PANAMA CITY, June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than 20 days of intense ocean racing, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race entry Sanya Serenity Coastwas welcomed into Panama City by the Chinese Ambassador to Panama having maintained its overall lead after completing the tenth of thirteen individual races that forms the entire circumnavigation.
During a visit to the Sanya Serenity Coast team yacht, Wei Qiang, the inaugural Chinese Ambassador to Panama, highly commended the partnership between the Sanya Government and Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Ambassador Wei Qiang (middle) and Sanya ambassador crew
During the visit to the 70 foot purpose-built modern ocean racing yacht, the Ambassador listened to stories from the non-professional crew of Sanya Serenity Coast, some of whom had never sailed before signing on to take on the world's toughest endurance change. He said, "It's a really big challenge for crew to live and work on board during such a harsh environment."
Panama is a significant stopover for the Sanya Serenity Coast team given China's long history with the Central American Nation. Since the late 19th century, China has played an important part in the industrial development of Panama, and today, more than 300,000 Panamanian-Chinese live in Panama - around 8 per cent of the population.
The Ambassador thought Sanya Serenity Coastwas an ideal platform to showcase Sanya as a world-renowned sailing destination and resort whilst raising China's profile on an international stage.
Ambassador Wei Qiang took a visit on board
Since beginning the 40,000 nautical mile race in Liverpool, UK, in August, 2017, the Sanya Serenity Coast Clipper Race yacht has been flying the flag for the idyllic tropical paradise located on Hainan, China, in Host Ports around the world, with the race stopping in Punta del Este, Uruguay; Cape Town, South Africa; and Fremantle, Sydney, Hobart and the Whitsundays, Australia, before arriving in Sanya.
From its home port, the Sanya Serenity Coast yacht raced on to Qingdao in Northern China and Seattle, USA, before reaching Panama.
As well as the Chinese Ambassador to China, Sanya Serenity Coast and the other ten Clipper Race teams were welcomed into Flamenco Marina, Panama City, by locals, supporters and Chinese nationals living in Panama. Mr. Zheng, a member of the local Chinese community said, "China and Panama established diplomatic ties last year and we feel very proud and excited to see the people from our hometown. I had heard there was a team named Sanya Serenity Coast sailing around the world, and now that I have finally seen it, it's really fantastic!"
The Sanya Serenity Coast team, along with its ten evenly matched competitors, will line up to begin Race 11 from Panama to New York on Sunday 3 June and is set to arrive in the American city between 14-16 June.
After reaching New York, the Sanya Serenity Coast team will embark on the Homecoming Leg 8 and set off towards Derry-Londonderry before reaching Liverpool, having completed the circumnavigation.
About Sanya Serenity Coast
The city of Sanya, located in the South of China on Hainan Island, is making its debut as a Host Port and Team Partner for the 2017-18 and 2019-20 editions of the Clipper Race.
Sanya is using the Clipper Race as an influential business platform to build its reputation as an international sailing destination and further enhance the City's long-term development strategy of combining sports and tourism.
The Sanya branded yacht is raced by non-professional crew and includes carefully selected Sanya 'Ambassador' crew members who are representing the city and China on the race route around the world and will be used as a platform for promotion of China's fast-developing holiday destination and sailing centre in major ports of call.
About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
The eleventh edition of the unique biennial Clipper Race will visit six continents and include six ocean crossings. Almost 5000 novices have been turned into ocean racers during the past twenty years of the Clipper Race, though still more people have climbed Mount Everest than circumnavigated the globe.
The eleven Clipper Race teams compete on the world's largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts. Around 710 crew come from all walks of life and from all around the world, with over 40 different nationalities represented. Crew can complete the full circumnavigation, or one or more of the eight legs that make up the Clipper Race.
The Clipper 2017-18 Race began in Liverpool in August 2017, and includes stopovers in Punta del Este, Cape Town, Fremantle, Sydney, Hobart, The Whitsundays, Sanya, Qingdao, Seattle, Panama, New York and Derry-Londonderry.
After crossing six oceans and visiting thirteen stopover ports on six continents, the fleet will return to Liverpool's Albert Dock almost a year later for Race Finish on Saturday 28 July 2018, where one of the eleven teams will be awarded the illustrious Clipper Race trophy.
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