Clipper Ventures opens first Sailing Academy in China

Clipper Ventures’ core brand, the Clipper Race, first partnered with the Sailing City of Qingdao 20 years ago, with a vision of using its experience of ocean racing to raise the city’s profile in the competitive sailing industry around the globe. This month the Clipper Race fleet arrived in Qingdao, China, for the tenth time, celebrating over twenty years of a remarkable and enduring partnership where sport, cultural exchange and international trade have flourished.

As part of this long-standing collaboration, there has always been an aspiration to further expand both parties’ sailing credentials by cultivating talent within Qingdao and the wider China region. Through the opening of a Sailing Academy that would teach aspirational sailors to the high standards Clipper Ventures’ is known for, this ambition is now being realised. 

The Sailing Academy will use purpose-built Clipper 7’s and Clipper 12’s that have been designed specifically for the school’s training programme, which will offer a range of RYA-accredited courses, providing sailors in China with a structured pathway into offshore racing and pathways into participating in recognised ocean races, such as the Clipper Race.

By offering the prestigious Royal Yachting Association (RYA) recognition, the Sailing Academy positions itself as being the only one of its kind within China. The British Ambassador to China, Peter Wilson, said this was "a milestone and a mark in the relationship and co-operation between China and the UK, and personally, as part of the embassy I am very proud."

Clipper Ventures Managing Director, Chris Rushton, has been a driving force behind the opening of the academy. He said: “The opening of the academy has been 20 years in the making, To have our Co-Founders William Ward OBE and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, along with the British Ambassador to China here to see our latest project come to fruition is a testament to our long-standing sailing relationship with China.

“It has been a proud moment watching this Sailing Academy open its doors to future students who will be able to develop their sailing skills from Start Yachting to Yachtmaster Offshore.”