What No Woman Has Done Before

Female Sailor Does What No Woman Has Done Before

Wendy Tuck takes first in the grueling Clipper Race

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

The Unicef, Liverpool 2018 and Sanya Serenity Coast, right, teams in a "sprint finish" to conclude the Clipper 2017-2018 Round the World Yacht Race on the River Mersey in Liverpool.   (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

A female skipper has won the Clipper round-the-world yacht race for the first time—and another female skipper took second, the BBC reports.


"I can't believe it," winner Wendy Tuck tells the Daily Telegraph in Liverpool, England, after finishing the last leg of the 40,000-nautical-mile race Friday night. "It hasn’t really sunk in really but I am just so happy." On being the first female winner, the 52-year-old says "I hate banging on about women," but adds she's "very proud" of her achievement. "If one little girl sees this, sees it can be done and has a go, that will be what matters to me." Nikkie Henderson, 25, of Britain took second in the event that saw 712 sailors navigate tough conditions from Uruguay to South Africa to China. First run in 1996, the race has professional sailors lead crews of amateurs.