliot Brown Timekeeper Cup in the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race from Albany, Western Australia.

    The team finished at 0808 AEDT local time (UTC+11 hours) to secure fifth place and a valuable eight points bringing their total so far to 34 points. The overall leader board will be verified by the Race Office once all the boats have completed the race.

    “This has been an extremely challenging and hard race,” said Qingdao skipper Bob Beggs, “We had a long period of beating up wind, storms and severe squalls before the weather backed to produce fast, exhilarating surfing conditions. Our first taste of the Bass Strait was a tough one and the final run into Sydney gave us a strong finish.

    “Since I joined the boat in Cape Town I've been working on the fact that the watches have to become cohesive and really work together to help each other and I've seen that really come together in this race. In the last few days we were placed tenth at one point so to pull it back and finish in fifth is a very commendable result.” Bob added.

    After 2,088 nautical miles from Albany to Sydney, and long periods of slamming seas due to strong Southern Ocean headwinds, Race 4 may have been the shortest race so far, but it has also been the most challenging.

    Speaking on arrival to Sydney, Shuoshuo Ju, 29, the Qingdao Ambassador Crew Member on board for this leg explained: “This has been a big challenge but I feel I have made a success of it. I had to overcome sea sickness in the early stages and that was tough but I pushed on and overcame it.

    “I have seen rough seas in films but they looked like special effects. When I came up on deck in the Southern Ocean sometimes it looked just the same. It was very scary. It has been a big contrast to my life in an office and I have learned so much about myself already. I am very grateful to Qingdao for this opportunity and I am enjoying my role as an ambassador for the City.”

    Congratulating the Qingdao team and all Clipper Race crew, race founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said: “The boats and crew have done extremely well considering the very unpleasant conditions they faced on this leg. They rose to it magnificently and showed that they are the equal of any of the professionals that venture into the Southern Ocean.

    “I am so proud of them and they should be proud of themselves. They have taken on the worst and shown that they can deal with it and compete at the same time. What a great introduction and preparation for the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.”

    This Australian Leg is divided into three separate races. The next part of this leg will be the prestigious Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, with the third and final race heading from Hobart to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays.

    The South East Asian Leg will see the Clipper Race head to Qingdao, to arrive in mid-March and will stay in the city until 20 March when the race sets off across the Pacific Ocean to Seattle.