Equipped with PSP beanies we are ready for race #8 leading us to China - the city of Qingdao to be precise. The beanies might come in handy as we will certainly experience one of the coldest weathers on this race so far - the perfect preparation for the mighty Pacific crossing at the beginning of April. 

From Danang we will head north-north-east through the South China Sea, passing Taiwan on the east and further north through the Philippine Sea, which leads us into the East China Sea. During the first few days will have light headwinds, but the further north we get the stronger the wind will be. In addition, the temperatures will drop immensely and due to the south-north current the sea state will pick up and deliver another real challenge to us. From previous Clipper race editions we know that we can expect an extremely warm welcome in Qingdao, as the city always puts great efforts into welcoming the Clipper yachts, which is definitely something we can look forward to. The expected arrival window is set between the 10th and 13th of March. I will do my best to send a newsletter from China, but due to the internet restrictions in China I unfortunately cannot guarantee an update. 

As always you can follow us during the race. Blog post #9 shows you how it works: Blog post #9