After experiencing an exciting stop in the US capital Washington D.C., the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race welcomes the last two races of the season, starting with Schedule 13, where the fleet will cross the North Atlantic and sail towards Auburn, Scotland. As of now, the circumnavigation time of this season has exceeded ten months, and the participating crew has completed most of the race voyage. Now, they are about to embark on their last cross ocean voyage: the North Atlantic. The journey back home is about to begin, and the competition for the top three teams before the season is also about to intensify.

Schedule 13 departs from Washington D.C., USA and heads towards Auburn, Scotland. The standard route spans the North Atlantic, with a sailing distance of approximately 3100 nautical miles. The race is expected to take 16-21 days, and this will be the first visit of the Clipper Round the World to Auburn, Scotland.

"Although this season's circumnavigation is coming to an end, for many sailors, crossing the Atlantic is a huge challenge and achievement. Now, the racing fleet must focus on maintaining safety and go all out," said Dale Smith, Deputy Competition Director of the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race

At present, the competition on the total points ranking of the Clipper Round the World Sailing Race this season is extremely fierce, especially for the top five teams, and the top three of the season are still full of variables. Before the start of this competition, the four teams of"Qingdao","Perseverance","Zhuhai", and"BCF Community Foundation" must use double points cards.

Ranking of total points before the start of race 13

The competition for the top three teams before the season is about to intensify, and at the same time, China National Aeronautics and Astronautics Group's Schedule 13 has set additional points for competition, which will further enhance the viewing experience of the competition. The additional points to be contested include the scoring gate and racing interval. The additional points will be awarded to the top three winners of each competition, with the first place winning three points, the second place winning two points, and the third place winning one point. The scoring goal is a 30 nautical mile long virtual marker line, located approximately in the mid course of the game; The racing interval is set in the second half of the competition, with a distance of about 250 nautical miles. As the name suggests, the racing interval competes in speed, and the top three teams who complete the interval navigation in the shortest time will receive additional points rewards.

In terms of weather and sea conditions, the North Atlantic is known for its year-round presence of severe weather and sea conditions. Large scale storms are expected to occur in the course of this competition, but overall, the competition fleet will encounter good downwind conditions. It is worth mentioning that the fleet also had to navigate through the sea area where the Titanic accidentally sank in this competition, sometimes posing a threat of floating icebergs. The organizing committee also set an "iceberg limit line" based on this to ensure the safety of the competition fleet's navigation.

Weather forecast chart before the start of the game

Deputy Competition Director Dale Smith explained, "The first two days after the start of the race are very friendly for the racing fleet. A stable and strong southwest wind runs through the entire process, and by the end of this weekend, the situation will become more complex. There will be a considerable scale of low-pressure system developing in the north of the fleet, which will have some impact on them. Special attention needs to be paid to it. For the fleet, an important step is to handle the impact of the Gulf Stream, which has an average flow speed of 3 nautical miles. Making good use of the Gulf Stream will give the fleet a boost. When the fleet approaches Scotland, it is important to pay special attention to the large-scale tidal flow along the British coastline, and the racing fleet needs to be clever in dealing with it."

Le Mans style opening lineup sequence

On June 25th local time, all 11 Clipper racing boats departed from the Washington D.C. dock and began maneuvering towards the open sea for the Le Mans style race. The Le Mans style race was 15 nautical miles away from the coastline, and after the 11 racing teams gathered and lined up, the plan was to officially start the race at 10:00 am local time on June 27th (22:00 pm Beijing time on the same day).