“Round the World” yacht race stops in Seattle

The “Round the World” clipper yacht race has made a stop in Seattle after making the long trek from the Philippines.

The ships are docked at Bell Harbor, preparing to sail to their next stop – London.

Representatives of Seattle, including the port of Seattle and the Seattle Sports Commission, greeted the yacht race early Monday in Port of Seattle’s Bell Harbor marina.

“We are thrilled to host you today, and we hope you dine with us, enjoy all the food we have to offer, enjoy some of our coffee our spirits, as well as wine,” said Seattle deputy mayor Kendee Yamaguchi.

The crew on board these ships make the race unique – they are everyday people that have trained to become sailors just for the race.

“The crew is from all walks of life. They can be bankers, doctors, pilots, a whole range of crew. They have four weeks of very, very intense training in the UK and then once they’re one board, that training continues throughout the racing,” captain Ian Wiggin said.

Forty different countries are represented in the race, including a crew from Seattle.

Crews traveled over 6,000 nautical miles, about 30 days, across the Pacific ocean to get to Seattle from the Philippines.

The yachts will depart in five days, making their way through the Panama Canal, making stops in Bermuda and New York, and ending the race back in London.