The Clipper Race fleet is currently stuck in a parking lot off Tasman Island but the eleven boats are expected to cross the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race finish line in quick succession in Hobart this evening.
Nine of the eleven Clipper 70s are estimated to cross the finish line between 1800 and 2200, including Australian Clipper Race Skipper Wendy Tuck, whose team Sanya Serenity Coast has moved from eighth place into second overnight.
The Sydney sailor, who is competing in her eleventh Rolex Sydney Hobart, won the Clipper Class and was also the first female Skipper over the line in 2015.
Currently, Sanya Serenity Coast is neck and neck with Garmin, 4 nautical miles southwest of Tasman Island.
More than 200 crew from all walks of life and representing 26 different nationalities are taking part in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which doubles as Race 5 of the 40,000 nautical mile Clipper 2017-18 Race.
The Clipper Race is unique as it is raced by people like you. In 1996, legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop around the world in 1968-69, founded the race as a way to give everyone, no matter their sailing experience, the chance to become an ocean racer. Approximately 40 per cent of crew members have never sailed before they sign up for the 40,000 nautical miles circumnavigation, which is divided into eight legs and features six ocean crossings.
After ringing in 2018 in Hobart, the eleven Clipper Race teams will depart on Friday 5 January for the final of three races that make up the All-Australian Leg 4, a 1,500 nautical mile sprint up the east coast of Australia from Hobart to the Whitsundays. The crew will be welcomed in Airlie Beach by the Whitsundays Clipper Race Carnival, which will run from 13 to 29 of January. For more information, see the Clipper Race Carnival website.
As well as Australia, the global Clipper 2017-18 Race route also includes stopovers in Punta del Este, Cape Town, Sanya, Qingdao, Seattle, Panama, New York, Derry-Londonderry and Liverpool, where the eleven month race will finish on 28 July, 2018.
Clipper Race ETAs – Updated 1100 Local Time (0000 UTC) 29 December 2017
| TEAM | CURRENT POSITION | ESTIMATED ARRIVAL DAY | ARRIVAL (LOCAL) TIME TO FINISH LINE | STATUS |
| GARMIN | 1 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| SANYA SERENITY COAST | 2 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| VISIT SEATTLE | 3 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| PSP LOGISTICS | 4 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| GREAT BRITAIN | 5 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| NASDAQ | 6 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| DARE TO LEAD | 7 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| LIVERPOOL 2018 | 8 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| UNICEF | 9 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 1800 – 2200 | RACING |
| HOTELPLANNER.COM | 10 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 2000 – 0000 | RACING |
| QINGDAO | 11 | FRIDAY 29 DECEMBER 2017 | 2200 – 0200 | RACING |
Source: SailWorld
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