Quang Ninh hosts prize-giving ceremony for Clipper Race

A ceremony to present prizes to winners of Race 7: Endless Discovery in Ha Long Bay, was organised Quang Ninh province on February 28.

The Clipper Race was first organised in 1996 in the UK. Since then, almost 6,000 race crew from all walks of life and more than 60 nations have trained and raced in the race.

The 2023-24 race began in late summer 2023, drawing nearly 400 sailors aboard 11 sailing yachts. The route is divided into eight legs and 16 individual races, including six ocean crossings. The Vietnamese sailing team named "HaLong Bay, Viet Nam".

Race No. 7, also known as the 5th leg of the Clipper Race called the "Asia-Pacific Challenge," started from Coral Sea port in Queensland, Australia, and ended in Ha Long Bay.

The 11 racing teams sailed for 25 days covering a distance of 4,515 nautical miles and the last yacht arrived at Ha Long Bay on February 29, or 2 days earlier than expected.

At the ceremony, the organizing board of Clipper Race honored the 3 best teams in Race 7. Accordingly, the team that won 1st place was QINGDAO, the 2nd place team was ZHUHAI and  the 3rd place team was UNICEF.

The Ocean Sprint prize for Race 7: Endless Discovery in Ha Long Bay were granted to the team of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam led by skipper Josh Stickland. The team finished 5th at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 19. They're ranked 6th overall.

On this occassion, Quang Ninh province also held a welcoming party and presented gifts to the organizers and race crew.

After docking at Ha Long International Passenger Port on February 18-19, the crew members joined a number of activities in Quang Ninh.

As planned, these teams will leave Ha Long Bay for Cuu Chau port in Zhuhai city, Guangdong province, China. Before arriving at Ha Long Bay, they departed from Coral Sea Marina Resort (Airlie beach, Whitsunday region, Queensland state, Australia).

Through this race, Quang Ninh wishes to introduce and promote its tourism potential and destinations, as well as opportunities and investment projects in the province to potential investors. Therefore, the province has held a series of proprams such as a program on introducing local products and promoting Quang Ninh’s destination in Ha Long International Port, a tour of local attractions for Clipper Race’s ship crews, a conference on tourism promotion associated with the Award Ceremony of the Race, music shows,  sightseeing and travel programs for crew members, etc.