TUCK WINS CLIPPER RTW RACE

Australia’s Wendy Tuck has become the first female skipper to win the gruelling Clipper Round the World yacht race in July, crossing the finish line in Liverpool.

Racing in a fleet of 11 yachts, Tuck and crew completed the 40,000nm-race after 11 months aboard Sanya Serenity Coast. She is the first woman to win any roundthe-world race. In second place was another female – Nikki Henderson – also making history. At 25, Henderson is the youngest skipper in the Clipper race.

Robin Knox-johnston, the co-founder of the 21-year-old biennial event and the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world, lauded the achievements.

“The fact that we have first and second with both lady skippers is quite remarkable. They had battles with extremely capable male sailors and they beat them – I think it says to any lady, any girl, you can do it if you want to.”

The Clipper race – comprising a fleet of identical yachts – began in August last year and was divided into eight legs. The boats were crewed by amateur sailors and professional skippers.