Clipper Race departs Australia for Da Nang, Vietnam 克利伯帆船赛离开澳大利亚驶往越南岘港 The Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race bid a fond farewell to Australia today as the seventh race of its 14-stage global series, The Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race, starts for Vietnam. 今日，克利伯2015-16赛季环球帆船赛离开澳洲出发，开始了驶往越南岘港的‘亚洲新发现之岘港’段比赛，该赛程为克利伯本赛季环球帆船赛14个赛程中的第7个。

    The 4,610 nautical mile race will officially get underway with a Le Mans start, estimated around midday local (0200 UTC) tomorrow, Tuesday 19 January, 100 nautical miles away in the Coral Sea, where the twelve-strong Clipper 70 fleet is currently heading to. 本赛程全程4,610海里，船队将于当地时间明日1月19日星期二中午时分（UTC时间0200）采用勒芒式(Le Mans)开赛方式开始比赛，开赛海域设定在了100海里之外的珊瑚海，截止发稿时，12艘克利伯大帆船正在驶往开赛海域。

    Ahead of leaving her homeland for the final time in this race, Australian Skipper Wendy Tuck, who leads the seventh place Da Nang – Viet Nam team, said: “It has been the greatest time being back racing in Australia and we enjoyed our best results yet here, but the excitement continues as everyone has been looking forward to arriving in Da Nang since we left London four months ago. We’ve had excellent support from the people of Da Nang along the way and we know there is a huge welcome waiting for us and the entire fleet so we can’t wait to arrive and finally experience their great hospitality and culture.” 在亚洲太平洋赛段比赛中，青岛号赛队加入了两位新的船员，他们将有幸在赛程8的比赛结束抵达中国帆船之都-青岛时回到祖国的怀抱。对于20岁的刘明玥来说，这次参赛充满了家的气氛，她解释说到：“目前，我正在澳洲留学攻读应用科学工程专业，所以说这个赛段像是从一个家回到了另外一个家的旅程。我感觉这段比赛会很辛苦，因为第一部分会很热，而第二部分则会很冷，风还会都很大。我爸爸非常支持我，实际上他也将做为青岛号的船员参加西雅图至纽约段的比赛，这样一来等到他完成比赛的时候，我们再一同分享比赛经历会是很有趣的事情。我原来没有去过越南，所以说这会是本赛段另外一次新奇激动的经历，我原来玩过十年的小划艇，期待着我的第一次远洋航海之行。” Accompanying Melody on board is Sean Xiangsheng Wang. Also a keen sailor, he is looking forward to his biggest ocean challenge yet: “I’m excited to meet the team and get used to the boat and I’m not feeling too nervous as I prepared by doing quite a bit of sailing in Qingdao. I will be racing back home and I hope that as a team we can win the race into Qingdao. As an ambassador I am going to do my best and try to achieve the best result.” 连同刘明玥一起参赛的另外一名青岛号船员是王祥胜(Sean)。王祥胜是一名敏锐犀利的航海选手，他非常期待这一次如此规模的远洋航海挑战，他说到：“能够见到队友，我很激动，已经适应了帆船，没有感觉到紧张，因为先前已经备战已久，在青岛的时候跑了不少船。这次参赛也是回家之旅，作为团队中的一员，我希望我们能够赢得到青岛的这段比赛。作为青岛号的船员，我也会尽我全力做出最好的结果。” Ahead of starting the race, which will take three to four weeks to complete, the Da Nang – Viet Nam team led the fleet out as it performed a parade of sail out of the picturesque Whitsunday Islands, surrounded by dozens of local spectator boats who joined them on the water to wish them well in their next challenge. 驶往越南岘港的比赛将会持续三到四个星期，开赛前，越南岘港号赛队带领克利伯船队在惠森迪群岛海域进行了巡航表演，数十艘当地以及周围的游客观光船也陪伴行驶在船队周围，为他们加油助威，祝愿他们这段比赛一帆风顺。 With a tough beat north into prevailing winds as they depart and head up the Queensland coast and the wildness of the Northern Territories, the Clipper Race fleet will then cross the Equator for the second time since leaving London. This race will test the navigation skills of the teams as they try to work out the best route through the remote communities in Papua New Guinea and into the Pacific Ocean for the first time. On the approach to Vietnam, the fleet will take advantage of the north east monsoon winds. Spinnakers will be hoisted as the teams charge towards an impressive, highly anticipated welcome in Da Nang where a series of celebrations and festivals are planned for the crew. 驶往越南岘港这段比赛开始以后，船队将会迎风北上驶往昆士兰州的海岸线和北部领土宽阔海域，之后克利伯船队将会在从伦敦起航以后，第二次跨越赤道。这段比赛将会考验各个赛队的领航技术，特别是途经至巴布亚新几内亚群岛海域后继续驶向太平洋的过程中。等待船队接近越南时，赛队将会借助东北方向的季风带来的优势，这时球帆将会被升起，船队将大步伐的挺进越南岘港，在那里，克利伯船员们将会得到岘港市人民节庆般的欢迎和庆祝仪式。

    The first-time Vietnam has been a Host Port and Team Sponsor of the Clipper Race, the city of Da Nang is using the partnership as an opportunity to boost trade, investment and tourism along with enhanced social and diplomatic relations. As a fast-growing, tourism friendly city gifted by nature with a beautiful river, mountains and beaches, Da Nang is striving to become a world destination for tourists. It was named as Number One in the Tripadvisor 2015 Top 10 World’s Destinations on the Rise. 越南岘港此次是第一次成为克利伯帆船赛的赛队赞助商和停靠港主办城市，越南岘港利用此次与克利伯帆船赛的合作机会大力推广贸易、投资、旅游业，同时也积极的优化其社交和外交关系的发展。拥有着极美自然风光资源的越南岘港是一座友好而快速发展的旅游目的地城市，这里有美丽的河流、山川和海滩，岘港正在为成为世界级水准的旅游目的地城市而努力发展中。岘港市在2015年Tripadvisor世界前10个旅游目的地评选中获得了第一名。 The departure to Da Nang marks the end of the All-Australian Leg, which started in Albany in November and included the challenging Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Since leaving London in August, the Clipper Race fleet has completed 18,000 of its 40,000 nautical mile circumnavigation. The Asian Pacific Leg is made up of two races. The first, the Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race, starts from Airlie Beach on Monday 18 January. The fleet is due to arrive in Da Nang between 17 – 21 February and will remain there until the start of Race 8 to Qingdao, China on 27 February 驶往岘港段比赛的开始标志着本赛季澳大利亚赛段圆满落幕，澳洲赛段于去年11月开始于奥尔巴尼，后来又包括了劳力士悉尼至霍巴特帆船赛。自从去年8月从伦敦起航以来，克利伯船队本赛季总计划航程的40,000海里中已经完成了18,000海里。本赛季亚洲太平洋赛段包括两个赛程。第一个既赛程7是‘亚洲新发现之岘港’段比赛，1月18日星期一从艾尔利滩出发驶往越南岘港，预计抵达越南岘港的窗口时间为2月17日至21日，船队将在岘港市停留休整数日，直至2月27日第二个既赛程8驶往中国青岛的比赛开始。