The 11-ship fleet from the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is now docked at The Wharf, including Events DC's sponsored Washington, DC yacht.
The boats will be featured alongside many activities for the public to enjoy beginning Friday, June 21 at 5 p.m. The free, family-friendly event continues through the weekend and culminates on the evening of June 25 as the fleet departs to Oban, Scotland.
As first light broke, an infrequent occurrence took place in the city as the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge opened to allow the entire Clipper Race fleet, led by home boat Washington, DC, to motor towards its last international port of call of this edition.
Despite the early start, the teams arrived to walls lined with friendly faces, family members and locals who had turned out to see the fleet arrive in the nation's capital for the first time in Clipper Race history. Down on the dock, the flag waving welcoming crew from Events DC included Angie Gates, President and CEO, and Ralph Morton, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of the Sports and Entertainment Division, who proudly welcomed each of the eleven teams, offering up baskets of gifts and local beers.
In her welcome speech, Gates said, “Welcome to that nation’s capital, Washington, DC! We should be super excited this morning as we just made history by having this stopover here in DC, so let’s give ourselves a round of applause. We are so proud to have you here, you are part of our Events DC family. I want you to explore our city, our monuments, we have so much to offer. But this also a unique opportunity for us to finally be together, spend some quality time together as Events DC. So welcome, you are finally in DC! We are here to support you.”
After waiting almost a year to bring the Washington, DC boat home, Skipper Hannah Brewis said, “We are here in Washington, DC, finally! We’re in our home port. We’ve been waiting for this for the whole race, and it’s a very big moment for our boat and we are very excited.
“We’ve been awake all night, so to arrive to all of these people greeting us is so special. I don’t think this has ever happened before, there’s so many people it’s crazy.
Since the race began in Portsmouth, UK, in September 2023, the Washington, DC team has sailed an impressive 36,170 nautical miles. Named the Come Sea DC Cup by Host Port Partners, Events DC, Race 12 saw the team face extreme weather conditions, fickle winds and electric squalls that tested them both mentally and physically.
Events DC congratulates the crews from the Quindao, Zhuhai and Unicef yachts for their impressive first, second and third place finishes in the Come Sea DC Cup.
The Washington, DC stopover is a significant milestone in the 2023-24 race as the fleet now prepares to embark on the final leg back to the UK on the brink of completing its monumental journey around the world.
If you require more information about the race, the planned stopover in Washington, DC or to pre-arrange a visit or interview, please contact Natalie Hill at nhill@clipper-ventures.com or Karla Graves at kgraves@clipper-ventures.com.
