In breathtaking style the giant A100 Trimaran ‘Majan’ shot across the Cape Town start line of the third leg of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race just off Table Bay harbour’s breakwater at exactly midday (12:00 Local time) today to track a course down south to the treacherous seas of the Southern Ocean for her next stop in Fremantle, Australia.

With skipper Paul Standbridge, one of the world’s top sailors and the former manager of South Africa’s America’s Cup Team Shosholoza, at the helm, and the start perfectly timed to coincide with the daily firing of the noon day gun from Cape Town’s landmark Signal Hill, the magnificent speed machine, which has utterly captivated Capetonians during her brief stay in the city, quickly built pace of over 23 knots in a brisk 14 knot south westerly breeze and dark rain threatening skies. On the crew is world famous French round the world sailor Sidney Gavignet,crack French America’s Cup sailor Thierry Douillard, former Team Shosholoza sailor Michael Giles from Port Elizabeth, Omani sailor Mohsin Al Busaidi who became the first Arab to sail non-stop around the world last year, Mohammed Al Ghailani a young Omani trainee sailorand Olympic sailor Mark Covell who is the media crew on board. Earlier the crew of Majan were given a rousing dockside farewell from family, newly made local friends and young sailors from the Izivunguvungu Foundation for Youth in Simonstown who were thrilled to tour the yacht and meet the crew just minutes before they cast off. Cape Town is a designated as the first stopover for the race which is planned in 2012. Conceived by OC Events and campaigned by Oman Sail, the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race will be the first ever yacht race to link the Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia and the first ever race of its kind in the Indian Ocean. It will feature “city start lines” in Muscat, Cape Town, Fremantle (Australia) and Singapore and five “Cape” finish lines - Cape Ras Al Hadd off Oman, Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Africa, Cape Leeuwin on South West Australia, Cape Piai, the southernmost point of Mainland Asia, just west of Singapore and Cape Comorin on the southern tip of India. This next leg to Fremantle which will involve racing across the frozen and treacherous Southern Ocean will be one of the most exhilarating and dangerous of the course, before reaching the warmth of Cape Leeuwin and Australia’s west coast. For sailors, the Southern Ocean is the vague term for the Southern Seas and the underworld where no land separates the oceans. Below 40 degrees of latitude, a series of low pressure systems continuously ‘roar’ and move towards the east without being blocked by any land mass. Down there, the crew of Majan will find themselves in the Grey World – one of the most remote and dangerous parts of the planet. Writing on his blog while at sea soon after the start Mohsin Al Busaidi said: “As we waved goodbye to the new friends we made in Cape Town, it was time to mentally prepare ourselves for the toughest leg yet to Fremantle, Australia. It’s an overcast, warm day. The wind is light, around 8 knots. We’re heading south out of Table Bay. The mood onboard is a mixture of excitement to be back on Majan and anticipation about entering the Southern Ocean - we have a great team and a great boat, it’s going to be an amazing adventure.” The A100 trimaran ‘Majan’left Muscat, Oman, last month on 6th February and stopped briefly in the Maldives while en route to Cape Town to traces out this new course via 5 great Capes. She crossed the proposed new race finish line at Cape Agulhas – the second cape on the course - at 16:02:57 GMT, 13 days, 6 hours and 57 seconds after leaving the Maldives.

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Galway, which staged a hugely successful stopover in 2008-09, is back on the map again - this time as the finish port for the 2011-12 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Galway withstood strong opposition from several rival cities in the official port bidding process to earn the right to host not only the finale but also the overall prize-giving ceremony.

In 2008-09, Galway was the stopover for the end of the transatlantic leg from Boston. This time the fleet will sail from Lorient in France back to the Emerald Isle.

At today’s announcement, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said that the interest in hosting the event, particularly in Europe, had been “overwhelming”. He added that he was delighted the race was returning to Irish shores.

“I am very proud to confirm Ireland’s participation and Galway will be a magnificent port to stage the finish of the event,” he said.

“We have already experienced the enthusiasm that abounds in Ireland for the race and we are looking forward to bringing the competition to its conclusion in a country that really knows how to celebrate.”

At a press conference to mark the occasion, Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Brian Cowen, said: “The 2009 stopover in Galway made an abiding impression on the sailors, support crews, organisers and media, who were immersed in the warmth of an Irish welcome.

“Their presence, in turn, had an enormous beneficial impact on Galway, the west of Ireland and indeed the entire country. Their arrival here was spectacular and their visit helped generate a massive 55 million Euros for the regional economy, more than one third higher than the original projections

“Given its economic benefits and its importance to Irish tourism, I am more than happy to welcome the return of the Volvo Ocean Race to our shores and pledge our support for the event.”

The Galway stopover, in May 2009, was one of the standout successes of the 2008-09 race. A crowd of 30,000 flocked to the dockside for the arrival of the first boats home in the early hours. It set the tone for what was to follow.

Over 650,000 spectators filed through the race village during the week-long event. The crowd peaked at 62,000 on the in-port race day alone - with the seaside resort of Salthill drawing a further 120,000 visitors.

Green Dragon, the Irish/Chinese entry, grabbed a podium position by finishing third into its ‘home port’ at end of an eventful leg 7, triggering wild celebrations. The reception stunned skipper Ian Walker and his crew. Walker’s entry was the second Irish boat to contest the event after NCB Ireland in the 1989-90 Whitbread.

The balance sheet looked healthy as well with the final economic impact figure put at Euros 55.8 million by Deloitte. That was 30% above initial projections.

Galway completes the list of European cities hosting the 2011-12 race. The remaining ports will be introduced during the remainder of March.

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With a little over 5,000 miles left before reaching Ushant, the virtual separation between Groupama 3 and Orange 2 has been yo-yoing for the past three days. The giant trimaran has picked up her average speed since escaping the zone of high pressure, whilst five years ago the maxi-catamaran was just beginning to make laboured headway close to the Brazilian coast… 

The crew had a hundred mile lead on rounding Cape Horn, a 190 mile deficit off Uruguay as Franck Cammas and his men began their beat in the high pressure, and finally were 360 miles off the pace at 0700 UTC this Tuesday… Yet since Groupama 3 has made it back into some powerful E’ly winds, the deficit has been decreasing slowly but surely with 30 miles made up in the space of seven hours.

“It was a rough night, with heavy seas, even though the wind was less violent than forecast. We had thirty knots of E to NE’ly with some good four metre waves… We’re all anxious about the idea of breaking gear, so we’re being very careful. We’ve got two reefs in the mainsail and I think they’ve just dumped the heavy airs jib on deck! Down below we’re finding it hard to hang on. It’s more testing for the men rather than the boat, as she’s seen conditions such as these before!” indicated Fred Le Peutrec at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris. 

 

Staying in the corridor of breeze…
These conditions have had an effect on the downtime for the crew, who haven’t really been able to sleep over the past few hours, to the extent that Bruno Jeanjean has gone all night without sleep… Furthermore, the heat is becoming a little suffocating down below with 28° and a tepid shower up top.
However, the weather situation is in the process of changing with the wind set to switch back round to the N before nightfall. As such a series of tacks will be on the menu again…

“We’re in a squall and it’s very stormy! We’re going to make it through to some N’ly winds again soon as we hit a Brazilian depression: the seas shouldn’t be too heavy there as the air flow has only just kicked in, but we’re going to have to keep an eye out for squalls… It’s likely we’ll be on a beat in this N’ly system so as we don’t distance ourselves too much from the direct course and escape these headwinds as quickly as possible. There isn’t too much breeze to our West and it’s very unstable. As a result we’re going to avoid getting tangled up in these erratic airs, but we will have to climb as far as 25°S to find the steadier wind.” 

 

…so as not to get stuck
Therefore the strategy will comprise remaining in a corridor of breeze about a hundred miles wide, to get as far as the latitude of Rio de Janeiro where the E’ly tradewinds will kick in again. If she were to get too close to the Brazilian coast, Groupama 3 would fall into a barometric swamp without a lot of breeze, whilst the offshore option would put Franck Cammas and his nine crew back into a rather unfavourable NE’ly air flow. The tropical stage of this trip is still a good day away then! Following on from that though, the giant trimaran will once again be able to lengthen her stride and will very likely make up part of her deficit on Orange 2, which wasn’t very quick during her climb along the Brazilian coast.

“Physically we’re really worn out: the environment is constantly drawing on our energies at the moment and I can barely talk due to the extent to which we’ve been bracing ourselves… We’re less talkative and highly concentrated on ourselves and on the noises the boat makes, which are very familiar to us now. We’ll only be able to relax once we’ve reached the SE’ly tradewinds! We’re on the same latitude as the Canaries and though the temperatures are already milder, the colours are more reminiscent of Ushant with a grey sky and rain! We’re going to wait a little longer before we have a wash but it’s beginning to smell quite ripe around here…” 

 

Groupama 3’s log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55′ 53” UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 517 miles)
Day 29 (1st March 1400 UTC): 434 miles (lead = 268 miles)
Day 30 (2nd March 1400 UTC): 575 miles (lead = 184 miles)
Day 31 (3rd March 1400 UTC): 617 miles (lead = 291 miles)
Day 32 (4th March 1400 UTC): 492 miles (lead = 248 miles)
Day 33 (5th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (lead = 150 miles)
Day 34 (6th March 1400 UTC): 461 miles (lead = 58 miles)
Day 35 (7th March 1400 UTC): 382 miles (deficit = 100 miles)
Day 36 (8th March 1400 UTC): 317 miles (deficit = 326 miles)
Day 37 (9th March 1400 UTC): 506 miles (deficit = 331 miles)

WSSRC record from equator to equator
Orange 2 (2005): 33d 16h 06′

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Azzurra delivers stand-out performance on opening day.  Azzurra, the Italian boat with the old name and the young crew, defeated Britain’s TEAMORIGIN in the closest of four hard-fought races on the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland.

Louis Vuitton Trophy Italian skipper and helmsman Francesco Bruni snatched a victory from Britain’s three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie at the first weather mark of their race as their boats rounded the mark overlapped. Sailing above the mark, Ainslie tried to luff his opponent only to see the Italian execute a swift spinnaker set, sail clear and go on to win.

“Azzurra sailed a good race today, they seem to have a knack of overtaking us which is getting very frustrating!” Ainslie said. “We were fully in contention at the top mark and tried to hold them up, we were unfortunately set up for a gybe set and they were set up for a straight hoist which allowed them to gain some distance.”

In their efforts to stay on schedule, the race committee spent a long first day on the water. In the morning, cloudy skies killed any chance of a sea breeze developing and delayed racing. The Rangitoto Channel entrance to Auckland Harbour was so glassy at late morning that Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio joked that it appeared to have been paved.

The long wait for wind ended at 2:45pm as the first pair started on the Blue Course at the mouth of the channel between Rangitoto Island and the Takapuna cliffs. The breeze was five to seven knots from the northwest. After a second race in similar conditions, the breeze switched to the south for the third race inside the harbour. The last race didn’t start until 7:10pm and finished after sunset just before 8:00pm

Race One: All4One def. Mascalzone Latino Audi Sailing Team, 00:44 – In the draw last night, the German/French boat All4One chose the starboard entry for the start and they protected the right side in the pre-start today. They split before the gun with All4One going out to the right on port tack, while Mascalzone Latino Audi enjoyed an early lead on starboard. All4One skipper and strategist Jochen Schümann said a man up the mast had spotted wind out to the right and they chose to concede an early lead to reach the stronger pressure. All4One eventually tacked to starboard to cover and Gavin Brady steering the Italian boat initiated a tacking duel. However Sébastien Col on the helm of All4One had already worked out to a controlling lead on the right that he never relinquished.

Race Two: Azzurra def. TEAMORIGIN, 00:53 – Great Britain’s TEAMORIGIN enjoyed the starboard entry in its match against Italy’s Azzurra and used it to advantage in a dialup that took both boats well above the line before they sailed back with Ben Ainslie on the British boat chasing Italian Francesco Bruni. Ainslie grabbed the right as they split away at the gun but Bruni kept it close and when they crossed for the first time Ainslie on starboard came down and hunted the Italian who tacked close to leeward and forced the British boat away. It happened again before they came into the weather mark overlapped, with Ainslie holding his opponent out from rounding. They tacked above the mark and the British boat luffed the Italian until Bruni capitalized on a miscommunication on Ainslie’s boat. Bruni was first to set a spinnaker and rolled over TEAMORIGIN forcing the British boat to gybe away. From there the Italians controlled the next three legs, finishing with a comfortable 53 second margin.

Race Three: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Artemis, 01:40 – Dean Barker overcame the handicap of a port entry in the pre-start to grab the right side of the course off the start line. Strong outgoing current and shifty breezes played a major role as Terry Hutchinson steering Artemis took the fight to Emirates Team New Zealand but trailed by 55 seconds at the weather mark. Artemis came charging back on the run to close within 12 seconds at the leeward gate but then lost ground in lighter air under North Head. The Kiwis extended to win comfortably.

Race Four: ALEPH Sailing Team def. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 03:26 – The Russian boat steered by Karol Jablonski dominated Bertrand Pacé’s French entry in the pre-start only to see ALEPH wriggle clear and lead by three boat lengths at the gun. Jablonski kept it very close, pressuring Pacé on the first beat and was only 11 seconds astern at the top mark. As the sun set over the Auckland City skyline it was also sunset for the Russians as they ran over their spinnaker at the leeward mark. The French sailed away to a comfortable victory.

LIVE Sport Sailing 103.0 FM is featuring all-day live coverage of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. On television, during the seven days of the round robin, TVNZ is carrying nightly reports on its sports news. From March 16, during the elimination rounds, TVNZ will feature nightly half-hour reports. For the finals on 20th and 21st March there will be live coverage of the racing from noon to 4:00pm.

World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA) was founded in 2009 by a group of professional yacht racing teams to develop regular high-level match race regattas in large and complex racing yachts. The WSTA is jointly owned by its nine shareholders (the teams) and represents the interests of those teams in the pursuit of fair and highly competitive racing. The WSTA, in conjunction with title partner Louis Vuitton, co-organises the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

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Although several boat are still racing, Richard Bamford’s Swan 38 Dolfijn retired this morning which means that at tonight’s prize giving Karl Kwok’s Farr 80, Beau Geste, will be awarded the RORC Caribbean 600 trophy for best yacht overall under IRC, the line honours trophy for monohulls and Class trophy for IRC Super Zero.

“I have never cleaned up as well before so it feels really good,” smiled Karl Kwok upon hearing the news. “There may have been a lack of wind but we kept on going all the time and when the wind was with us we had flat water and some fantastic sailing. Beau Geste has a great spirit, I have been friends with Gavin Brady for two decades and we sit down and decide who we will have on board. Friendship is very important to me, we choose the best sailors but also the right people. I have to say a big thank you to Gavin Brady and the two watch captains, Jonno Swain and David Endean but all of the crew did a great job.

Beau Geste races all over the world and I would like to invite all of the competitors we come across to do this race. The sailing is as good as can be and I have enjoyed it immensely.”

Winner overall of the CSA division and second place overall under IRC is Richard Oland’s Southern Cross 52, Vela Veloce.

“We had a close battle with Privateer who beat us by less than a minute in our last encounter, so beating them this time was a bit of payback,” admitted Richard Oland, skipper of Vela Veloce. “Privateer are good sports and I am sure we will share a beer with them tonight. Although I have done a lot of cruising here, this is the first time I have raced in the Caribbean since the 60s. The boat comes from New Brunswick, Canada and it amazes me why people don’t come down here and enjoy these water.

Winner of IRC Super Zero Canting keel, third overall under IRC and second under CSA was Ron O’Hanley’s Cookson 52, Privateer.

“We have never raced against another Cookson 50 which we were really looking forward to but Privateer is a newer boat with some differences and we weren’t really racing close to Lee Overlay Partners. We had a really good fight with Vela Veloce. This is the first time we have competed in a RORC race and I would like to give a big thank you to the organisers; this has been a very well run event.” Commented Vela Veloce boat captain Scott Innes-Jones.

Third overall under CSA and fourth overall under IRC was Adrian Lee’s Cookson 50, Lee Overlay Partners. Dockside Adrian Lee was still full of admiration for the race. “Very different to last year but we have enjoyed it just the same, this was as much a challenge but for different reasons, keeping the boat going and concentrating the whole time were so important. The last few miles were agonizingly slow but we kept cool under pressure and to be honest, we were delighted just to finish. Congratulations to Beau Geste on an excellent performance.”

Only one boat, AAG Big One has finished since Lee Overlay Partners came in last night. The breeze virtually shut down, right across the racecourse, causing many yachts to retire. ‘H’ one of the BLESMA crew describes the scene on board as Spirit of Juno made the decision to stop racing. “The skipper went to every guy and asked him for his view, everybody had their say but when he turned the engine on, it was a sickening feeling. We just ran out of time and needed to get back for flights home. We have developed as a team and really got to grips with the physical side of things but we need to work more on the tactical side, we will be back for sure. The RORC Caribbean 600 is unfinished business.”

Antigua is usually blessed with easterly Trade Winds and the unusual weather is extremely rare. However, the competitors in the RORC Caribbean 600 did have the sensation of surfing through the Caribbean sea in sublime conditions, at least some of the time.

Update as of Sunday

Willy Bissainte and Benoit Reffe’s Class 40, Tradition Guadeloupe were rightly proud as they crossed the finish line in the early hours of Sunday morning, having spent five nights at sea. A large contingent greeted Tradition Guadeloupe including Elizabeth Jordan, Commodore of the Antigua Yacht Club and Ian Loffhagen, RORC Racing manager. Every yacht competing in the RORC Caribbean 600 was welcomed back to Antigua, regardless of the time. Jonathon Cornelius and his ABSAR team was on call day and night through out the race and piloted every yacht into Falmouth Bay.

“We were never going to retire,” said Willy Bissainte dockside. “The RORC Caribbean 600 is a big part of my training for the Route de Rhum, which I will be racing solo, later in the year. We always had at least a little wind, we kept going all of the time. It was great to have such a reception from the Antigua Yacht Club and the RORC. We will only be staying for a short while though, we must go back to work in Guadeloupe in just a few hours.”

Willy Bissainte and his co-skipper Benoit Reffe picked up the Concise Trophy for the best Class 40 and the class trophy for IRC Zero. After a quick shower, the two sailors who defied the unusual weather, set sail for home.

The last yacht in the 2010 RORC Caribbean 600 was finally accounted for.

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Still in the high pressure which is stagnating off Argentina, Groupama 3 is trying to make as much headway as possible to the North. In order to do this, Franck Cammas and his men are having to tack in line with every shift to exploit these transitions: seven tack changes have been made since Sunday afternoon. 

Very attentive to the slightest wind shift since this weekend, Franck Cammas and navigator Stan Honey are remaining concentrated to exploit these rotations. Right now it’s very much like a virtual race against Orange 2 with five years separation, and the giant trimaran is rather at ease since she has been designed for these light to moderate headwinds. However, the crew of Groupama 3 is having to react very quickly all the same, which isn’t always easy at night, beneath an overcast sky and a waning moon. As such they’re zigzagging their way northward.

“In high pressure conditions such as these, there is always a discrepancy between the grib files and the actual situation on the water: at the moment, we’ve fallen into a zone of light winds, probably due to a big squall to our right… The breeze should pick up radically at sunset to pump out 30-40 knots of E’ly on our beam: as such we’re going to have to reduce the sail area and even set the heavy airs jib! We’ve got some work on our hands because the wind isn’t as steady as all that… However, we’ve recovered well from the fatigue we’d amassed in the Deep South” indicated Franck Cammas at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris. 

 

Kissing the sea
With the central hull just kissing the surface of the water, the helmsmen are taking it in turns to keep the giant trimaran making headway on a single leeward float and at around 0900 UTC, Groupama 3 had put in her final tack change of the day. Indeed the wind had clocked round to the N and was gradually shifting round to the NE early this afternoon: the average speed was increasing to in excess of twenty knots again and the separation between her and Orange 2 was beginning to stabilise at 325 miles…

“The boat is really light and highly responsive, which makes it easy to tack since we don’t need to do any stacking (shifting of moveable ballast). Furthermore, Groupama 3 is less heavy than when she left Ushant and you can really feel the difference because we’ve consumed a good hundred kilos or so of diesel and food… It’s the first time we’ve been on a beat since 31st January. We’re back on a route taking us almost due North until Tuesday morning, at which point we’ll have to put in some more tacks to reach the tradewinds, which are still some 700 miles ahead of our bows. The temperatures are already milder, with overcast skies, but we’re still sporting our foulies on deck!”

Franck Cammas estimated that he couldn’t have a deficit of more than a day on crossing the equator! As such the pressure’s really on over this phase of the course. Indeed Orange 2 only began to slow as she approached the latitude of Rio de Janeiro, but then her climb up to Recife proved to be fairly laboured. In fact it’s becoming an increasingly established fact that bagging the Jules Verne Trophy record is still uncertain and everything will depend on their progress off Brazil… 

 

Multiple manoeuvres
As a result the aim of Franck Cammas and his men is to progress northward as quickly as possible, but there’s not really any alternative in terms of the general strategy: Groupama 3 will have to close on the coast of South America, without getting too close to the shores of Brazil, where some stormy lows generating variable winds are in the process of forming… Therefore the next phase will involve a great deal of activity in the cockpit of the giant trimaran as the crew will have to link together multiple manoeuvres.

“Groupama 3 is exiting the anticyclone in winds of around twenty knots, which are increasing in strength as they begin to veer: this will enable her to bend her course round from this afternoon, whilst simultaneously picking up the pace. However, from Tuesday evening and through until Thursday, the crew will have to negotiate a stormy zone along the shores of Brazil…” explained Sylvain Mondon from Météo France. 

 

Groupama 3’s log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55′ 53” UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 517 miles)
Day 29 (1st March 1400 UTC): 434 miles (lead = 268 miles)
Day 30 (2nd March 1400 UTC): 575 miles (lead = 184 miles)
Day 31 (3rd March 1400 UTC): 617 miles (lead = 291 miles)
Day 32 (4th March 1400 UTC): 492 miles (lead = 248 miles)
Day 33 (5th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (lead = 150 miles)
Day 34 (6th March 1400 UTC): 461 miles (lead = 58 miles)
Day 35 (7th March 1400 UTC): 382 miles (deficit = 100 miles)
Day 36 (8th March 1400 UTC): 317 miles (deficit = 326 miles)

WSSRC record from equator to equator
Orange 2 (2005): 33d 16h 06′

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* Low pressure system delivers strong headwinds across the fleet
* California makes repairs to mainsail in tricky conditions
* Edinburgh Inspiring Capital chases the pack in some very wet
   conditions

With the first 1,000 miles of the race to California almost completed,
the forecasted low pressure system has finally arrived and the skippers
who were cursing the lack of wind yesterday now find themselves with
more than they bargained for. Strong headwinds have been hard going on
the teams and they will all be looking forward to the wind shifting
round and a return to the fast downwind sailing the Clipper 68s relish.

What a difference 24 hours makes,” says Jim Dobie, skipper of Uniquely
Singapore. “Yesterday we were in little wind and then bang! In rushed 30
to 40 knots and it has been with us ever since. The frustrating thing
has been the angle we have been forced to sail at and have lost quite a
bit of ground to the south. But as the low moves through, the wind will
veer round and we can head due north again before the wind settles in
behind us and we can get back to the fast downwind weather we love.

“The crew are a little worse for wear with tiredness etched on their
faces and all their clothes wet and damp. But as I always say, nothing
stays the same in the ocean and once we’re back in the high, clothes
will dry, skies will brighten and the smiles will return.”

Hull & Humber’s skipper, Piers Dudin, says, “The seas are getting a
little confused and the occasional slam jolts memories of our trip past
Taiwan. We’ve nearly reached the top of the hill in terms of our upwind
beat and are looking forward to giving Hull & Humber an easier ride
downwind.”

“Even moving round below decks requires constant effort in the confused
seas and as the wind shifts it’s likely to become even more so.”

Life on deck is just as difficult as that down below and none more so
than for the crew on board California.

“We needed to take the mainsail down and completely remove it from the
mast track in order to repair the top five sliders that had become
detached, ” explains skipper Pete Rollason. “This is no easy feat in the
shelter of a marina, let alone on a rough ocean in the conditions we’re
currently experiencing. The crew worked tirelessly to complete the
repairs and with everyone exhausted and soaking wet we hoisted the
mainsail.”

The strong headwinds are certainly taking their toll but the wind
strength continues to vary making sail choice particularly tricky as Jan
Ridd, skipper of Cape Breton Island explains.

“Most of the crew are coming to terms with having to sail close hauled
for the next few days as we fight our way out into the Pacific. The wind
is building and dropping and the highest gust our instruments have shown
was 48 knots, which dropped just minutes later to 19 knots.

“With the wind varying so much, the boat was set up last night for the
worst, with the storm jib accompanied by our normal staysail and the
third reef in the main. If the wind built the staysail could be dropped
allowing us to go into complete safe mode. Today the problem we have is
the boat is a little underpowered and just as we think we should put
more sail up the wind builds, the boat heels right over again and the
decision is made for us.”

Qingdao’s skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, believes the worst is yet to
come and if he is right the already tired crews will need to dig deep to
find that extra bit of strength and determination.

“A great night’s sailing on board Qingdao with us returning to the
conditions we favoured so much during our time in the South China Sea,”
says Chris. “Last night however was only a precursor to the real show
which will probably start within the next 30 hours.

“With 40 knot winds predicted we will be experiencing up to 50 on the
nose if we are unfortunate enough to be at that angle to the wind. My
hope is that we can take some of that brutish wind strength on the beam
to catapult the dragon forward to the super sonic speeds we love.”

For the team on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, the change in conditions
came all too quickly but according to skipper Matt Pike his crew are
revelling in the challenge as they push to Scottish boat hard to make
gains on the rest of the fleet.

Matt says, “Misty drizzle and a rolling swell was the weather as we
chased the small patches of breeze to reach the fleet - all the time
knowing soon the wind would fill in. It came in one solid wave and
caught us midway between sail changes.

“The chase begins now through the wet. We have salty spray, the slightly
fresher rain and the most easily identified, the solid wall of water
that comes crashing back swamping the whole boat. Below is no better as
everything is wet, no longer just damp but wringing wet. The crew have
stopped mentioning wet bunks but just crash out as they are for a much
needed rest before going ‘over the top’ through the companionway and
back into the fight. Still smiling the hardened crew take our tough
little boat forwards and push to gain those precious miles on the
competition.”

Meanwhile, back in Qingdao, Team Finland’s crew will be keeping a close
eye on the fleet’s progress as they await the arrival of their
replacement mast. The 90-foot spar has left Luxemburg and whilst the
Clipper Race team is doing everything to ensure a timely delivery in
Qingdao the journey is at the mercy of shipping agents, airlines and
customs. Team Finland is just ten points behind overall race leaders,
Spirit of Australia, having been awarded one point by the Race Committee
for Race 6 from Singapore to Qingdao. They will therefore be hoping for
a fast run across the Pacific if they are to close the gap and regain
the top spot once more.

Positions at 0900 UTC, Monday 8 March

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Spirit of Australia 4662nm
2 California 4712nm 50nm
3 Qingdao 4726nm 63nm
4 Cape Breton Island 4747nm 84nm
5 Hull & Humber 4748nm 85nm
6 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 4751nm 89nm
7 Uniquely Singapore 4766nm 104nm
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 4779nm 116nm
9 Team Finland 5612nm 180nm
10 Cork Did not start

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* Spirit of Australia pulls out a lead as the other yachts park up in
   variable winds
* Uniquely Singapore back to full strength after illness
* Non-stop evolutions for crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt

The forecast headwinds have not yet materialised for the Clipper 09-10
fleet. Instead most of the teams on board the 68-foot ocean racing
yachts are contending with spells of variable and light winds which are
playing havoc with their speeds and ability to sail the course they
want. They have also spent lengthy stretches parked up, desperately
trying to find any breath of wind to keep them moving.

However Spirit of Australia, on a more northerly course than the others,
has been dealt a different hand, enabling them to pull out a lead over
the rest of the fleet. Skipper Brendan Hall says, “Japan faded into the
sunset last night, the last land we will see for another three weeks.
Thus far, the Pacific Ocean has not lived up to its name, delivering us
another night of near gale force winds and sheeting rain. More heavy
headsail changes were needed to keep Spirit of Australia on the pace.”

As Brendan says, their next glimpse of land will not come for more than
three weeks in this, the longest of the individual races that make up
the Clipper Race.

“Looking at the chart, the enormity of the ocean before us is daunting,”
he says, “But we have set ourselves lots of smaller milestones to aim
for and celebrate as we pass.”

Just 39 miles behind, the last 24 hours for California’s crew have been
frustrating as they find themselves with totally different conditions.

“This morning and overnight we have been beset by light winds, however,
with some favourable current we had been making good progress northeast
in the hunt for kangaroos. Then very suddenly the wind filled in to a
steady 20 knots from the north east which meant that we can no longer
take the course we want. It is so frustrating when you can get good boat
speed and not the desired course and we can only console ourselves with
the fact that all the other boats should be experiencing the same
dilemma. The forecast is for the wind to continue to build up to 30-35
knots from the north east and is due to last about 36 to 48 hours so we
will try to make the best course we can towards the Scoring Gate and San
Francisco.

“I hear that a number of crews have been suffering various illnesses and
California is no exception. We have a nasty cold doing the rounds that
is sapping the energy of those it gets hold of so we are working with
reduced numbers on deck while some people get some down time to fully
recover.”

Uniquely Singapore’s crew are back up to full strength after recovering
from the illness that has swept through their crew and there is a note
of optimism in skipper Jim Dobie’s report to the Race Office today.

He says, “After being at the back of the fleet since the start things
are starting to look up. As I write this I have now picked up Hull &
Humber, Jamaica Lightning Bolt and, of course, our companions, Edinburgh
Inspiring Capital. We’ve now got our act back together and the crew,
including me, are no longer queuing for the heads and reaching for
buckets - the bug has gone through, we have a full head count and can
now get to the business of racing.”

But, just when things are looking up, Mother Nature throws in a curve
ball and the wind doesn’t quite do what you’re expecting.

Jim explains, “Looking at the GRIB (weather file) we made a decision to
stay south of the incoming low which will take us away from the
favourable current but should allow us following winds sooner and not
such huge waves. However things are not going to plan… According to
our weather files we should be in some brisk headwinds but find
ourselves floundering around in little to no wind, trying to make some
headway. As we know, the ocean can change quickly so the next 24 hours
should see some dramatic changes in conditions and we’re look for any
signs of the movements of the low.”

Observing your environment to predict exactly when that pressure is
going to fill in and get your yacht moving again is a fine art and Cape
Breton Island’s skipper, Jan Ridd, seems to have the key.

“We are still in this unstable airflow with long periods of little or no
wind with short periods of a stiff breeze filling in,” he reports.
“Earlier this morning we were within sight of Hull & Humber and Qingdao
as we all ran into an area of light wind. When the crew asked me what
they could do, I said the best option would be to wait it out and see
where the wind fills in from. They were getting frustrated as they saw
both the other teams hoist their windseekers, trying to get the boats
moving. I still insisted we wait it out and, sure enough, within half an
hour we saw the wind build to a Force 6 and, as we sailed on course at
ten knots, we saw Qingdao hastily sailing away from the wind in the
wrong direction to reduce the apparent wind strength so they could drop
the windseeker without damage.”

Cape Breton Island is opting for a conservative sail plan for the coming
days to cope with the variable conditions, says Jan.

“All the boats are aware of an area of stronger winds to the north of
our position and every time the wind builds we are preparing ourselves
mentally for the expected 20+ knot head winds the forecast predicts. So
far all we have seen is brief spells which die as quickly as they start.
I am sure the wind will fill in eventually and we will start making some
good mileage towards San Francisco,” he adds.

Qingdao is just a mile ahead of the Canadian entry and experiencing the
same frustrations but the crew is coping well, according to their
skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major.

“With a weather file that shows I should be hammering east at 12 knots
hard on the wind with probably three reefs in, staysail and Yankee 3
flying and water rushing along the side decks, instead we are sitting in
a muggy patch of drizzle with sails slatting in a cheeky, choppy sea.
Rain runs down the crew’s faces as they stare upwards at the sails
trying to perceive some pattern or trend they can trim to but there is
nothing and, despite all the noise and motion, we remain resolutely
parked watching on the AIS every other boat picking its parking space
and rate of drift. The crew are unstinting in their efforts and humour,
making light of a frustrating situation.”

Qingdao has picked up a hitch hiker as well, reveals Chris. “In the
middle of this cold, wet, forlorn landscape a small, ragged scrap of
life has sought us out as a refuge and I write this eye to eye with a
house martin that has taken up residence in the nav station.”

Hull & Humber’s skipper, Piers Dudin, suggests the current situation in
which most of the teams find themselves adds to the excitement of the
race.

He says, “It’s good to have the whole fleet compressed again. It’s sure
to make for an epic few weeks. Breaking the back of ‘5,000 miles to go!’
is something you don’t get to do very often, rarely are such long
passages undertaken in one go. But after of months of training we like
to think we’re well set up for ‘The Big One’.

“The crew who joined us in Qingdao, Andrea, Tony, Nick and the ONE HULL
Ambassadors, Sonny and Nathan, have adjusted to life in ‘Umberland
admirably and are already solid handy crew members.

“The rain still fails to dampen spirits as we’re getting used to the
on-off weather patterns. We doubt it’ll last long and we’re set up for a
solid two days of up-hill deep-reef wave bashing, before the proper
downhill sled run begins.”

The hugely ambitious crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt has been working
flat out to keep their yacht moving.

Pete Stirling says, “So much for the deep blue Pacific Ocean and
favourable winds. Apart from the lack of fishing boats and merchant
shipping this is really no more of a pleasure than the Yellow Sea was.
It is quite a bit warmer but with constant wind shifts a sloppy sea and
heavy rain. The standing joke amongst this morning’s 8am to 2pm six-hour
watch is that they only did one evolution. The thing is they did lots
but they never stopped between each of them. I did let them stop once
for 15 minutes for a tea break so I guess that means they did two
evolutions. This afternoon’s watch are waiting to get on deck with eager
anticipation!”

“After playing out our hand we have ended up with the rest of the fleet
in a tight circle waiting for the north easterly gale that has been
forecast,” says Matt Pike. He says the wet, tiring and frustrating
conditions are preventing Edinburgh Inspiring Capital from getting into
her stride.

“We had a great sail out through the straits from south Japan and were
looking to continue east then suddenly, and in about 20 boat lengths,
the wind was gone! Rain followed squall followed rain and pursuing the
best course to windward has us back in the pack. So now we wait and,
when the wind fills in, we shall be off on a new start and onwards to
California.”

POSITIONS AT 1500 UTC, SUNDAY 7 MARCH 2010

1 Spirit of Australia DTF 4736
2 California DTF 4775 DTL +39
3 Qingdao DTF 4802 DTL +66
4 Cape Breton Island DTF 4803 DTL +67
5 Hull & Humber DTF 4809 DTL +73
6 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 4812 DTL +77
7 Uniquely Singapore DTF 4821 DTL +85
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 4828 DTL +92
9 Team Finland DTF 5612 DTL +876
10 Cork Did not start

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