(Photo by Heather Ewing / Clipper Ventures PLC 2010)
In the final 24 hours of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race Mother Nature is throwing the crews of the ten yachts one final challenge to remember her by.
In strong winds the crews left Ijmuiden in the Netherlands and were quickly blasting their way across the North Sea, the heavy shipping and oil and gas platforms adding to the navigational obstacles between them and the finish line off the coast of north east England.
Hull & Humber’s crew are entirely focussed on winning this last race to their home port. Skipper, Justin Taylor, says, “So the final race of this epic adventure and it’s every bit as exciting as it promised to be. We didn’t quite get the gale force winds we were prepared for, much to the relief of those that tend to suffer from sea sickness. None of that here on ‘Ull & ‘Umber.
“After a good start and a quick change through the gears from the Yankee 3 down to the 1, we soon had the heavyweight kite up and Hull & Humber has been flying! A steady increase in wind meant we returned to white sails just before breakfast but are still holding our position well. The crew have been working hard and are focussed and determined. An overall podium position is looking unlikely for us now but everyone is giving 120 percent and going all out for that illusive win into a home port. With less than 12 hours to go and our old adversaries, Cape Breton Island snapping at our heels, plus surely a big local crowd cheering us on as we pass Bridlington later, it’s now all or nothing! Go ‘Umba!”
This final race sees a return to the pursuit format introduced in the transatlantic crossing from Cape Breton Island to Kinsale, Ireland, in which Cork’s IRC handicap was applied up front and the rest of the fleet must chase them down. Hull & Humber are the closest to Cork, closing down the gap – and opening up a narrow lead over the rest of the chasing pack.
“It’s rather crazy to think that 48 hours ago we were dancing the night away in Amsterdam (fitness training, of course) and now we find ourselves tearing up the miles in the North Sea, weaving between rigs and reminding the odd cheeky ship who has right of way,” says Hannah Jenner, skipper of the Irish boat. “We are back to the pursuit race format, one which we enjoyed in the Atlantic and we hope to make the best of in this final race. We began in great breeze reaching under full main, staysail and Yankee 2, after an hour we were down to three reefs and just the Yankee which is the smallest sail plan we have ever used but effective in the lumpy old sea state.”
In shifting and variable winds Cork’s crew completed many sail changes through the night, including hoisting their heavyweight spinnaker.
“After a check on the course it became clear that the boat would not be very easy to handle as we threaded our way between sandbanks so the spinny promptly came down,” reports Hannah. “Thankfully the wind is now holding and with the tide underneath us all is well and speeds are great.”
Team Finland, who won the race to Ijmuiden and are currently second overall, are struggling with a ripped mainsail and, with just 6.3 points between them and third placed Cape Breton Island, it could affect their final position.
“Shortly before the start our mainsail decided it had had enough and split from leech to luff,” says skipper, Rob McInally. “The stitching along the large horizontal panel gave way. The forecasts had shown high winds all evening and through the night. Unfortunately for us this did not happen. Although it is fairly windy now, for much of the night we were incredibly underpowered because we can only sail with two reefs in our main. This just about halves the size of the canvas we can use to power the yacht and also affects our pointing ability. This aside we are still racing hard doing all we can to keep up with the fleet.”
Cape Breton Island, Spirit of Australia and Jamaica Lightning Bolt are neck and neck as they race towards the finish line on a course that will include a loop in Bridlington Bay so spectators can watch the action from the shore between 1600 and 2200 BST today.
Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, Pete Stirling, says, “Within an hour of the start the wind had started to subside and all the crews were kept busy shaking out reefs and changing headsails. The biggest drama for us came just after dawn this morning when a particularly big gust of wind came through and we blew the head off the heavyweight spinnaker. It was a very clean break allowing the spinnaker to drop into the sea next to the boat from where it was quickly recovered by the crew. We quickly hoisted the Yankee 2 and staysail but had lost a mile of ground to Cape Breton Island who were now alongside us.
“The ‘comeback kids’ are pushing hard all the way to the finish. If we do well there is still a slim chance we could rise from fourth to third place overall. However if we get a bad result we could drop back to fifth place overall. There is a lot at stake on this race and everything to play for.”
The battle for sixth and seventh places continues to rage between Qingdao and Uniquely Singapore, the Chinese team marginally holding the advantage for the time being.
“In all likelihood this will be the last report from Qingdao,” says skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, who is in reflective mood. “After many, many miles and many, many words I come to the final hundred and it will be with some regret that I hang up my spurs. How best to encapsulate what we as a crew have experienced in these past ten months? A list of adjectives comes to mind but it would be too clichéd to list them. I know I speak for the crew when I say this race has been about dreaming big, bigger than any of us had ever dreamed before, and about fulfilling that dream through hard work and determination.
“How can you go from not being able to sail to becoming a circumnavigator? It’s literally an ocean away – impossible, surely? Well, as the crew have shown, you start by believing you can do it and then you make a plan. As we have girdled the world we have learnt that there is no challenge that cannot be completed if you have a plan and no drama or crisis that cannot be overcome if one believes in one’s self. For many aboard the coming weeks will be a sharp return to a reality that right now seems very far away, even though we are approaching the finish at breakneck speed.
“Though their surroundings will change they take away with them a fantastic catalogue of memories, some pleasant, some not so, and some very precious ones from the very edge of adrenaline-fuelled exhilaration where for a moment life burnt white hot and nothing was impossible. Flying through the Southern Ocean chasing down the fleet, surfing ashore at Gosong Mampango to do what we could for Cork, battling upwind to Qingdao and taking on and surviving the mighty North Pacific. No-one can deny us these things; circumstance called on us and we responded and we triumphed. From this starting point lives will begin afresh. For now nothing is impossible, nothing is beyond reach, goals are only on ocean away now and crossing an ocean is difficult. It’s hard work but it is possible. Step one – believe you can do it. Step two – make a plan.”
Jim Dobie, skipper of Uniquely Singapore is in equally contemplative mood.
“As I write this my last report it is with a touch of sadness but yet happy that we, the crew of Uniquely Singapore, are going to be finishing this epic race tomorrow. It’s been a long way since the first report I sent after leaving Hull and, if the welcome back is half as good as the send off, it will be a memory to hold on to for the rest of my life.
“I think the mood on board is one of excitement, sadness, a little bit of trepidation but most of all full of memories of ‘mate-ship’, laughter, exhilaration, a little bit of fear perhaps, and loads of fun. In all this has been one heck of a ride and I believe we have fully taken our sponsor Keppel’s ‘Can do!’ message around the world. It has shown in our experience of dealing with a three-day kite wrap, keeping up our spirits in the Doldrums, recovering after our knock down, our podium finishes, especially our first win into New York, bouncing back after coming last in the fleet and many, many more.
“My crew have been outstanding and have never stopped to amaze me in their courage, determination, bravery and their non-stop commitment to this boat. As such we became the closest crew in the race and I’m sure that bond will continue after. To all Singas’s supporters, friends, families and ex-crew: a big Thank You for your continued support and all the messages we received. You kept us going through those long races.
“We are presently flying across the North Sea and have had an interesting night of fast downwind sailing under kite and a bit of excitement when the guy snapped but very quickly had the kite down and under control. We are still hunting that last podium place as well as doing our best to keep Qingdao behind us so we don’t lose our place in the rankings.”
“The last chapter of a long story, and every boat wants this to be their best – none more so than the crew on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital. It was a poor Le Mans start for us after the Yankee halyard jammer broke, trapping the rope. After a quick fix we were off, fully expecting a long tough night but, to our amazement and against all predictions, the wind eased off and one by one the reefs were shaken out and the Yankee 3 was replaced by the Yankee 2. Still the wind continued to drop and back southerly. Yankee 1 or wait until it backs further and go straight for the heavy spinnaker? We didn’t wait long and soon were flying towards Hull with a heavy kite set and the wind beginning to build again. We were recording good speeds – a 6.8nm half hour and top speed of just over 20 knots as the wind built to a steady Force 7, gusting higher.”
The high boat speeds mean that any mistake or damage is punished heavily – slowing down for 20 minutes can allow a rival boat to swiftly open up a lead of a couple of miles, as California’s crew have found to their cost.
“Unfortunately California had a problem when we tried to reef down the mainsail,” reports skipper, Pete Rollason. “The sail would not come down and eventually the decision was made to heave-to so that we could free the line that was stuck and preventing us from reducing the sail area. All in all it took about 30 to 40 minutes but that instantly dropped us back about six or seven miles from the leaders and we have been fighting to make it up ever since. As always we will push hard until the line.”
The course of the final race will take the fleet past Bridlington between 1600 and 2200 on their way to the finish line to the east of Spurn Point where HMS Severn will be marking the official finish line of Clipper 09-10. There are excellent vantage points at Flamborough Head and The Spa in Bridlington. Tomorrow the fleet will race up the Humber in the presentational John Harrison Race, starting at 9.30am from outside Hull Marina towards the Humber Bridge (within approximately one mile) and back, before beginning their entry to the marina at 11am.
Positions at 1200 GMT Friday 16 July
Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cork 77nm
2 Hull & Humber 96nm 19nm
3 Spirit of Australia 98nm 21nm
4 Cape Breton Island 99nm 22nm
5 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 99nm 22nm
6 Qingdao 100nm 23nm
7 Uniquely Singapore 102nm 25nm
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 106nm 29nm
9 Team Finland 116nm 39nm
10 California 121nm 44nm
(Photo by Heather Ewing / Clipper Ventures PLC 2010)
Hull and Humber (Photo By Ian Dickens / Clipper Ventures PLC )
It’s been a lively 24 hours for the Clipper 09-10 fleet with some tough conditions for the crews on their final ocean crossing of this 35,000-mile race around the planet. The words of race founder and chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, at the pre-race crew briefing in Cape Breton Island, in which he warned against complacency have never rung truer.
For the crew of California, the conditions are proving reminiscent of the race across the Pacific in which their boat was rolled 120 degrees and dismasted.
“It’s been a wild night aboard California during which we were achieving some great boat speed,” reports skipper, Pete Rollason. “In fact we beat our previous race record and our top speed now stands at 25.8 knots. Unfortunately, with the rough sea state, some crew members were revisited by their memories of the North Pacific. With a few well placed words, the odd hug and a couple of jokes we as a crew pulled through and are charging as hard as we dare.
“The weather has calmed down a little and the sea state should follow over the coming hours which may enable us to get the kite up again. We have four boats around us and everyone is charging hard for the finish. With 650 miles to go the famous Fastnet Rock it should be a grandstand finish with all the boats converging on a small piece of ocean. It has been raining for the last two days and the crew are all hoping that the sun will make an appearance today to dry out some kit and warm things up a bit.”
Cork Clipper is still 100 miles ahead of the chasing pack and the crew are getting some great performances from their steel-hulled yacht which is a foot shorter and eight tonnes heavier than the Clipper 68s.
“After a frustrating 12 hours with a big sea state and only 25 knots of wind we are now up to a healthy gale producing some nice waves to play with,” says skipper, Hannah Jenner. “‘Fatty’ as our Challenge 67 has affectionately become known ‘don’t (usually) surf’ but yesterday just the right wave came along and off she went at 16.7 knots. Helm Kev (Kevlar) Austen was left looking a tad startled but none the less chuffed to have smashed the speed record quite handsomely and, to be fair, I think he is quite likely to keep it.
“So the fleet continue to chip away at our lead with Jamaica Lighting Bolt soon to be under 100 miles from us but we are pushing as hard as we can. The first reef we have put in since racing to Jamaica has just gone in the main now that we are seeing gusts of 40 knots. The physicality of this boat compared to the 68s is starting to take its toll with a lot of Deep Heat required to soothe the muscles strains associated with handling our boat.
“Still, not long to go and there is a distinct buzz of excitement as we close in on the Emerald Isle. Yesterday we switched over to the final paper chart for the crossing, The Western Approaches to the British Isles. We all know there is a long way to go yet but I don’t think any of us anticipated being within 600 miles of the finish after just eight days of racing. Long may the wind last.”
The conditions have taken their toll on a couple of the yachts and both Spirit of Australia and Jamaica Lightning Bolt have sustained damage to their spinnaker pole track in winds gusting up to Force 9 (41-47 knots).
Pete Stirling, Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, explained what happened in his daily report to the Race Office.
He says, “We were flying a second-reefed mainsail and poled out yankee 3 when the boat got skewed round by a particularly large wave. Despite the best efforts of the helm the yankee backed which in turn caused the spinnaker pole track on the front of the mast to rip off where the pole was attached to it. The crew once again sprang into action and the off watch were called to help on deck as well. The yankee was dropped and the flailing pole brought back under control. Remarkably both the pole and the sail appear completely undamaged. The track however is a different story and we will have to see what we can do to effect a workable repair. All the crew silently acknowledge that if we are to remain competitive in this race then we need to be able to use our spinnaker poles.”
Spirit of Australia’s crew are facing much the same task, according to skipper, Brendan Hall. “We found ourselves alongside our friends on Hull & Humber today, as both boats surfed the building swells with our poled-out headsails. Sadly, during our mid-ocean tussle that we sustained a small amount of damage to our spinnaker pole track, the device which lets you adjust the height of the spinnaker pole. We are repairing all the bits in the saloon at the moment, but we will need to wait for calmer conditions to send somebody up the mast to fit them back on. In the mean time, we sail on, with a less than ideal angle on the wind, but ready to get back to the fight as soon as the damage is fixed.”
While Spirit of Australia raced alongside Hull & Humber, the English boat was enduring challenges of her own.
“I tried to leave the boat last night on my back and head first after we had a mini knock down caused by a large wave,” reports skipper, Justin Taylor. “I heard its approach but didn’t see it. I was sitting by the helmsman with my back to the sea when a wave came in from the side and not from behind, as you would expect from a following sea. I can vouch for the effectiveness of the safety lines we use to clip on and I am also very glad Piers (Hull & Humber’s original skipper) decided to locate the emergency tiller on the starboard pushpit as this is what stopped me going for a swim.
“The conditions are far from the worst I have been through before but the sea state is quite confused with 40-knot winds. Luckily we had just dropped our poled out yankee headsail to slow us down a bit a get more control. I’m a bit stiff now with a couple of bruises. Helming is a real brute and we only have our experienced crew doing it. The rest of the crew are still super motivated. I would tell you more about our tactics and position but we are still in Stealth Mode.”
Hull & Humber and Team Finland, currently third in the overall race standings, have just emerged from their undercover period to find both have moved ahead of Spirit of Australia – but will it be enough to keep the Aussies from claiming an unassailable lead and clinching overall victory at the end of this race? Both the English and Finnish teams are pushing hard for a place on the podium when the fleet arrives back in Hull on Saturday 17 July.
Cape Breton Island is in a group with Spirit of Australia and Qingdao and being pushed further north than skipper Jan Ridd would like.
“After a night of heavy rain, strong winds and large seas I am sitting in the nav station, soaking wet and shivering as the Big Blue Canoe launches off another wave. We have been pushing hard for the last 24 hours to no avail. We have seen some small gains on the other two boats who stayed north close to the great circle route but unfortunately the boats to the south are still pulling away from us. I must admit I cannot see how they are making such gains when we have been hitting speeds of more than 20 knots on the surfs and have averaged ten knots. They must be making some great speeds!
“I am now feeling the weight of my decision to stay north, as it is looking like it is not going to give us any advantage as the weather system slips further south, keeping the other boats in strong wind with a better wind angle. I am sitting here with very tired eyes trying to see a pattern in the weather that can give us that crucial advantage.
“Unfortunately this weather system has deepened and overpowered the Azores high that was dominant in the eastern Atlantic and is not tracking north eastwards as I expected. We are now sailing a little north of our Great Circle route and, without an angle on the wind, will probably have to sail further north than I would like.
“It is a long way from over yet and we will be pushing Cape Breton Island to the max but I am hoping the weather will give us a little help!”
As they tear in towards the finish line Qingdao’s skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major has been reflecting on how far his crew has progressed.
“Nine months ago I seem to remember being not far from here. How very far we have come since then.
“Today was a relatively standard day to us – a bit windy perhaps blowing Force 8 through the afternoon but no great shakes. The helms did a fantastic job and tell me they enjoyed very much the excellent surfing conditions in the eight-metres swell – hitting 20 knots on a number of occasions and averaging eleven knots most of the day.
“We had to put in, and then later take out, a few reefs with the wind well behind the beam. Non-standard, it’s true, as we normally come up on the breeze to do this but that would have meant a change in course which would have slowed us down. Anyway, it’s possible with practise. I think that happened around three; I have to admit to being asleep at the time. One thing I did see was the afternoon watch sending Abdullah up the forestay to reconnect some yankee hanks that had come off to avoid having to drop the headsail to do it. He seemed relatively comfortable 70 feet up, bouncing around, performing his work as we surfed our way down wave after wave. When he came back down he got back on with leading the watch.
“33,000nm and counting but the changes I see each day place this crew light years ahead of what they knew last September – it truly is an unbelievable change.”
The fast conditions mean the arrival of the yachts in Kinsale, Co Cork, Ireland, is now anticipated earlier than originally estimated. The first boats are expected on Tuesday 29 June with the possibility of some arrivals on Monday 28 June.
Positions at 1200 GMT Friday 25 June
Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cork 543nm
2 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 650nm 107nm
3 Team Finland 657nm 114nm
4 Hull & Humber 678nm 111nm
5 Spirit of Australia 682nm 138nm
6 Qingdao 683nm 140nm
7 Cape Breton Island 692nm 149nm
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 695nm 152nm
9 Uniquely Singapore 720nm 177nm
10 California 752nm 209nm (position at 0600 GMT)
Cork Crew (Photo by Heather Ewing/Clipper Ventures PLC)
The significance of the day was not lost on those taking part in Clipper
09-10 as ten yachts lined up on the start line for the short sprint to
Jamaica, the crew of Cork, Ireland racing together again as a single
unit for the first time since their original boat ran aground in Race 5.
As the Irish team prepared to leave the marina this morning Noreen
Osborne, one of Cork’s round the world crew, said, “I haven’t slept a
wink. I think it’s going to be exciting to get Cork out on the water. It
was a very proud moment when we came into the marina yesterday and saw
her dead ahead of us.
“We’ve got a full fleet leaving Shelter Bay, which is going to be pretty
awesome. It’s been four months since everybody’s been together in this
way and I think Cork’s going to get a great reception out on the water.
I think everybody’ll be a bit emotional on board and the other crews as
well; I think they’re excited for us at the same time.
“It’s a very different boat, it’s going to take us a bit of time to get
used to the lay of the land and the way it works but we’ll do our very
best to get out there and sail hard and sail fast. Hannah (Jenner, the
skipper) is really motivated and determined and says a lot of people
start to tire and slacken off at this stage but she wants to keep full
throttle on so everybody, just man up and do whatever needs to be done.
So it’s going to be interesting!”
In addition, for the first race on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal
there was a palpable feeling that the 35,000-mile race is on the home
strait. There are still six races, including this one, to be contested
and competition among the fleet for the coveted podium positions and the
valuable points that come with them is stronger than ever.
The teams left the marina in drenching tropical rain and zero wind and
the race start line was set 50 miles from the coast of Panama. At 1831
local time (2331 GMT) Race 9 got underway with a Le Mans start in 15
knots of breeze from the north east.
Edinburg Inspiring Capital (Photo by Heather Ewing/Clipper Ventures PLC)
All ten boats lined up for a rolling Le Mans start where the crews race
to hoist their headsails in the fastest possible time.
Most of the fleet opted for their Yankee 1 with Hull & Humber, Team
Finland and Uniquely Singapore making cracking starts but it wasn’t long
before overall race leaders Spirit of Australia pushed their way through
to rival Hull & Humber at the front of the pack.
Spirit of Australia’s Jaime Stevens, who joined the team in San
Francisco and will race back to the July 17 finish on the Humber, said,
“It was a very exciting and nerve wracking way to start the race with
all the boats lined up next to each other. We hadn’t done a Le Mans
start since our training but thankfully we weren’t too rusty and got off
to a pretty good start. We are now looking forward to some exciting head
to head racing through the night with all the boats within spitting
distance.”
The 520-mile upwind sprint to Port Antonio on Jamaica’s north coast is
likely to be one of the closest of the Clipper 09-10 campaign.
Skipper of the overall race leader and winner of Race 8, Brendan Hall
said, “Securing another win is certainly our goal. It’s going to be a
different flavour of race to what we’re used to. We love the long races
- that fits our style – so we’re going to have to make some adjustments
to speed things up over a short distance but we’ve had plenty of Scoring
Gates so we’re confident we can keep the pace high on the short legs,
too. There’s no Scoring Gate on this one so all eyes are on the finish.”
For the crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt this stage holds particular
significance as it is the race to their home port. Pete Stirling,
skipper of the yacht named after the fastest man on earth, said, “This
is the big one – I’m actually a little bit nervous about it because
there’s quite a lot of pressure on. It’s exciting but there’s probably
more pressure than any previous race. Expectations are higher than ever
before and we’re definitely looking for a win this time.
“We did very well downwind on the last race but we do seem to do very
well against the other boats upwind generally so we’re looking forward
to that and certainly nothing less than a podium will do but we want the
win, that’s for sure.”
With a smile, he added, “Spirit of Australia’s always a tough boat to
beat but hopefully we can see them into tenth place!”
The yachts passed through the Panama Canal to reach the Race 9 start
line and the experience gave those on board a moment of reflection, in
particular those who competing in the complete circumnavigation.
Jeremy Reed, a round the world crew member on Hull & Humber, said, “It
was quite surreal when the first gate you go into closes behind you and
you suddenly realise that that’s the end of the Pacific. That’s quite an
emotional moment.”
He continued, “Going through the final lock was again quite emotional,
when you realise that the last lock is opening on to the Atlantic and in
effect you’re on your way home. But I’ve had that feeling quite often
that you’re on your way home during the race – in Qingdao , that’s the
furthest point east you’re going to be, then you cross the 180 degree
meridian you go from the eastern hemisphere to the western hemisphere so
that’s another big moment, then half way in terms of time and then
distance, so there are several moments when you think you’re on your way
home but this is probably the most significant one, going from the
Pacific to the Atlantic.”
The race to Port Antonio, once home to Hollywood legend, Errol Flynn, is
expected to take three to four days and, after the short but busy pit
stop in Panama and a sprint even Jamaican hero Usain Bolt would be proud
of, the teams will be able to relax and enjoy all Jamaica’s vibrant
north coast has to offer.
Cork Rejoins The Clipper Round The World Race
Positions at 0900 UTC, Sunday 16 May
Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cape Breton Island 451nm
2 Team Finland 452nm 2nm
3 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 452nm 2nm
4 Hull & Humber 453nm 2nm
5 Spirit of Australia 454nm 3nm
6 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 455nm 4nm
7 Uniquely Singapore 456nm 5nm
8 Qingdao 458nm 7nm
9 California 459nm 8nm
10 Cork (at 0800 UTC) 471nm 21nm
