As the ten teams taking part in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race head for the rapidly-approaching Scoring Gate, the wind has picked up and they are preparing for storms ahead.

De Lage Landen’s skipper Stuart Jackson says, “What a beautiful day to be sailing in the South China Sea. Sailing close hauled with around 20 knots of apparent wind is exactly what we needed to prepare ourselves to what we are going to encounter further north, near Taiwan!

“With 350 miles to go to the Scoring Gate we can see that every boat is positioning itself in expectation of the wind shift expected according to the weather forecast.”

Meteorologist and winning skipper of the Clipper Race in 2000, Simon Rowell, has warned the fleet of gales ahead, telling them, “The intense north east monsoon is bringing gales to the East China Sea. Significant high seas of over six metres can be expected over the gulf of Tonkin with reduced visibility.”

There is double cause for celebration for Edinburgh Inspiring Capital’s skipper, Gordon Reid, who celebrates his birthday today. The team has been rapidly moving up the leader board and is currently in fifth position, and the crew are preparing themselves for the changing weather conditions.

Gordon says, “Yesterday brought us another day of playing cat and mouse with the New York yacht in some fairly light wind conditions. We decided to continue heading east with a little bit of north in anticipation of the breeze filling in from the east first as forecast.

“Our constant focus on steering in nice straight lines and enforced trim reviews at the top and the bottom of the hour have ensured we stay competitive as we make excellent progress to the north east and onwards towards the next virtual mark.

“Today we are making final preparations for the upwind onslaught; everything that might move is being secured and the crew have all of their wet weather gear carefully stowed to be within easy reach for when it is required – and it will be soon.”

The American entry New York remains in seventh position close to the Scottish and Northern Irish competition. Skipper Gareth Glover says, “The wind has filled in to 14 knots true and we are now getting much better boat speed towards the gate. We are racing towards it with the other yachts, after losing Edinburgh Inspiring Capital in the night we picked up Derry-Londonderry passing less than five miles ahead of us on the other tack.

“Our overall tactic was to keep to the east side of the track but ended up more in the middle and now some of the other yachts have headed further to the east to pick up good wind and a better course. But you can still go too much to the east and they may find themselves heading to the west to get around to the gate. We are looking to move up the leader board over the next few days and trying and get some points from the Scoring Gate.”

The mood on board Derry-Londonderry is up-beat and the Northern Irish entry has made the most of the wind which has picked up during the last 24 hours.

Skipper Mark Light said, “Things are going pretty well on Derry-Londonderry. We cleared the island of Pulau-Pulau yesterday morning and since then have been on a port tack heading east in order to set ourselves up for the next stage in this race.

“After the frustration of very light and fickle winds early yesterday the wind filled in, as predicted, and we have been making steady ground ever since. We did have to negotiate our way through a fairly large and well spread fleet of fishing boats all working together trawling in pairs – just don’t go between them!”

As the wind picked up Derry-Londonderry decided to follow a more northerly course leaving behindWelcome to Yorkshire and Visit Finland and saw themselves crossing a couple of miles ahead of New York on the opposite tack six hours later.

Mark continues, “A quick chat on VHF with New York skipper Gareth confirmed we were both clear and on we sailed, heading now in an east north east direction. One last challenge for the night was to avoid a tug that was restricted in its ability to manoeuvre being hampered because it was towing a fairly large barge. Successfully avoided, we carried on past another pair of trawlers with an increasing wind and hopefully a climb up the leader board. A good night’s work for our ‘LegenDerry’ crew!”

Meanwhile the situation is more frustrating for Visit Finland and Welcome to Yorkshire.

In his 0600 report to the Race Office Visit Finland skipper, Olly Osborne, says, “Today sees us on a port tack making good speeds eastward, although there is little north in the course. The crew have been working very hard to gain the extra places but it is very frustrating to see that we are continuing to fall down the leader board without a reasonable explanation of why. Still the race is young and we will see what the next days have in store for us.”

Despite slipping from fifth to ninth position overnight, skipper of the English entry, Rupert Dean, is positive about what lies ahead.

“It’s been a psychologically difficult time on Welcome to Yorkshire. Over the past 12 hours we’ve seen our position slip down the fleet and when you look at distance to finish figures alone, it’s very easy to become despondent. However, more than ever before we are formulating a strategy through considerable research pre-race by our navigation team, then sticking to it and seeing it through.

“Regardless of result, this is far more empowering than basing short term navigational decisions on knee-jerk reactions, based on what others in the fleet may be doing at the time. It certainly generates more buy-in from all on board, which ultimately contributes massively to unity across the team. As a team we believe we are sailing our boat very well. Almost without exception, over the past few days we’ve both out-pointed and out-dragged other boats in our vicinity. We believe we are a fast boat and when in the same conditions as others around us, sail very well indeed.”

At the back of the ten-strong fleet is Qingdao who headed north early on in the race. Skipper Ian Conchie has been reflecting on his tactics over the last 24 hours.

“Our early decision to head north has not paid off as we hoped it would.  We knew it was a tactical gamble but ultimately one that did not work as we hoped.  We are now focusing all our efforts to make the purple dragon go as fast as we can to make inroads into the gap to the boats ahead of us.  The next tactical decision is when to tack north. At the moment we are continuing to press east but we will have to tack north at some point.

“On the plus point the wind has strengthened so our boat speed has picked up again and we all remain positive about our chances to improve our standing in the fleet. The forecast is for the wind to keep building so we should have good sailing for the next few days.”

Meanwhile the fight for the top spot continues. While Gold Coast Australia remains in first position andDe Lage Landen in second, Singapore and Geraldton Western Australia have been neck and neck in the last 24 hours.  

Geraldton Western Australia has narrowed in their distance to the Singapore boat after skipper Juan Coetzer saw some good advice paying off.

“A good friend of mine, Ed Green, a former Clipper Race skipper, gave me some advice before the race. He said, ‘If you ever find yourself in a wind hole, put the kite up in order to build up the boat speed, no matter which way you point, just to get her moving again.’

“So yesterday up went the kite and we made huge gains on Singapore. We even did an outside gybe and once we got out of the wind hole, we peeled back to the Yankee 1. By midnight we had overtakenSingapore. The crew have been extremely focused on helming and trim, trying to squeeze out every little ounce of boat speed.”

Despite remaining competitive the Singapore skipper, Ben Bowley, only has kind words for the Aussie entry. 

“Our languishing in a windless hole yesterday was mercifully short lived. With much concentration and a series of tacks we were eventually able to get the boat moving again with the assistance of the windseeker. Sadly during this time Geraldton Western Australia had managed to close the gap on us to within a few boat lengths.  There they remained, never more than a mile away, matching us tack for tack until this morning,” Ben says. 

“It was excellent to have a bit of close boat on boat action to keep the focus.  Under a full moon-lit sky last night our nautical duel was played out, each trying to squeeze the last bit of height or speed out of our vessels.  Congratulations to Juan and his crew for finally getting the better of us!”

With only four miles between the two teams, Singapore tacked away to the north this morning and regained third place, adding to the skipper’s enjoyment of the day.

“Upwind sailing does not get much better than this; clear blue skies and an azure sea, doffing her white caps to us as we hastily scythe through the chop.  Oh, and it’s hot dogs for lunch. Glorious!” theSingapore skipper concludes in his report.

Frontrunner Gold Coast Australia has been making good ground overnight on the other yachts in the fleet, managing to find more wind. But navigating the seas is not only about wind and weather; there are other obstacles to contend with.

Skipper Richard Hewson says, “Last night we passed through a large fishing fleet who were trawling in the South China Sea.  The trawler captains were quite inquisitive about our yacht and consequently altered course to take a better look.  As a result we passed the bow of one of the larger fishing vessels at no more than 500 yards, close enough to see the captain wave at us in his lit up wheel house. 

“It was very pleasant to see that he was friendly and his actions of altering course were to take a better look at our 68-foot racing yacht as opposed to warning us off their fishing grounds. Later today our course will take us past a number of reefs and banks which will no doubt attract vast numbers of fishing vessels.”

“We now have just over 300 miles to sail until we reach the Scoring Gate, and we will be working hard to maintain our lead to ensure we reach the gate in first place and win another three points before entering the second phase of the race towards Taiwan.  We should have good, predictable wind from now on, at least until Taiwan where, if the low pressure system currently developing in China has anything to do with it, it could be a bit rough.”

The teams are expected to begin arriving in Qingdao between 22 and 25 February.

ENDS

 

Positions at 1200 UTC, Wednesday 8 February  

 

Boat                                                                       DTF*

1  Gold Coast Australia                                   1911nm
2  De Lage Landen                                            1944nm (+32nm DTL**)
3  Singapore                                                       1947nm (+35nm)
4  Geraldton Western Australia                  1952nm (+41nm)
5  Edinburgh Inspiring Capital                      1967nm (+56nm)
6  Derry-Londonderry                                    1980nm (+69nm)
7  New York                                                        1990nm (+78nm)
8  Visit Finland                                                   1996nm (+85nm)
9  Qingdao                                                           2019nm (+107nm)
10 Welcome to Yorkshire                              2026nm (+114nm)

 

*DTF = Distance to Finish, **DTL = Distance to Leader Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found at www.clipperroundtheworld.com.

 

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Laura Dekker set a steady foot aboard a dock in St. Maarten on Saturday, ending a yearlong voyage aboard a sailboat named “Guppy” that apparently made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, though her trip was interrupted at several points.

Dozens of people jumped and cheered as Dekker waved, wept and then walked across the dock accompanied by her mother, father, sister and grandparents, who had greeted her at sea earlier.

Dekker arrived in St. Maarten after struggling against high seas and heavy winds on a final, 41-day leg from Cape Town, South Africa.

“There were moments where I was like, ‘What the hell am I doing out here?,’ but I never wanted to stop,” she told reporters. “It’s a dream, and I wanted to do it.”

Dekker claims she is the youngest sailor to complete a round-the-world voyage, but Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the claim, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts.

 Dutch authorities tried to block Dekker’s trip, arguing she was too young to risk her life, while school officials complained she should be in a classroom.

Dekker said she was born to parents living on a boat near the coast of New Zealand and said she first sailed solo at 6 years old. At 10, she said, she began dreaming about crossing the globe. She celebrated her 16th birthday during the trip, eating doughnuts for breakfast after spending time at port with her father and friends the night before in Darwin, Australia.

The teenager covered more than 27,000 nautical miles on a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now, St. Maarten, from which she set out on Jan. 20, 2011.

“Her story is just amazing,” said one of Dekker’s fans, 10-year-old Jody Bell of Connecticut. “I can’t imagine someone her age going out on sea all by herself.”

Bell was in St. Maarten on a work trip with her mother, Deena Merlen, an attorney in Manhattan, who wanted to see Dekker complete her journey. The two wore T-shirts that read: “Guppy rocks my world.”

“My daughter and I have been following Laura’s story, and we think it’s amazing and inspiring,” Merlen said.

Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe, Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-foot (11.5-meter) sailboat.

During her trip, she went surfing, scuba diving, cliff diving and discovered a new hobby: playing the flute, which she said in her weblog was easier to play than a guitar in bad weather.

Dekker also complained about custom clearings, boat inspections, ripped sails, heavy squalls, a wet and salty bed, a near-collision with two cargo ships and the presence of some persistent stowaways: cockroaches.

“I became good friends with my boat,” she said. “I learned a lot about myself.”

Highlights of her trip include 47 days of sailing the Indian Ocean, which left her with unsteady legs when she docked in Durban, South Africa, where she walked up and down the pier several times for practice.

While in South Africa, she also saw her first whale.

“It dove right in front of my boat and got all this water on my boat, and that wasn’t really nice,” she said.

Dekker launched her trip two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old U.S. sailor, was rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt. Jessica Watson of Australia completed a 210-day solo voyage at age 16, a few months older than Dekker.

Dekker had said she planned to move to New Zealand after her voyage, but she said Saturday that she wants to finish school first. If she goes to New Zealand, she said, she’d like to sail there.

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Nine of the ten yachts in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race are now in Stealth Mode for the cruise phase between the first and second parts of Race 7. The fleet is divided into three groups, accompanying each other through the Celebes and Sulu Seas for safety reasons. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital is approximately 50nm from the gate and will be the final boat to go into Stealth Mode as part of the race organisers’ anti-piracy measures. Assistant Race Director, Justin Taylor explains, “The plan is for them to rendezvous with Visit Finland and Welcome to Yorkshire. They have both held station for 12 hours and are now progressing at a reduced speed to allow Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, which is approximately 100nm behind these two, to catch up.” Yesterday the Race Committee made the decision to allow Edinburgh Inspiring Capital to use their engine before the gate for the finish of the first stage in order to allow them to transit the Celebes and Sulu Seas in company with the other two teams. Skipper Gordon Reid says, “We have utilised the engine in short stints, but ironically sailed for most of yesterday and last night in some fairly constant breeze. We are now about to cross into the Celebes Sea and rendezvous with the other yachts and the wind has once more died off. “Yesterday we entered yet another patch of light variable wind. The crew are well practised and have been taught to see the wind and seek the wind and, like giddy children, they indeed did find wind where others may have failed. “The light conditions have also allowed us to crack on with many boat jobs, essential maintenance and repairs, but on every racing yacht the jobs list is never empty, the crew are very fond of the ‘Purple Beastie’ and like to look after her well. It’s great to see such enthusiasm.” In the meantime the leading group consisting of Clipper Race frontrunner Gold Coast Australia and Derry-Londonderry are approximately 170nm from the restart gate located in the South China Sea. It is estimated that they will restart in the next 24-36 hours. Justin explains, “Gold Coast Australia must restart within 95 hours of beginning the ‘cruise’ phase which is before 2054.59 UTC tomorrow. Derry-Londonderry must restart tomorrow before 2214 UTC. They can restart at any time before this, however I suspect that they will leave it as long as possible as the wind conditions in the South China Sea are a bit light at the moment with the wind forecasted to increase slightly in about 48 hours’ time.” Skipper Mark Light from Derry-Londonderry expresses gratitude for the Race Office’s decision to suspend racing on this stage of the race. “The idea of motoring was partly due to the very low risk of piracy activity and partly due to the general lack of wind in this area. This has proven to be a very wise decision as we experience another windless day with very high temperatures and a flat, shimmering sea,” he explains in his 0600 report to the Race Office. “We are making good progress and have only 175nm to go until the re-start gate. Our 12-hourly stops for engine checks bring a welcome opportunity for a swim between the boats. The water is a great temperature (we estimate approximately 27C). We also managed to do a book exchange this morning. So, all going well, no pirates, no sharks and plenty of sleep. Roll on the re-start gate and let’s get racing!” They may not have seen sharks, but aboard their current companion, Gold Coast Australia, the crew has been spotting plenty of other activity in the water. “Sailing through the Sulu Sea has bought with it an abundance of wildlife and we have been spotting dolphins, whales, massive schools of fish and a rogue squid that jumped aboard in the middle of the night and squirted ink from the foredeck to the cockpit covering the mast, sails and everything in its way with spots of ink!” says skipper, Richard Hewson. He continues, “Whilst I love racing yachts more than anything else in the world there are times where I am very grateful that we are in a cruise phase. The last couple of days have been perfect cruising days with very little wind, sunshine and a view of Philippine paradise. After breakfast we hailed Derry-Londonderry and stopped for a swim while we conducted our engine checks.” As the teams motor-sail towards the restart gate, the crews have been able to put to the test some of the other skills learned during their pre-race training. Justin explains, “As De Lage Landen have been using their main engine to charge their batteries during the race from Australia, they have a little less fuel than the other yachts. As a precautionary measure they completed a yacht to yacht fuel transfer from New York yesterday. This involves transferring jerry cans from one yacht to the other. It’s an exercise that we cover in the pre-race training for just such an eventuality.” De Lage Landen’s skipper, Stuart Jackson, says, “Finally the weather has sorted itself out for our cruise section of the race. We now have blazing sunshine and have been enjoying a refreshing swim when we stop our engine to do routine maintenance checks. At lunchtime today we and New York did this together, so it was great for the crews to see some other familiar friendly faces to have a chat with. “It hasn’t been all sunbathing and relaxing as we have been working hard on our maintenance list to give us more time off during the stopover. With the weather being calm and dry these have been the perfect conditions to do this and carry out a thorough deep clean of the boat.” New York’s crew also have maintenance on the agenda. “The time under motor has for the first time let the crew relax and enjoy the views and get on with jobs around the yacht. I have been fixing our sewing machine for the past five hours so we can sew our now taped medium weight kite, which the crew have been working on for the past few days,” says skipper, Gareth Glover. The rest of the teams are also making good progress across the Sulu and Celebes Seas and tactics on the next stage is one of the topics of discussion on board all of the yachts. Singapore’s skipper Ben Bowley says, “We have nearly finished polishing all the stainless, gel-coat and re-splicing all spectra loops on kites and poles. Winches are being serviced and halyard ends attended to. “Presently there looks to be very little wind all across the South China Sea and we shall have to work hard to ensure that we finish at least an hour ahead of either Geraldton Western Australia or Qingdao to claim another podium. I fear that with Derry-Londonderry and Gold Coast Australia being a little further ahead they may catch a little puff of wind and extend their lead before it dies away. That’s not to say that they are un-catchable; when the wind does come back there is every chance it will fill in for the boats further back first, allowing us (and the guys behind us!) the chance to catch up. Time will tell,” he adds. For Juan Coetzer and his crew on board Geraldton Western Australia, the chance to take a dip during the engine checks has been more important than just cooling off. “In the afternoon the wind died completely and the sea was as flat as a pancake, so it was a good time for a swim. After hitting the logs a few days earlier, I had been waiting for a good opportunity to check under the boat for damage. So we took this time for a swim and an inspection. The news was good,” he reports. The skipper of Qingdao, with whom Geraldton Western Australia is travelling, Ian Conchie, says, “Last night we passed through the Basilan Strait and into the Sulu Sea without fanfare and we are now looking forward to reaching the re-start point to try and improve on our race position on the next leg to Singapore. We are just praying there will be wind.” The teams took the opportunity when they stopped last night to have a little bartering session and swap some supplies. They are not alone, as Visit Finland’s skipper has been doing some bartering of his own. Olly Osborne says, “Today began with a surprise visit from the Welcome to Yorkshire crew who swam over and joined us for cake and coffee which was a great opportunity to share stories and see some friendly faces. “The locals are proving very friendly, too, and the large yachts attract a lot of attention from the local fishermen who come up alongside in their wooden skiffs, which are a lot like canoes with motorbike engines on the back. At first this caused me some concern but it soon became clear that they only wanted to offer us fish. So today I exchanged two packets of tobacco for four small tuna and a large dorado, which seemed like a very good deal as far as the fisherman was concerned. We will cook these tonight and I am sure they will be a very welcome addition to our usual fare.” Visit Finland and Welcome to Yorkshire are the third group and are employing a fuel-saving method as they wait for Edinburgh Inspiring Capital to join them. Olly explains, “We are taking turns to tow each other in order to save fuel and to stay in company. We will remain here on station until the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital crew joins us, so we are enjoying a break from frequent sail changes and squally conditions, and instead have rigged a sun cover over the boom and have the fire hose going to keep cool. Welcome to Yorkshire skipper, Rupert Dean, says his crew are also enjoying the company from the Finnish entry, but are eager for Edinburgh Inspiring Capital to join them so they can get going. “They are now around 100nm behind us, so hopefully we will all be able to motor in convoy together in a day or so in the interests of fleet security. “Without the pressure of sailing our yacht to the max, we are focussing on other things. The most important of which is doing as many maintenance jobs as possible before we arrive in Singapore. “There is no doubt all the fleet would like more wind from the correct direction at the moment, which would enable us to make far better progress towards the finish line. In the interests of fleet security and fuel economy we need to motor slowly in convoy at present. The former to look out for each other, for we’re continually being accosted by friendly fishing boats; the latter being improved by sharing towing duties, reinforcing the skills learnt during our training all those months ago before the race start in Southampton.” If you want to see what participating in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race requires, the second episode of Against the Tide airs in the US on Velocity at 10pm Eastern (7pm Pacific) today. It will be repeated at 1am, 5am and 10am (Eastern) on Tuesday mornings and at 5pm Eastern on Fridays. ESPN and STAR Sports channels start airing the series from this week – dates and times vary, check local listings for details in China, South East Asia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia. After a very successful airing in the UK, Against the Tide, is also available on DVD from www.bookharbour.com. ENDS Teams are required to restart within 95 hours of suspending racing. Gate crossing times. All times are UTC 1 Gold Coast Australia 2154.59 13 January 2012 2 Derry-Londonderry 2314.00 13 January 2012 3 Geraldton Western Australia 0229.40 14 January 2012 4 Qingdao 0313.25 14 January 2012 5 Singapore 0325.31 14 January 2012 6 De Lage Landen 0936.29 14 January 2012 7 New York 1224.02 14 January 2012 8 Visit Finland 2022.00 14 January 2012 9 Welcome to Yorkshire 0322.20 15 January 2012 10 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF* 1,409 at 1200 UTC 16 JanuaryNine of the ten yachts in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race are now in Stealth Mode for the cruise phase between the first and second parts of Race 7. The fleet is divided into three groups, accompanying each other through the Celebes and Sulu Seas for safety reasons.

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital is approximately 50nm from the gate and will be the final boat to go into Stealth Mode as part of the race organisers’ anti-piracy measures.

Assistant Race Director, Justin Taylor explains, “The plan is for them to rendezvous with Visit Finland and Welcome to Yorkshire. They have both held station for 12 hours and are now progressing at a reduced speed to allow Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, which is approximately 100nm behind these two, to catch up.”

Yesterday the Race Committee made the decision to allow Edinburgh Inspiring Capital to use their engine before the gate for the finish of the first stage in order to allow them to transit the Celebes and Sulu Seas in company with the other two teams.

Skipper Gordon Reid says, “We have utilised the engine in short stints, but ironically sailed for most of yesterday and last night in some fairly constant breeze. We are now about to cross into the Celebes Sea and rendezvous with the other yachts and the wind has once more died off.

“Yesterday we entered yet another patch of light variable wind. The crew are well practised and have been taught to see the wind and seek the wind and, like giddy children, they indeed did find wind where others may have failed.

“The light conditions have also allowed us to crack on with many boat jobs, essential maintenance and repairs, but on every racing yacht the jobs list is never empty, the crew are very fond of the ‘Purple Beastie’ and like to look after her well. It’s great to see such enthusiasm.”

In the meantime the leading group consisting of Clipper Race frontrunner Gold Coast Australia and Derry-Londonderry are approximately 170nm from the restart gate located in the South China Sea. It is estimated that they will restart in the next 24-36 hours.

Justin explains, “Gold Coast Australia must restart within 95 hours of beginning the ‘cruise’ phase which is before 2054.59 UTC tomorrow. Derry-Londonderry must restart tomorrow before 2214 UTC. They can restart at any time before this, however I suspect that they will leave it as long as possible as the wind conditions in the South China Sea are a bit light at the moment with the wind forecasted to increase slightly in about 48 hours’ time.”

Skipper Mark Light from Derry-Londonderry expresses gratitude for the Race Office’s decision to suspend racing on this stage of the race.

“The idea of motoring was partly due to the very low risk of piracy activity and partly due to the general lack of wind in this area. This has proven to be a very wise decision as we experience another windless day with very high temperatures and a flat, shimmering sea,” he explains in his 0600 report to the Race Office.

“We are making good progress and have only 175nm to go until the re-start gate. Our 12-hourly stops for engine checks bring a welcome opportunity for a swim between the boats. The water is a great temperature (we estimate approximately 27C). We also managed to do a book exchange this morning. So, all going well, no pirates, no sharks and plenty of sleep. Roll on the re-start gate and let’s get racing!”

They may not have seen sharks, but aboard their current companion, Gold Coast Australia, the crew has been spotting plenty of other activity in the water.

“Sailing through the Sulu Sea has bought with it an abundance of wildlife and we have been spotting dolphins, whales, massive schools of fish and a rogue squid that jumped aboard in the middle of the night and squirted ink from the foredeck to the cockpit covering the mast, sails and everything in its way with spots of ink!” says skipper, Richard Hewson.

He continues, “Whilst I love racing yachts more than anything else in the world there are times where I am very grateful that we are in a cruise phase. The last couple of days have been perfect cruising days with very little wind, sunshine and a view of Philippine paradise. After breakfast we hailed Derry-Londonderry and stopped for a swim while we conducted our engine checks.”

As the teams motor-sail towards the restart gate, the crews have been able to put to the test some of the other skills learned during their pre-race training.

Justin explains, “As De Lage Landen have been using their main engine to charge their batteries during the race from Australia, they have a little less fuel than the other yachts. As a precautionary measure they completed a yacht to yacht fuel transfer from New York yesterday. This involves transferring jerry cans from one yacht to the other. It’s an exercise that we cover in the pre-race training for just such an eventuality.”

De Lage Landen’s skipper, Stuart Jackson, says, “Finally the weather has sorted itself out for our cruise section of the race. We now have blazing sunshine and have been enjoying a refreshing swim when we stop our engine to do routine maintenance checks. At lunchtime today we and New York did this together, so it was great for the crews to see some other familiar friendly faces to have a chat with.

“It hasn’t been all sunbathing and relaxing as we have been working hard on our maintenance list to give us more time off during the stopover. With the weather being calm and dry these have been the perfect conditions to do this and carry out a thorough deep clean of the boat.”

New York’s crew also have maintenance on the agenda.

“The time under motor has for the first time let the crew relax and enjoy the views and get on with jobs around the yacht. I have been fixing our sewing machine for the past five hours so we can sew our now taped medium weight kite, which the crew have been working on for the past few days,” says skipper, Gareth Glover.

The rest of the teams are also making good progress across the Sulu and Celebes Seas and tactics on the next stage is one of the topics of discussion on board all of the yachts.

Singapore’s skipper Ben Bowley says, “We have nearly finished polishing all the stainless, gel-coat and re-splicing all spectra loops on kites and poles. Winches are being serviced and halyard ends attended to. 

“Presently there looks to be very little wind all across the South China Sea and we shall have to work hard to ensure that we finish at least an hour ahead of either Geraldton Western Australia or Qingdao to claim another podium. I fear that with Derry-Londonderry and Gold Coast Australia being a little further ahead they may catch a little puff of wind and extend their lead before it dies away. That’s not to say that they are un-catchable; when the wind does come back there is every chance it will fill in for the boats further back first, allowing us (and the guys behind us!) the chance to catch up. Time will tell,” he adds.

For Juan Coetzer and his crew on board Geraldton Western Australia, the chance to take a dip during the engine checks has been more important than just cooling off.

“In the afternoon the wind died completely and the sea was as flat as a pancake, so it was a good time for a swim. After hitting the logs a few days earlier, I had been waiting for a good opportunity to check under the boat for damage. So we took this time for a swim and an inspection. The news was good,” he reports.

The skipper of Qingdao, with whom Geraldton Western Australia is travelling, Ian Conchie, says, “Last night we passed through the Basilan Strait and into the Sulu Sea without fanfare and we are now looking forward to reaching the re-start point to try and improve on our race position on the next leg to Singapore. We are just praying there will be wind.”

The teams took the opportunity when they stopped last night to have a little bartering session and swap some supplies.

They are not alone, as Visit Finland’s skipper has been doing some bartering of his own.

Olly Osborne says, “Today began with a surprise visit from the Welcome to Yorkshire crew who swam over and joined us for cake and coffee which was a great opportunity to share stories and see some friendly faces.

“The locals are proving very friendly, too, and the large yachts attract a lot of attention from the local fishermen who come up alongside in their wooden skiffs, which are a lot like canoes with motorbike engines on the back. At first this caused me some concern but it soon became clear that they only wanted to offer us fish. So today I exchanged two packets of tobacco for four small tuna and a large dorado, which seemed like a very good deal as far as the fisherman was concerned. We will cook these tonight and I am sure they will be a very welcome addition to our usual fare.”

Visit Finland and Welcome to Yorkshire are the third group and are employing a fuel-saving method as they wait for Edinburgh Inspiring Capital to join them.

Olly explains, “We are taking turns to tow each other in order to save fuel and to stay in company. We will remain here on station until the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital crew joins us, so we are enjoying a break from frequent sail changes and squally conditions, and instead have rigged a sun cover over the boom and have the fire hose going to keep cool.

Welcome to Yorkshire skipper, Rupert Dean, says his crew are also enjoying the company from the Finnish entry, but are eager for Edinburgh Inspiring Capital to join them so they can get going.

“They are now around 100nm behind us, so hopefully we will all be able to motor in convoy together in a day or so in the interests of fleet security.

“Without the pressure of sailing our yacht to the max, we are focussing on other things. The most important of which is doing as many maintenance jobs as possible before we arrive in Singapore.

“There is no doubt all the fleet would like more wind from the correct direction at the moment, which would enable us to make far better progress towards the finish line. In the interests of fleet security and fuel economy we need to motor slowly in convoy at present. The former to look out for each other, for we’re continually being accosted by friendly fishing boats; the latter being improved by sharing towing duties, reinforcing the skills learnt during our training all those months ago before the race start in Southampton.”

If you want to see what participating in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race requires, the second episode of Against the Tide airs in the US on Velocity at 10pm Eastern (7pm Pacific) today. It will be repeated at 1am, 5am and 10am (Eastern) on Tuesday mornings and at 5pm Eastern on Fridays.

ESPN and STAR Sports channels start airing the series from this week – dates and times vary, check local listings for details in China, South East Asia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malaysia.

After a very successful airing in the UK, Against the Tide, is also available on DVD from www.bookharbour.com.

ENDS

Teams are required to restart within 95 hours of suspending racing.

Gate crossing times. All times are UTC

1 Gold Coast Australia 2154.59 13 January 2012
2 Derry-Londonderry 2314.00 13 January 2012
3 Geraldton Western Australia 0229.40 14 January 2012
4 Qingdao 0313.25 14 January 2012
5 Singapore 0325.31 14 January 2012
6 De Lage Landen 0936.29 14 January 2012
7 New York 1224.02 14 January 2012
8 Visit Finland 2022.00 14 January 2012
9 Welcome to Yorkshire 0322.20 15 January 2012
10 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF* 1,409 at 1200 UTC 16 January

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The fourteen sailors aboard the Maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V just entered history of offshore racing by becoming the fastest men around the globe with crew, after 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds of sailing*. Loïck Peyron and his crew improved the reference time of the Jules Verne Trophy held by Groupama 3 since March 2010 by 2 days 18 hours 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Historical record for Banque Populaire !

Departed on November 22nd at 09:31:42 Paris time (08:31:42 GMT), after having crossed the imaginary line between Ushant (Finistère-France) and Lizard Point (southern tip of England), the Maxi Banque Populaire V crossed the finish line of the Jules Verne Trophy at 23:14:35 Paris time (22:14:35  GMT) this Friday. She undertook this sailing around the world in 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds days at an average speed of 26.51 knots, covering a total distance of 29 002 miles.

Launched in August 2008 in Lorient (Morbihan-France),the giant trimaran holding the colours of Banque Populaire has also established several referenced time on various partials officially listed by the WSSRC for her first world tour:

Equator / Equator record in 32 days, 11 hours, 51 minutes and 30 seconds

Indian Ocean crossing record (Cape Agulhas / South of Tasmania) in 8 days 7 hours 22 minutes and 15 seconds

Under the leadership of the skipper Loïck Peyron, Thierry Chabagny, Florent Chastel, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, Kevin Escoffier, Emmanuel Le Borgne, Frédéric Le Peutrec, Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, Ronan Lucas, Pierre-Yves Moreau, Yvan Ravussin, Xavier Revil, Brian Thompson, Juan Vila and onshore router Marcel van Triest, are the new holders of the Jules Verne Trophy*.

Loïck Peyron, skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire V : The feeling from the guys onboard : Emotion and Happiness ! We have filled a good part of the contract! We will now appreciate our victory between us and will return in Brest tomorrow morning to share this beautiful story with everyone. Our memories are full of wonderful images: the departure, icebergs, albatrosses, the Kerguelen Islands… When you sail around the world in 45 days, you see many things. The only one we did not get is Cape Horn but this frustration is quickly forgotten with the record we now have in hands. We are very proud !

Brian Thompson :  “Everyone is really excited on board and we are looking forward to seeing everybody tomorrow morning. This has been an incredible trip around the planet, almost a dream ride. And that is because of the quality of the boat, of the preparation and most of all to the incredible crew on board. I am very fortunate to have sailed with Loïck, the best all round multihull sailor there is, and the rest of the team that are so talented, industrious, dedicated, fun and welcoming to an English guy with schoolboy French! It feels absolutely fantastic. At the same time, to become the first Briton to sail around the world non-stop 4 times, is just amazing and feels very special”

JULES VERNE TROPHY

Start date and time : November 22nd 2011 at 09:31:42 Paris time (08:31:42 GMT)
Arrival date and time at Ushant: January 6th 2012 at 23:14:35 Paris time (22:14:35  GMT)
Distance: 29 002 miles
Average speed : 26.51 knots
New reference time on the Jules Verne Trophy* : 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds
Time difference with Groupama 3’s record in 2010: 2 days 18 hours 1 minute and 59 seconds
* Under the WSSRC approval (World Sailing Speed ??Record Council).

Loïck Peyron and his crew are expected at the Marina du Château, quai Jean-Francois La Perouse in Brest (France) at around 10:30am this Saturday, January 7th.

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Charged with documenting the race from the perpectives of the crew on board, the role of Media Crew Member is often percieved as a glamorous “dream job”.

 But throw into the mix a gruelling work schedule alongside tasks including cleaning the bilges, bailing water from the boat and cooking all meals, and suddenly it’s not all fun and games if you’re a Volvo Ocean Race MCM.

While the Volvo Open 70s are in transit from the safe haven port, we caught up with Amory Ross, MCM on PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, about the challenges of life on board Mar Mostro.

volvooceanrace.com: You came into this race quite late. Has it met your expectations so far?

Amory Ross: I didn’t come into this race with any expectations per se but I think it’s been a lot of what I was looking for in a sense of getting out there, finding something new and different. It’s been a really special opportunity. The material the MCMs are given is really impossible to access from any other perspective. We’re certainly hitting on all strides there. We have certainly been one for surprises so far – no shortage of new, off the topic adventures with islands and all kinds of stuff going on. It’s been exciting and the expectations have been a little left behind in terms of new adventures, and something to really sink the teeth into.

 VOR: The dismasting on the first leg must have been incredibly difficult to cover as an MCM. Tell us a bit about how you dealt with that.

AR: When it happened I think we were all more surprised than anything else. The nice thing about my situation is that there are 11 guys on the boat and each has a job to do. The sailors understand I am there for moments like that, and they have all been really gracious and welcoming with questions, and forthcoming with honest answers. Thinking about it now, it was tough. It seems like it was just yesterday. With the suddenness of it all, I immediately started recording the footage but not necessarily the reactions, just making sure from a technical standpoint everything was there because those are the moments you don’t get again. You get one try and that’s that. That very quickly shifted to trying to talk to some of the sailors. I’d be lying if I said it was easy, and there were some less than pleased reactions, but that’s my job. I look back at it now and I’m happy I had the gusto to say something because we all look back on it now in a very different light and everyone understands that in the heat of the moment it’s very frustrating for all.

 

VOR: What are the challenges of being an MCM?

AR: There’s no question that the public’s perception of the job is probably a little glamorous while from the inside it’s anything but. If I had to pick three of the more challenging components they would be:

1. Mentally being ok not helping out. That’s a big one for me. I come from a sailing background and it’s not necessarily that I want to improve the boat’s performance or anything but it’s tough. When times are down and people are struggling a bit I just want to help, I just want to grab something and offer two more hands to the equation. The nice thing is I direct that energy to the food, to the bailing, and just try to stay positive. For me that’s my contribution to the performance of the boat.

2. The scheduling we have is another one. The first leg we had was easy as it was pretty much north-south so there wasn’t much change in daylight hours or time zones. This last leg I had a really hard time with my schedule. I have a schedule for Volvo Ocean Race which runs on UTC, I have our boat time which was Cape Town time, and then I have the changing daylight so people are asking what time food’s coming up, if they are eating dinner when it’s really light or breakfast when it’s really dark. It messes with everyone’s cycle. Trying to regulate my own time and make sure meals are cooked on time, the content’s off the boat on time, making sure I get sleep – it’s a lot to handle.

3. Lastly it’s really hard to find time to rest. My time to work is when it’s sunny and so I find myself up all day, and then at night I’m editing. Sometimes it’s so loud and there’s so much going on. Whether you’re tacking or gybing or stacking your stuff, you really don’t have much rest. I always tend to end these legs pretty darn exhausted. The upside is that we get the opportunity to capture something really special. I will find myself in a bit of a swear-fest hating life, and two hours later I’ll take a picture or get something on video that makes all of it worthwhile. It’s amazing how quickly you forget.

 

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Since 12 :17 :30 (French time) this Friday, Loïck Peyron and his men are back in the Northern Hemisphere, 38 days 2 hours 45 minutes and 48 seconds * after leaving Ushant. With this outstanding performance, the Maxi Banque Populaire V not only writes a new distinction to his logbook, but also improves the partial Equator to Equator with a lead of 3 days 18 hours 24 minutes over Groupama 3 in 2010 but above all, faster than any other sailing boat on this race. A good sign for the fourteen sailors entering their final week at sea.
With this new partial shattered, the Maxi Banque Populaire V carries on falling records on her attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy. 32 days 11 hours 51 minutes and 30 seconds * after entering the southern hemisphere, the fourteen record’s hunters shattered the time set in 2005 by Bruno Peyron aboard Orange II, improving it by more than one day. Still enjoying mild conditions, the crew of the Maxi Banque Populaire V, by the voice of his skipper, savors the moment of the crossing: “We crossed the equator at high speed. We are sailing at 35 knots, on a sea almost flat, it’s really fun !  The boat does not suffer, and men even less. Everyone is excited, especially the fresh Cape Horners. Hello northern hemisphere, that’s not bad at all this record! It will now be increasingly difficult to beat it but still feasible and that’s the good news …”. A natural enthusiasm shared by Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, helmsman / trimmer on board, who joined today’s radio vacation :  “We are in the northern hemisphere for a few minutes and it already seems like being on our usual playground. It’s been thirty-two days since we left the Northern Hemisphere, which roughly accounts for three quarters of the time in the South and one quarter in the North. It brings us closer to home, which is good. The sailing conditions are beautiful, the sea is completely flat and it is almost straight on the road. There are very little squalls, the nights are quiet, starry … we really encounter exceptional conditions and we could not ask for more, including the boat. The weather conditions enable us to break the record but our anxiety is coming from the technique. We have sailed 20,000 miles without making any pit stop, we must keep the equipment in good shape.”

 

For Brian Thompson, this passage to the North was even more particular: “I was lucky enough to be on the helm doing 35 knots as we counted down 0.02S, 0.01S, 0.01N!! The 3rd small bottle of Champagne we have carried was opened, and some of the bubbly nectar is first given to Neptune, to thank him for a safe passage through the Southern Seas..Then comes the saucisson and the Toblerone, all being shared between the crew and that God of the Sea.”
24,063 miles already in the wake

This return in the North is not the finish line and on board, we specifically know that even after 24 063 miles undergone smoothly, nothing is settled yet. Vigilance is still more than ever a must, as the final conditions for the final stretch ahead appears nicely. With a lead of 1 432 miles and three days advance on Groupama 3 around the same time, a certain serenity sets in, especially as the inter-tropical convergence zone is seen as particularly friendly as recalled Thierry Duprey du Vorsent “The Doldrums are not very active, and thanks to our western position, it should be easy to get through. This will be one of the first times I pass them without a transition zone of dead calm on a single board. Again, we are lucky. We will have to get dressed again in two or three days and get the fleeces and foul weather gears out again. But we will accept it more easily as the finish line won’t be far !”
A fighter named Banque Populaire V

With an average of 26.31 knots since leaving Ushant on November 21st, Loïck Peyron and his men have significantly reduced the time and distance, leaving their fans admiring. Rarely a boat will have scrolled through that amount of miles and still demonstrating such reliability. Qualities that the skipper did not fail to mention this afternoon: “Last night, around 6pm, we were off the coast of Recife in Brazil while we were still off Cape Horn less than a week ago. The Maxi Banque Populaire V is a unique fighter on the planet. We should return to Brest in a week and oddly, it promises to be the most week-long of this round the world course.” But before seeing the end of this last week, the fourteen men still have to compose with the North Atlantic sea before entering the great history of offshore sailing.

* subject to approval and ratification by the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council)

Hors quart
Loïck Peyron Skipper
Juan Vila Navigateur, Responsable électronique et informatique

Quart n°1
Yvan Ravussin Chef de quart, responsable composite
Brian Thompson Barreur/ Régleur
Pierre Yves Moreau Régleur, Responsable mécanique et hydraulique
Thierry Chabagny N°1/ Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable accastillage et voiles

Quart n°2
Frédéric Le Peutrec Chef de quart
Emmanuel Le Borgne Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable médical
Thierry Duprey Du Vorsent Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable mécanique
Ronan Lucas N°1/ Régleur, Responsable sécurité

Quart n°3
Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant Chef de Quart, responsable voile
Kevin Escoffier Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable vidéo et structure
Xavier Revil Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable avitaillement à bord
Florent Chastel N°1/ Régleur, Responsable médical

Marcel Van Triest Routeur à terre

Cliquez ici pour visionner la projection sphérique de la cartographie

Cliquez ici pour visionner la cartographie  (mises à jour toutes les heures) 

 

Reference time of the Jules Verne Trophy
Groupama 3 (Franck Cammas) – 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds

Record to beat
To become the new record holder, the Maxi Banque Populaire V has to be back no later than Monday, January 9th 2012 at 16:15:34 GMT.

Lead / Delay at 4pm
1436.2 miles lead on the reference time

Sailing time since departure :
38 days 07 hours 47 minutes 26 seconds or 3 days 18 hours 24 minutes less than Groupama 3 in 2010.

 

Distance Ushant-Equator:  crossed on the 28/11/2011 at 00:26:52 am, French time.
In 5d 14h 55mn 10s of navigation, Loïck Peyron and his 13 teammates realize the fastest time on the distance from Ushant.

Distance Ouessant-Equateur : le 28/11/2011 à 00h 26mn 52 sec, heure française. 
En 5j 14h 55mn 10s de navigation, Loïck Peyron et ses 13 équipiers réalisent le meilleur temps sur la distance depuis Ouessant.

Distance Ushant – Cape of Good Hope:  crossed on the 4/12/20 at 07:20 am, French time.
In 11 days 21 hours 48 minutes and 18 seconds, Loïck Peyron and his 13 teammates realize the fastest time over the distance established between Ushant and Cape of Good Hope, until then hold by Groupama 3 in 2008 in 13 days 06 hours 1 minute.

In 2010, Groupama took 14 days 13 hours 31 minutes and 43 seconds to reach the Cape of Good Hope, Banque Populaire V thus improves this time of 2 days 15 hours 43 minutes and 25 seconds.

Ushant – Cape Leeuwin: crossed on the 10/12/2011 at 9:29 am, French time.
In 17 days 23 hours 57 minutes and 18 seconds, Loïck Peyron and his 13 teammates realize the record for the distance established between Ushant and Cape Leeuwin, which was previously of 21 days 14 hours and 43 seconds in 2008 hold by Groupama on her first attempt.

In 2010, Groupama took 21 days 14 hours 21 minutes and 54 seconds to reach the Cape Leeuwin

Ushant – Cape Horn: crossed on the 23/12/2011 at 7:50:30, French time
The Maxi Banque Populaire V took 30 days, 22 hours, 18 minutes, 48 ​​seconds since crossing the start line off Ushant to achieve this transition, a lead of more than one day on the reference time on the Jules Verne Trophy.

Pacific crossing time of the Maxi Banque Populaire V: 10 days 15 hours 7 minutes 15 seconds, or 1 day 20 hours 59 minutes 15 seconds longer than Orange II, who holds the record of this stretch in 8 days 18 hours 8 minutes.

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It’s a day of reflection and celebration for the ten-strong fleet of
ocean racing yachts taking part in the Clipper 11-12 Race as the
skippers and crew members look back on a year which has seen them race
half way around the world.

“The race so far has been full of emotional highs and a great sense of
achievement,” reveals Geraldton Western Australia skipper, Juan Coetzer.

“The crew have all had time to reflect on how far they have come since
they started their training back in Gosport, UK, were the Clipper Race
HQ is based,” continues Juan, with his team currently sitting second
behind rivals Gold Coast Australia.

“We have just past our virtual mark and currently the wind has decided
to be kind and give us a massive lift to the next virtual mark of New
Ireland. We came across our first fishing vessel today, and sadly there
were two whales hanging around in the area.”

Meanwhile on board Australian rivals Gold Coast Australia, skipper
Richard Hewson reports perfect sailing conditions to conclude a year
which has seen his team claim five wins out of a possible six.

“It has been almost like a dream run and I have been saying to all on
board how lucky we are to have this wind as we sail up through the
Solomon Sea,” explains Richard.

“The area we are sailing through is so beautiful sometimes you need to
close your eyes and remember where you are, however you can be quickly
reminded as the wind shuts down completely and the familiar crack crack,
crack crack of the main flapping across the boat in zero knots of wind
and the random swell.”

Crew members across the fleet are being faced with stifling conditions
as they close in on the Equator with dehydration becoming a constant
danger.

“Today at midday, being New Years Eve we had planned to have champagne,
but it was so hot this has been postponed until later in the evening
when it cools down.”

The champagne sailing conditions were also short lived as the Australian
team today saw their boat speed fall to zero knots.

“During the calm conditions we have also made a wind scoop for the front
hatch to try to funnel what wind we can down into the ghetto. This
scoop will probably come in very handy for the remainder of the race in
the north east trade winds once we reach them.”

Also attempting to make best of the current scorching conditions is
Singapore’s skipper, Ben Bowley.

“It is not just the heat that is sapping our strength but also the
humidity. I did not think it was possible for the human body to sweat so
much!” explains Ben.

“Even our two Singaporeans (for whom you would think this climate was
vaguely acceptable) are suffering. Relief comes in the form of squally
downpours shortly after dark. Be aware though, if you are going to dive
below and lather up in shampoo and shower gel mid tropical shower, you
need to be sure there is enough rain left to rinse it out again when you
return on deck.”
Every knot of boat speed becomes of vital importance during light
conditions as Singapore continue their battle with Qingdao.

“We are making our way slowly north via a series of tacks, trying to
ensure that we are always on the making tack. Qingdao have once again
been our sparring partners and a good pace guide to let us know when our
performance is wavering. Occasionally the wind gets up to a more
sensible ten knots of true and our big red bus gets moving nicely; but
mostly we have to be content with ghosting along hoping that the rest of
the fleet is in the same predicament. It seems that the Solomon Sea is
not keen to let us go!”

Just 84miles separates the ten ocean racing yachts as they continue
north for the way point of New Ireland.

“With only a couple of hours away from New Year, the crew are getting
very excited in expectation of the Big Party,” reports Stuart Jackson,
skipper of De Lage Landen.

“Every once in a while we must take some time to celebrate what we have
achieved so far. For half the crew we are going to celebrate the last
five months of this year, since they’ve been gone from home and raced
halfway around the globe. Also I would like to take some time to thank
every one of them for the enormous effort that has been put in this
challenge so far.

“What a beautiful place and a great bunch to celebrate New Year with
signing off with the last blog of the year.”

With over 3,400 miles still to go, Race 7 is still anyone’s to play for,
with Welcome to Yorkshire’s skipper, Rupert Dean, hoping recent
conditions are a sign of things to come.

“Finally we’re moving again! After 24 hours of long calms, interspersed
with intense squalls, Welcome to Yorkshire is on her way.

“Sailing in these Doldrum like conditions has been quite a challenge. It
truly has been an all or nothing scenario. From keeping our yacht moving
in the lightest of zephyrs under windseeker, to deep reefing the main
and beating with staysail alone, constant evolutions and attention to
trim have been required,” explains Rupert.

“Navigationally it has been a challenge too, with 90 degree wind shifts
requiring numerous tacks, in order to remain on the one with the best
VMG.

“The crew are working hard and all are looking forward to welcoming the
New Year in tonight,” signs off the Yorkshire entry’s skipper.

“A Happy New Year to all from the crew on New York,” says Gareth Glover,
skipper of the Big Apple entry.

“This New Years the crew of New York will be working hard on trying to
pull in some miles on the leading yachts and put some to the others and
working every point of a knot upwind. Life on a race yacht is nonstop
even on New Year’s Eve.

“As the fleet are tacking towards our next way point at New Ireland
which is still over 350 nautical miles away we were able to pull in some
miles on the Singapore and Qingdao to a point when we were able to chat
on the VHF,” continues Gareth, with his team sitting in seventh place.

“During the night there was a big patch of wind then no wind so if you
were lucky you would sail in 20 knots for 30 minutes and then no wind
until the next clouds came over so it was on and off all night.”

Ahead of New York by just three miles is Derry-Londonderry, whose
skipper, Mark Light, summed up the race to Singapore so far.

“Heat, thunder, lightning, squalls, torrential rain, fierce gusts, poor
visibility, tropical cyclones, unfamiliar waters, lots of reefing, all
in contrast to blue skies, lots of sunshine, calms, reefs, islands,
fishing boats and flat seas!”

Currently nine miles behind fifth placed Visit Finland, the Northern
Ireland entry will hope to make gains on the Finns during the New Year
period.

“As you may appreciate we are experiencing a bit of everything and lots
of certain things – notably rain!

“Conditions are stifling down below decks and when it is not raining we
have the hatches open wherever possible just to make the temperature
slightly bearable inside!” says Mark.

“Unfortunately for us, we sailed through a large squall last night all
very prepared, knowing what to expect but afterwards didn’t quite expect
the wind to desert us while all other boats in our vicinity managed
after a short while to sail slowly away as we sat there helpless! Let’s
hope our luck will change in 2012!” signs off Mark.

“What a year it has been” reveals Gordon Reid, skipper of Edinburgh
Inspiring Capital.

“For me the entire year has been spent preparing and training crews for
the race. Being appointed skipper of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital in this
fantastic adventure racing around the world is definitely one of my
highlights; surfing monster waves in the beautiful, wild and furious
Southern Ocean another highlight.

“The sailing conditions have been fairly variable from very light winds
to howling squalls, thunder and lightning and heavy rain bouncing off
the decks, numerous head-sail changes all the way from Yankee number 1
to wind-seeker and back and constant reefs in and out of the mainsail,”
explains Gordon.

“We are still racing hard and our efforts seem to be paying out as we
continue to close on most of the other yachts.”

ENDS

Positions at 0900 UTC, Saturday 31 December

Boat DTF*
1 Gold Coast Australia 3420nm
2 Geraldton Western Australia 3423nm (+3nm)
3 Qingdao 3443nm (+23nm)
4 Singapore 3443nm (+24nm)
5 Visit Finland 3464nm (+44nm)
6 Derry-Londonderry 3467nm (+47nm)
7 New York 3469nm (+49nm)
8 De Lage Landen 3480nm (+60nm)
9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 3490nm (+70nm)
10 Welcome to Yorkshire 3495nm (+75nm)

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Swelteringly hot conditions as Clipper 11-12 fleet continues to race north 
and Crews warned of dehydration risk. 

All ten yachts competing in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race have been experiencing some fantastic sailing conditions and, as the sea state has subsided from the three-metre swell of race start day, it has allowed all of the teams to dry out kit and carry out some maintenance.

Gold Coast Australia has been monitoring some damage to the stern gland, the flexible membrane around the prop shaft that prevents water entering the boat. It was damaged on race start day and Singapore and Welcome to Yorkshire’s crew transferred the necessary kit from their yachts to Gold Coast Australia to allow them to repair it.

“This morning after three hours of hard labour and a little bit of cursing, Terry Martin and I managed to get the new stern gland on,” reports Richard Hewson. “The replacement process is normally undertaken while the boat is out of the water and there were a few problems that we had to work out prior to starting the exercise, including how not to lose the propeller and shaft altogether, how to prevent masses of water entering the hull, how to get the water out, and what to do if it all goes horribly wrong.

“The process involves disconnecting the propeller shaft from the gear box and sliding it back, then using a puller to remove the spindle that attaches the shaft to the gear box. This required a special tool to pull the spindle off and thankfully it was in a box passed over by Singapore shortly after race start. The spindle had not been removed for a long time and the nuts took a bit of heat, WD40 and elbow grease to crack. Finally, with the bilge pumps running flat out to remove the water that was flooding in, the spindle was off, and we were able to remove the old cracked stern gland.

“With a bit of messing about the new stern gland was on and with a bit more elbow grease and a little more cursing, Terry and I managed to get the shaft re-attached to the gear box and the stern gland secured in place without sinking the boat.”

Richard continues, “We are still in the lead and in a good position to receive the new wind from the west first, so hopefully will continue to extend this lead over the coming days to reach the Coral Sea Scoring Gate first and gain three points, but more importantly, be the first yacht into the north easterly trades and commence our sprint to Singapore.”

As the temperatures continue to rise – skippers are reporting the mercury reaching the high 30s in the airless environment below decks – dehydration becomes a very real risk for those on board.

“At my midday ‘happy hour’ brief I warned crew about the dangers of sunburn, heat stroke and dehydration,” says Richard. “While conditions on deck are at the moment quite pleasant due to the gentle ten knots of westerly wind, conditions below are getting exceedingly hot.  Our water maker is basically running flat out to cope with the water required for drinking, cooking and showers.”

“Down below the temperature rises with every passing day, although the flatter seas have allowed us to rig our wind scoop today which has brought a welcome breeze through the boat,” reports Qingdao’s skipper, Ian Conchie. “Keeping hydrated is so important as you constantly sweat and lose fluids. As a result we have been using our water maker already to maintain our water stocks.”

The water maker, a desalination unit that allows sea water to be turned into drinking water, is an essential piece of kit, but it is not the only source of fresh water during this stage of the race. Along with the blue sky, champagne sailing, come tropical downpours. At crew brief before the start of Race 7, Joff Bailey, the Race Director, also instructed crew to consider ways of capturing the rainwater in case they need it.

“Wow it’s HOT!” exclaims Ben Bowley, Singapore’s skipper. “I think that we had all forgotten just how hot it gets in the tropics when the wind dies off. Sitting here in the nav station the temperature is hovering in the high 30s. Yesterday evening saw the champagne sailing start properly with our belated ceremonial toast of bubbly to celebrate Christmas. Shortly thereafter the wind eased enough for us to hoist our favourite kite, Vicky, and fly her on a reach. She did us proud overnight but as the sun showed us the first glint of dawn, the breeze swung forward a little too far for us to hold her. 

“The rest of the day has been spent alternating between swift fetching and ghosting along with barely enough wind to keep the sails from collapsing.  At least we have had some company to help keep the crew focused on trimming and driving the boat along an arrow-straight course.  De Lage Landen, New York and Visit Finland have been our sparring partners all day.

“These light, swelteringly hot conditions can be almost as big a drain on energy and concentration levels as slogging it out in the Southern Ocean.  We do have the advantage however of getting some good tans and the obligatory tropics ‘grade 0/1′ haircuts. For now we are making the most of sedately heading in the right direction as in a couple of days we are likely to be smashing our way to windward into 30 to 40 knots of breeze!”

“The racing is staying close with five of us within sight of one another, so everyone is keeping their eyes peeled. With the wind looking to be light for the next few days it will be interesting to see where miles are won and lost,” comments De Lage Landen’s skipper, Stuart Jackson.

He continues, “Sweating seems to be top of today’s agenda, with little chance to get respite from the tropical sunshine. I am sure that is not going to get us much sympathy from those in the British and northern European winter at the moment! We have all taken to having buckets of salt water thrown over us to keep cool whilst on watch.”

>From the tightly-bunched leading group New York’s skipper Gareth Glover writes, “We have Singapore and De Lage Landen on our starboard beam. This keeps us on our game and determined to keep our currently held third spot and improve to second or first. One of our crew has the binoculars permanently fixed on our close rivals, watching their every move. This makes a change from previous races where we have gone weeks without seeing any ships, with only birds for company.

“The sun is still shining and many of the round the world crew have started to reminisce about Leg 1 where they experienced equally hot conditions. Below decks still feels like a sauna, the only difference this time is we have fewer crew. This does have its benefits: no hot bunking and the pick of the bunks around the fans. One of our new leggers, Brian, who joined in the Gold Coast, has rigged up a bimini over the helm to provide some relief from the harsh rays.

“We had a good run overnight averaging about nine or ten knots, flying the heavyweight spinnaker, then the winds dropped as predicted. We peeled to the lightweight in the early hours and then eventually hoisted the Yankee 1.”

Visit Finland is also with the main group of yachts on the east of the race track, neck and neck with Welcome to Yorkshire.

Olly Osborne, skipper of the Finnish entry says, “Today the Coral Sea seems to be living up to its name with clear blue skies only interrupted by a few streaks of cirrus cloud and even the odd coconut floating past! The sun is beginning to feel pretty intense now though and, as the wind ebbs away to little more than a zephyr, being down below is pretty uncomfortable. On the plus side though the racing has been fantastic and we are still within sight of several boats. It looks like it will all boil down to light airs tactics over the next day or so, and we will be watching the weather closely for signs of change.”

Rupert Dean on board Welcome to Yorkshire agrees with Olly, saying, “As far as tactics and routing go, the next few days will be very interesting indeed. With wind speeds expected to drop further, swinging round to the west and then north, it will be fascinating to see whether the boats on the east or west extremities will come out best. In the meantime, for us, it’s all about keeping up good apparent wind speed to maximise our distance north, before ex tropical cyclone Grant moves our way. Hopefully we will all be well north of its centre when it arrives.

“Racing under relentless sunshine and decreasing winds is hot work indeed, requiring plenty of discipline from the watches to maintain focus, whilst ensuring everyone is adequately hydrated and protected against the burning, energy-sapping forces of the sun. Fortunately focus is very good at present, helped by having Visit Finland and De Lage Landen in visual and AIS range. It’s also very good to share some VHF banter with them too, recalling the treats and celebrations made on each boat over this unique Christmas period.”

Derry-Londonderry rounded off their Christmas celebrations with a glass of port on Boxing Day evening, toasting to health, happiness and a safe return to all taking part in the race.

“With the Christmas festivities over and the last of the goodies being devoured we will return to our freeze dried foods, porridge and tinned fruit desserts,” remarks Mark Light, skipper of the Northern Ireland yacht.

“We have entered the forecast area of light winds. The sky is almost perfectly clear apart from the odd fluffy white cumulus clouds which give a rare but welcome relief from the intense sunshine. Up above it is very hot but thankfully we are now sailing upwind, giving some sort of light breeze over the deck. Down below decks the temperature is even higher and with no air flow through the boat you can imagine what it feels like. Strange odours and lots of sweat are inevitable as we continue our daily routines of life at sea. Only 1,000nm to go to the Equator, I remind my crew, so get used to the temperatures!

“The fleet is now once again bunching up into the belt of light winds as we approach the first of our mandatory gates and we all wait to see if the latest tropical cyclone will track towards us and give us any helpful or adverse wind and sea conditions.”

Qingdao and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital are carving out a more central path than the main group to the east of the fleet, while Geraldton Western Australia is furthest to the west.

Skipper of the Chinese entry, Ian Conchie, says, “We enjoyed great downwind sailing during the night starting off with our heavy weight kite, ‘Henri’ and then this morning our lightweight, ‘Zorro’ [so called because of the shape of the scar of the repair tape across the sail]. This was a great change for our new crew to re-familiarise themselves with kite work, especially when we peeled between to the two early this morning. Since then we have changed back to white sails and are trying to make the best of the light conditions.

“Tactically it is a very tight race so far, we are still in VHF range of a few boats and we are pushing hard to try and improve our position and get the boat into the best position for the next weather system when it arrives in a few days.”

“What a total contrast to the weather on Christmas Day: from 40 knot gusts and wild seas to a light breeze and blazing sunshine. The deck is too hot to walk on with bare feet,” notes Gordon Reid, skipper of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital.

“The wind hasn’t veered as forecast and instead it has eased and remains from a north westerly direction. We are currently holding our upwind sail plan as we seek the wind amongst the isolated cloud banks. If it continues to ease it may even be time to get the windseeker up.

“Our wind instruments shorted out during the first rain storm of the first day’s racing, and only today is it suitable for a trip to the top of the mast. Unfortunately the intrepid Scarlet (Nick Barclay) dropped the entire cable down the mast whilst trying to re splice the connections… Doh! So our quick fix is turning into a mammoth task and we are now on our third trip to the top in as many hours.

“On we truck towards the Scoring Gate and as Baz (Barry Chamberlain) reminded me… ‘Always keep the faith, Skip.’ So that is exactly what we will be doing!”

Out to the west and sailing their own course, covering more ground than any of the other ten yachts in the 12 hours to 0900 UTC, Geraldton Western Australia’s skipper, Juan Coetzer, has allowed his crew a little festive celebration as a reward for a good day’s work.

“In the early hours of the morning the kite came down, and the Yankee 1 went up. We have been cruising along today so well and so much maintenance had been done, I thought it to be a good idea to crack open some champagne for happy hour. During this time I told the crew they could have their first shower. This really is champagne sailing.”

ENDS

ENDS

Positions at 1200 UTC, Tuesday 27 December

Boat                                DTF*
1 Gold Coast Australia 3,903nm
2 Singapore 3,917nm (+14nm DTL*)
3 De Lage Landen 3,921nm (+19nm)
4 New York 3,925nm (+23nm)
5 Welcome to Yorkshire 3,926nm (+24nm)
6 Geraldton Western Australia 3,927nm (+25nm)
7 Visit Finland 3,926nm (+26nm)
8 Qingdao 3,936nm (+33nm)
9 Derry-Londonderry 3,945nm (+42nm)
10 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 3,953nm (+50nm)

 

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