At 11: 30 a.m. of March 12, the 2025-26 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race (Qingdao leg) kicked off. Ten yachts pulled out of the dock in the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center one after another, headed for Tongyeong in South Korea, the next destination in the voyage. As part of the fleet, the yacht “Qingdao” departed its homeport and sailed off.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Qingdao joining hands with the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the world’s largest navigation event across the globe. On March 4, the fleet of the 2025-26 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race arrived in Qingdao for the tenth time. During the stopover, crew members and working staff paid visits to residential communities and campuses to see first-hand traditional Chinese folk activities and urban glamour, and tens of hundreds of citizens went on board to explore the charm of nautical sports. The Qingdao-made 72-foot Clipper RX yacht made its debut, serving as a testament to the fact that Qingdao’s yacht manufacturing has reached world advanced level. Clipper China Sailing Academy, which has begun operations, will train more professional yachting practitioners.

The yacht “Qingdao” is the sole team in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race named after a Chinese city. Since its maiden participation in 2006, “Qingdao” has sailed 400,000 nautical miles over the two decades. Nearly 100 Qingdao ambassador crew members have come to the fore, including Guo Chuan, Song Kun, both professional athletes and Lan Jun who once attended the yachting training campaign on campus, passing the spirit of navigation from generation to generation. When citizens boarded Clipper yachts to communicate face-to-face with the warriors sailing around the world, yachting is no longer an obscure competition but something tangible.  (Liu Shuo)

The yacht “Qingdao” is berthing in the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. By Wang Lei