Qingdao conquers South Atlantic storms to reach Cape Town

The Qingdao team has reached the Cape Town of South Africa after braving rough seas and strong winds in the second leg of the Clipper Round the world yacht race across the South Atlantic Ocean from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, organizers said on Monday.

Qingdao's race was on an elapsed time basis after its start was delayed to complete repairs when the yacht sustained rudder damage while assisting another Clipper Race team, LMAX Exchange, which had got into difficulties after running aground on a sandy outcrop during the stopover in Brazil.

It crossed the finish line off the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town with an elapsed time of 366 hours 21 minutes which put them in ninth place in this race.

Qingdao also picked up three bonus points by being the fastest team to reach the South Atlantic Scoring Gate. This manoeuvre meant that the team had to push down into the Southern Ocean to avoid the high pressure system and encountered challenging conditions in the notorious waters which circulate around Antarctica developing large waves without encountering land.

Skipper Igor Gotlibovych paid tribute to the crew. He said: "The team has worked very hard to achieve a competitive race time in very difficult weather conditions, and recording fast boat speeds in the strong winds. They have shown great courage and endurance. Everyone has played their part in getting us to Cape Town safely."

Qingdao will spend just under a week in Cape Town before starting the third leg in the 14-race global series through the Southern Ocean to Albany, Western Australia.

The Clipper Race will reach Qingdao, China, in March 2016. Endit