Yacht Style – July 2019

SAILING Clipper 2019-20 Race

Z

hang Minghao is busy preparing to become the first Sanya

representative to complete a circumnavigation in the Clipper

Race and only the second Chinese to achieve the feat, following

Vicky Song’s full participation on Qingdao in the 2013-14

‘round the world’ classic.

In the 2017-18 edition, Zhang was one of two media crew on Sanya

Serenity Coast and sailed seven of the eight legs during the 11-month

challenge, but the TV producer and cameraman missed the journey

from Uruguay to South Africa due to pre-arranged work commitments.

For the upcoming 2019-20 race, which starts in London on

Zhang has been in the UK studying for his RYA Yachtmaster Offshore course with Vicky Song (above); Top: As Sanya media crew in the 2017-18 race

Zhang (bottom) and the crew of Sanya Serenity Coast, winners of the Clipper 2017-18 Race as the Hainan Island city made its event debut

September 1, Zhang is scheduled to complete his ‘missing link’ by

sailing just the second leg, the South Atlantic Challenge Leg from

Punta del Este to Cape Town, a journey that starts on October 23 and

is scheduled to last between two to three weeks.

“I want to complete my race circumnavigation and I’m working

hard to make sure I achieve it,” said Ming, who’s scheduled to

complete Level Four of his Clipper training in the UK in August,

along with his RYA Yachtmaster Offshore course.

“I sailed nearly 40,000nm in the last Clipper Race and learned

a lot from my teammates. There are a lot of times in life when if you