The more than 40,000 mile “Clipper Round the World Yacht Race” made an impressive arrival before docking at The Wharf in Southwest D.C. Monday morning.
Eleven clippers will remain there for a week before setting off on the final leg back across the Atlantic Ocean.
Hannah Brewis and a first mate are the only professional sailors on the yacht sponsored by Events DC, which was the first of 11 identical 70-foot racing yachts to dock at The Wharf on Monday morning.
“The rest of the crew is made up of total amateurs, with a wide difference, variety of sailing experience,” Brewis said, standing on the dock, shortly after the D.C. team was welcomed by several dozen early-morning supporters. “Some have never sailed, some have sailed a little bit.”
The trip began Sept. 3, 2023, in Portsmouth, U.K., where the race will finish.
“We’ve been to Spain. We’ve been to Uruguay, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, China, Seattle, Panama — that’s our route so far, and now, finally into Washington, D.C.,” Brewis said.
The race leg from Panama ended near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on Friday and Saturday. Monday morning’s travels to The Wharf was a short commute for the yachts, which also caused an approximately 15-minute delay for commuters in vehicles.
“We had to wait for it to be opened. The tricky part was we had to make sure the fleet was there at exactly 4:45 in the morning,” Brewis said. The Virginia Department of Transportation has warned commuters to expect a brief delay.
🚧Traffic Alert – #Alexandria: Woodrow Wilson Bridge (I-495/I-95) to open at approx 4:45 am today and tomorrow, Mon 6/17 & Tues 6/18, to allow passage of 11 yachts as part of Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race. Expect delays. #DMVTraffic
More: https://t.co/Tq21o3rWry pic.twitter.com/eYu15PxIom
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) June 17, 2024
“We got there with perfect timing. We all transited through, no stress. It was really great, it was really cool,” Brewis said.
The yachts will remain docked at The Wharf all week. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, “you can actually come onboard, and see what it’s like to be on one of these big ocean racing yachts,” Brewis said.
On Tuesday, the clippers will set off on the race’s final leg across the Atlantic, heading toward Portsmouth, U.K. The send-off will be open to the public and include fireworks.
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