Setting sail: The Da Nang-Viet Nam yacht team cast off under Tower Bridge in London to compete in the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race. — Photo courtesy of Da Nang People's Committee

DA NANG  (VNS) — A ceremony was held at 1pm local time in London yesterday to debut the Da Nang-Viet Nam team at St Katherine Docks, who will be competing in the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race.

The central city of Da Nang said the team, which is made up of 39 men and 20 women from 12 different countries, would be led by Australian skipper Wendy Tuck.

Professional skipper Tuck, 50, from Sydney, and her crew members have been training in the English Channel in preparation for the race.

The teams will start the race around 1pm from St Katherine Docks and parade along the River Thames under Tower Bridge and back.

According to the organisers, teams will race to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 26-30; Cape Town, South Africa from October 21-25; Albany, Australia from November 22-26; Sydney, Australia on December 12-15; and Hobart, Australia on December 30-31.

The 40,000-nautical mile race will dock at Da Nang from February 17-27, before sailing to Quingdao, China from March 10-13; Seattle, the US from April 15-20; Panama from May 25-27; New York from June 12-14; Londonderry, Northern Ireland from July 7-11; and Den Helder, the Netherlands from July 23-24.

This will be a historic benchmark for the central city, as it will be the first time the race has made an official stop in Southeast Asia as it crosses 138 countries and territories.

Over 700 people from around 40 countries are expected to take part in the race. — VNS