World’s longest yacht race starts in T-minus 7 days

At the starting gun on July 31st, 10 clippers will set sail from Southampton, UK, on a 40,000-mile circumnavigation. The Clipper Round the World race is not only the longest yacht race, but also the only to provide identical stripped-down, 68-foot boats to each team, ensuring that budget or vessel gives no one an unfair advantage. The crews, in fact, are all amateur and mostly novices (though each ship has an experienced skipper). Says the race’s official website:

It’s the only race in the world where taxi drivers rub shoulders with chief executives, vicars mix with housewives, students work alongside bankers, nurses work with vets and doctors team up with rugby players.

…an interesting test of teamwork and one’s physical limits, I’d say.

Each crew is sponsored by an international city, region, or country. The 2011-2012 race includes contenders from Australia, New York, Singapore, Qingdao, and Finland (to name a few). You can read all the race news on the official website, or stay tuned for updates from SeaMonster!