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)

In a race which went right down to the wire, Uniquely Singapore has secured their first ever victory in Clipper 09-10, crossing the finish line at Ambrose Lighthouse at 12:18 local time (16:18GMT). The south east Asian team has been in a nip and tuck race with fellow competitors Cape Breton Island since departing Jamaica eight days ago on the tenth leg of the global series, but managed to pull ahead in the last few hours of racing.

Immediately after crossing the finish line, skipper of Uniquely Singapore, Jim Dobie, said, “The whole crew is fully stoked and after a very intense and hard race we are ecstatic to get a first. Cape Breton Island had us going all the way to the finish and we just managed to pull ahead of them. It’s an incredible feeling and we can’t wait to enter New York and see the sights. To our sponsors Keppel - well guys, in no better way could we show you how much we have taken the Keppel ‘can do’ attitude to heart.”

Cape Breton Island crossed the finish line at 13:10 local time (17:10GMT) in second place to claim their first red pennant of the race. The nine points they will receive for this result coupled with the three points they received for being the first team over the Scoring Gate means they could knock Jamaica Lightning Bolt off the third place position on the overall leaderboard.

The final podium position was also fiercely contested between Chinese entry Qingdao and English entry Hull & Humber with the Chinese dragon-emblazoned yacht just sneaking ahead to claim Qingdao’s fourth third place result in Clipper 09-10.

“Congratulations to Uniquely Singapore and Cape Breton Island from all on Qingdao,” writes Qingdao’s skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major. “Despite our greatest efforts we could never get close enough to join their fight for first and second. Thanks also to the crew of Hull and Humber for providing stiff opposition in the last 24 hours of this closely competed race. We had a terrible start to the race but experience has shown that nothing is certain in offshore yacht racing until everyone has crossed the finish line. Call it luck, call it skill, be assured it happened through the hard work and determination of this crew and their skipper’s unwavering belief in each one of them.”

Despite being in contention for a podium position until the last couple of days of racing and just missing out at the end, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital has had a great race and finishes in fifth place. This result added to their point they won at the Scoring Gate gives them a credible points tally of 7 for Race 10.

All five teams are making their way to North Cove Marina in Manhattan’s Financial District with Uniquely Singapore expected to arrive around 19:00 local time.

  

Today has brought some respite for the teams as the wind has filled in,
not only allowing steady progress north but also providing a cooling
breeze which has brought some relief from the tropical heat.

As the scoring gate fast approaches, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital is
looking for their first gate points of the race. But with the Chinese
dragon of Qingdao breathing down their necks they can’t afford to let up
for a second.

Skipper Matt Pike says, “We’re well clear of the islands and its fickle
wind patterns and now the focus is the scoring gate. A straight line
sprint north - only the wind has had other ideas! No sooner had we set
course on port tack and trimmed the wind started to head us. From a
tight fetch under spinnaker, to the Yankee 1, we were pushed east. Then
tacking through the northerly wind we started to make a better course
until eventually the wind settled as an easterly. This has left us to
head straight for the gate at nine knots!”

With only three miles separating the Chinese entry and Edinburgh
Inspiring Capital, Qingdao will be hoping to find that extra turn of
speed to deny the Scottish entry of that precious gate point. However, a
recent problem with their steering nearly put pay to their efforts as
skipper Chris Stanmore-Major explains.

“A minor disaster with our steering threatened to put a crimp on the
positive mood aboard Qingdao today. One of the bearings carrying the
shaft that holds the steering wheel in place and transfers the drive to
the rudder fell to pieces. With Edinburgh Inspiring Capital just ahead
along with the gate, gate point and a podium finish and Hull & Humber
looming large on the southern horizon we weren’t about to concede any
speed or distance. So we put Chris White, aka Captain Turbo, then Jeremy
Gordon-Smith, aka JGS, to work helming by hand via the emergency
steering gear and effectively turning our 68 foot Dubois Clipper into a
giant dinghy. Whilst they got to grips with ‘direct steering’, Peter
Guttridge, our engineering whiz, and I set to work fashioning a nylon
replacement for the bearing using material taken from the ships chopping
board. This was carefully shaped until we were able to fit it to the
shaft and tighten everything back up and voila! Steering fixed.

“No time was lost, nor distance and another team effort has saved the
Dragon’s hide. This kind of practical seamanship has characterised the
Dragon team during this race. I am reminded again that it is not just
sailing skills that this race engenders but a spirit of camaraderie and
ingenuity that modern life sometimes forgets.”

Ahead of the Chinese entry, both Uniquely Singapore and Cape Breton
Island are in a two-way battle for the maximum three gate points.

“With Cape Breton Island just ahead of us and very visible we are
constantly comparing speed and course on the AIS to make sure we are
doing our very best to close the gap,” reports Uniquely Singapore’s
skipper Jim Dobie. “With 100 miles to the gate, it will be a very close
battle and nothing yet is secure. So, concentration is high and once
again we have that Keppel ‘can do’ spirit on board.”

Meanwhile, skipper Jan Ridd and his crew are pushing Cape Breton Island
as hard as they can in an effort to keep her ahead of their Asian
rivals.

“We are enjoying close boat on boat racing with Uniquely Singapore, with
each boat taking turns to have the upper hand,” says Jan. “At the moment
the momentum is definitely with Uniquely Singapore as we desperately
trim the Big Blue Canoe, trying to match their speed, only to see them
speed up. This then requires another check of trim to see if we can milk
another fraction of a knot.”

As Cape Breton Island, Uniquely Singapore, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital
and Qingdao battle it out for gate points, time is running out for Hull
& Humber.

The English entry’s skipper, Justin Taylor, says, “It’s been 48 hours
since we were hit by that squall and it’s been a game of cat and mouse
with the wind ever since. The past few hours has seen the wind veer 180
degrees from west to east and we are making good speed toward the
scoring gate now. It will be difficult to pass the other yachts ahead
before the gate as we are now running out of race track. The shortest
route to the finish takes us directly through the gate, so we shall be
going through it regardless.”

As the wind has picked up, so has the mood on board the boats further
down the race track has lifted. None more so than on board Cork and
skipper Hannah Jenner is clearly relieved that her team’s steel hulled
Challenge 67 is on the move once more.

“Finally we have started to move again after what seems like an eternity
drifting through the Bahamas,” says Hannah, “Yesterday we battled it out
with numerous squalls and in the space of half an hour we changed from
lightweight kite to Yankee to medium weight kite as we threaded our way
cautiously between squall clouds. With brand new crispy spinnakers we
are loathe to sacrifice one to an oversized ugly grey cloud so it was a
nervous moment when we passed under the edge of such a cloud.

“The crew has worked tirelessly through sail changes, trimming and
tweaking, moving their weight to maximise the efficiency of the boat.
But alas, as the Clipper 68s are able to sail in approximately 3 to 4
knots of true wind we have found that we really need 6 knots to actually
move. The last few scheds have seen the rest of the Clipper fleet
produce six-hour runs that easily double what we have achieved but still
the Cork crew push on chipping away at the ETA to New York.

California’s skipper is equally relieved that the wind has filled in,
saying, “After the frustration of the very light winds we experienced
through the Crooked island passage, California is now sailing along
nicely in near perfect conditions, albeit a little more wind would be
nice. As a result of dropping back from the fleet due to the earlier
light winds, California is now definitely fired up and charging towards
New York and attempting to regain some of the lost ground.

“As we travel further north the temperature on board is being enjoyed by
all the crew as a respite from the sauna we have had to endure in recent
weeks. It is still very much shorts and t-shirt weather but a far more
pleasant climate.”

California is not the only team trying to regain lost ground and Jamaica
Lightning Bolt will also be using the freshening breeze to try and close
the gap between themselves and the leading pack.

“Finally the wind is blowing from the right direction and we are making
a good course for the finish line,” says the Caribbean team’s skipper,
Pete Stirling. “The only problem is there isn’t very much of it so we
are not making particularly good boat speed. However the forecast is for
the wind to start building over the next few hours so pretty soon we
should start eating up the miles and get back on schedule. The big
question is can the ‘comeback kids’ come back or is it too late?”

Team Finland will be asking themselves the same question as the crew
experiences another day of “cloud filled entertainment” according to
skipper Rob McInally.

“The light airs keep coming and the trimming is matching it,” says Rob.
“A very active day on team Finland has produced a hold on the rest of
the fleet. Although the fleet has had clouds to bring them more wind we
have had difficulties with the clouds sucking it away. Despite that, in
between the clouds it has been pretty much champagne sailing - minus the
champagne of course. Spirits are good and the team is putting in every
effort to pull back some miles.”

Positions at 0900 UTC, Saturday 29 May

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cape Breton Island 684nm
2 Uniquely Singapore 687nm 2nm
3 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 697nm 13nm
4 Qingdao 701nm 16nm
5 Hull & Humber 709nm 24nm
6 Spirit of Australia 728nm 43nm
7 Team Finland 784nm 100nm
8 California 816nm 132nm
9 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 848nm 163nm
10 Cork 926nm 242nm

 

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.

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.

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

Still high on their Scoring Gate point from yesterday, the team on board
Qingdao is now focussed on bettering their position and taking the top
spot in Panama. To help them achieve this the Chinese entry, which was
lying in second place and just eleven nautical miles behind current race
leaders, Spirit of Australia, decided to go into Stealth Mode at 0600GMT
today.

For Qingdao’s temporary skipper, Hannah Jenner, Stealth Mode is a new
tactic which wasn’t available when she skippered Glasgow: Scotland with
style in the Clipper 07-08 Race. It means that her team’s position is
hidden from view, both in terms of the position reports sent to the
other boats and also on the Race Viewer of the website.

In her morning report, Hannah, who will take charge of Cork when she
arrives in Panama, says, “Another night rolls in aboard Qingdao and with
it a slightly more gentle breeze than we experienced the previous night.
With gusts of over 20 knots and a tricky sea state last night it was a
bit of a wake up call for those who had relaxed into comfortable
spinnaker sailing. Still after a few hours of hard work, the sea state
settled and once again a glorious day dawned with some good mileage runs
at the scheds.

“As for tactics, well obviously that is a secret but we are working hard
on light airs performance in anticipation of declining winds further
down the race track. It is safe to say that as a team we are thoroughly
enjoying the race and as a skipper it is great to be back!”

With Qingdao hidden from view it will be a nervous 24-hours for the
front runners on board Spirit of Australia as they wait until tomorrow’s
0600GMT position report to see if they have held the lead.

The Australian team’s skipper, Brendan Hall, doesn’t appear too
concerned at this stage reporting, “More champagne sailing aboard Spirit
of Australia today. The action on deck comes in bursts. For long
periods, we sail on our course and there is not enough work to occupy
nine people on deck but as soon as the call comes for a spinnaker gybe
or change, the watch leaps into action and does the job in a fast and
slick manner. After a drink of water, the watch returns to chatting and
contemplating - such is the ebb and flow of daily life when racing in
light winds.”

It would appear that Team Finland is more concerned about race position
in their report as the further south they get, the lighter the winds
become and the more likely the fleet will concertina which could lead to
changes in positions.

“We are still in wind, which is grand,” says Team Finland’s skipper, Rob
McInally. “Although it is looking like there is more behind us so the
fortunes of the yachts further back could start to change.

“The next mark of the course is 230 nautical miles away so we are about
to turn on a more easterly course with the hope of making up more ground
on Qingdao and Spirit of Australia. Neither team is easy to take miles
from and we are still watching over our shoulders with the real danger
of the race turning inside out once again.”

One of the teams taking advantage of the stronger winds further back is
California as they work hard to maximise the daily runs.

Skipper Pete Rollason says, “The victualling as always on board
California has been superb and any thoughts of weight loss on this leg
are sadly misplaced. However, it is that excellent cuisine that is
providing the crew with the energy for the numerous spinnaker peels,
drops and hoists that are part of our daily life in these variable wind
conditions. It is all about helming, sail trim and sail selection, as
always and the crew are working tirelessly whenever the need is there.

“We have made some small gains over the last 12 hours and hope this
continues as we drive California hard.”

The crew on board Cape Breton Island has also been pushing hard as the
team tries to regain the miles they lost when the track for their
spinnaker pole broke, It’s not happening as quickly as they might like
as skipper, Jan Ridd, explains.

“Late last night we had Edinburgh Inspiring Capital firmly in our sights
when we had to drop our medium weight kite as a small tear had been
spotted in it,” says Jan. “We quickly hoisted the heavyweight, a
stronger smaller kite but much slower, costing us some valuable miles
whilst we made the necessary repairs. We now have the medium weight up
again and are busy trying to figure out our course so we can gain any
advantage over the boats ahead.”

Conversely, Hull & Humber is enjoying another drama free day, with
temporary skipper, Justin Taylor, reporting, “More great downhill
sailing, peeling between lightweight and medium weight kites.”

His thoughts are echoed by Uniquely Singapore’s skipper, Jim Dobie,
whose team, despite suffering another spinnaker wrap, is improving all
the time.

“How spoilt we are,” says Jim. “Sailing in pretty much ideal seas, it’s
sunny, it’s warm and there’s a fair breeze as well. The kite is still
going strong and the only trip up was another wrap last night but this
was quickly solved with a quick repair and up she went again pulling us
along nicely. With all the boats in the same conditions it’s proving
difficult to make any gains at the moment, so we concentrate on our
course and speed in the knowledge that at some point the conditions will
change and when they do we will do our very best to start gaining on
yachts. At the moment we are enjoying what we have and the crew are
relishing the downwind steering and are gaining confidence all the
time.”

Positions at 1200 UTC, Tuesday 27 April

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Spirit of Australia 1761nm
2 Team Finland 1783nm 22nm
3 Qingdao Stealth Mode
4 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 1818nm 57nm
5 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 1818nm 57nm
6 Cape Breton Island 1833nm 72nm
7 Hull & Humber 1901nm 140nm
8 Uniquely Singapore 1902nm 142nm
9 California 1905nm 144nm
10 Cork Did not start

Having left the Golden Gate bridge behind them after yesterday’s race
start, the teams turned south with a strong north westerly wind behind
them and have had a good night of spinnaker runs. The tactical decision
making began straight away as the teams decided whether to go for the
inshore or offshore option.

Race Director Joff Bailey says “So far, it looks like there are three
distinct game plans being played out. Team Finland, Spirit of Australia
and Qingdao are taking the shortest route possible and have pulled out a
lead over the other teams. Hull & Humber have opted for the offshore
rote which despite costing them early miles, should in theory be the
better option due to the lighter inshore winds forecast for next week.
The rest of the teams are going down the middle and trying to manage the
risks.”

The wind is forecast to stay strong for the next 36 - 48 hours which
will see the fleet make great progress south towards Panama before the
light conditions start to dominate near Baja California.

The fact that the crew of Team Finland had less then 36 hours on shore
in San Francisco doesn’t appear to have affected their performance. On
board, an upbeat Rob McInally reports, “Well, after a very quick turn
around, we were on time to leave for the race start. After deciding to
go with a bit more canvas than the rest of fleet. we tacked our way
under the bridge and into a top position. Just a few hours later, the
wind built and built and we now have 40 knots blowing.”

Before the Finnish entry slipped their lines yesterday, round the world
crew member, Emil Vartiainen correctly predicted that the fact his team
still had their sea legs would give them the upper hand.

He said, “We’ll certainly gain there as we won’t have crew suffering
from sea sickness on board compared to all the other boats which have
been here for a long time.”

Most of the skippers have reported that crew are feeling unwell as they
try and get used to the motion of the boat once more.

Over on Qingdao, skipper Hannah Jenner has shown that she has not lost
any of her competitive drive as she gets used to racing on board a
Clipper 68 once more. Hannah has moved on to Qingdao because the team’s
skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, was stranded in the UK as his flight was
cancelled because of the volcano eruption in Iceland.

In a message to the race office, she says, “All good out here, a bit
lively and a very unfriendly sea state but we are settling in to life at
sea. The old mal de mare has reared its ugly head for a few people but
we know in a couple of days that it will pass.”

It’s the same story on board California.

Skipper Pete Rollason, says, “Well the Pacific Ocean has picked up where
she left off at the end of Race 7. It is a baptism of fire for our new
crew members with the wind currently at 35 to 45 knots and a lumpy sea.
Sea sickness has reared its ugly head already and we have reefed down
heavily to take this first night easy before pushing harder again in the
morning. But it’s business as usual on the race track.”

Over on the Canadian entry representing Cape Breton Island, that theme
is continued as skipper Jan Ridd writes “A baptism of fire for the new
crew joining in San Francisco as the Pacific reminds us of our ordeals
crossing it. After some close racing out of the bay we all headed south
west and enjoyed some fast sailing on a close reach, which for some of
the crew was their first taste of ocean racing and for those who have
not found their sea legs was very uncomfortable.

“As we got further offshore the wind backed and built to a Force 8 so we
are now reefed down, surfing down some sizeable waves within sight of
most of the fleet. Already I personally have been washed off the helm by
a particularly large wave breaking over the stern. Let’s hope we can
hold our sails and continue to make good speed south!”

Positions at 1800 UTC, Wednesday 21 April

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Spirit of Australia 2942nm
2 Team Finland 2946nm 4nm
3 Qingdao 2951nm 9nm
4 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 2966nm 24nm
5 Cape Breton Island 2967nm 25nm
6 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 2971nm 29nm
7 California 2975nm 34nm
8 Uniquely Singapore 2993nm 52nm
9 Hull & Humber 2997nm 55nm
10 Cork Did not start

 

* California due in tonight local time.

* Hull & Humber, Spirit of Australia & Edinburgh Inspiring Capital also due to finish today.

* Replacement mast starts its journey to San Francisco.

 

“The miles are ticking down and by tonight, Spirit of Australia and ourselves will hopefully be berthed and enjoying the party that awaits us,” says temporary skipper of Hull & Humber, Brendan Hall. “We have been relieved of escort duty by Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, though with the light winds and slow sailing we have had today, it is unlikely we will catch California before the finish.

 

“All of us onboard both boats are looking forward to getting in and seeing our friends, loved ones and fellow crew and putting the final full stop on this epic of a Pacific crossing”

 

Judging by her current speeds, the plucky team on board California look likely to be safely tied up in the sanctuary of the Golden Gate Yacht Club by around 2100 local time. Since being rolled in the huge Pacific storm that struck them 14 days ago, it has been a mammoth effort from across the fleet to get them to this point and it is sure to be an emotional arrival. Supporters are planning to be on the dockside with a whole raft of long dreamt for food and drink that will be especially welcome.

 

It’s a theme picked up on by Mike Lewis, the Cork round the world crew member currently sailing on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital as he counts down the last few miles. “The immediate future, of course, involves a lot of thought about the things that we have missed for the last five weeks at sea. Fresh food, showers, an end to the constant motion and of course beer are all high on the list of things we are looking forward to when we arrive in San Francisco.

 

“Even for those of us who have by now completed a number of lengthy ocean passages, this time the sacrifices have been felt particularly sharply due to the sheer length of time spent at sea. We have been living on pasta, rice, tomato sauce, tinned tuna, spam and tinned meat, with very little variety since we left Qingdao. To be able to sit down to a meal, probably a good steak, and eat with a knife and fork from a plate – instead of a spoon from a bowl – perhaps with a glass of wine with which to wash it down, has everybody just counting down those final miles.”

 

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Hull & Humber and Spirit of Australia’s expected ETA will be close to that of California so it will be a busy night for the Clipper Race team. One important task for Race Director Joff Bailey is to head out in a RIB to oversee the berthing of Hull & Humber. That frees up Brendan Hall, skipper of Spirit of Australia to make an emotional return to his boat and arrive at the yacht club with the team he departed with from Qingdao.

 

Meanwhile, back in the UK, California’s replacement mast has started its journey from the fabrication unit in the west country of England. Engineers have spent the last ten days working flat out before shipping the spar to the airport. It will fly in to Los Angeles and then makes the journey north to San Francisco on the back of a truck. A suitable yard has already been located in the city where the stump of California’s mast can be removed and the new one stepped.

 

Meanwhile, on the race track, Team Finland have crossed the international date line and continue to tick down the miles. They have winds on the beam blowing at 15 – 20 knots which will be aiding their progress nicely towards the warm welcome that awaits them.

 

Positions at 1500 UTC, Sunday 4 April

 

Boat                          DTF*        DTL*

Cape Breton Island            FINISHED: 1425 UTC, Tuesday 30 March 2010

Jamaica Lightning Bolt  FINISHED: 0734 UTC, Thursday 1 April 2010

Qingdao                                  FINISHED: 2240 UTC, Thursday 1 April 2010

Uniquely Singapore      FINISHED: 1405 UTC, Saturday 3 April 2010

California                    62nm         62nm

Edinburgh Inspiring           69nm         69nm

Hull & Humber                 72nm         72nm

Spirit of Australia           75nm         75nm

Team Finland                  2545nm       2545nm

 

Skipper Peter Stirling sprays the champagne after his team arrived into San Francisco in second place after their 5,680 mile race from Qingdao.

It’s the million dollar question. You’ve raced 5,600 miles across the planet’s biggest ocean, you’ve battled through storms, been knocked off your feet by the force of the water crashing over the open deck, surfed down waves taller than houses, been scared, exhilarated and exhausted in equal proportion and for the last four weeks lived on diet largely made up of pasta and sauce - but just what do you want to eat for your first meal ashore?

The crew of Cape Breton Island, who are set to take line honours when they cross the finish line later today, are all set to celebrate with pizza - delivered to the boat when they arrive in San Francisco Marina next to the Golden Gate Yacht Club. A quick email from the yacht this morning to family at home has secured the number of a pizza delivery place.

But as skipper Jan Ridd explains, the Pacific isn’t letting them go without a final test. “Less than ten hours to go and the battle that has been the North Pacific will be over for the Big Blue Canoe,” he says. ”The Pacific isn’t quite done with us, sending forth a different challenge today. Following the repair of our mainsail yesterday and sliders today we were able to re-hoist our main and get some power back - just in time for the wind to disappear!

“It does seem to be our curse that just as the finish starts to loom the wind that has been so steady fades for six to eight hours. We are now, however, cracking along again at nine or ten knots.

“Thoughts are set towards creating the perfect finish line treats before we move into party mode tomorrow morning, afternoon and night! Our excitement is, however, dampened by the thoughts of so many of our mates in the rest of the fleet that won’t be there to join in the usual fun. To them: sail fast, sail safe and we will see you on the pontoon for what will be a warm welcome!”

Qingdao and Jamaica Lightning Bolt are locked in a battle to be second across the finish line and it’s closer than it might appear on the Race Viewer. Yesterday we reported that Jamaica Lightning Bolt had applied to the Race Committee for redress for the time they spent assisting California.

Race Director Joff Bailey says, “Jamaica Lightning Bolt claimed a time redress of 32 hours 15 minutes for the assistance they gave to California over approximately 3.5 days after they lost their mast.

“This was calculated based on the average VMG (Velocity Made Good - ie speed towards the finish line) over the previous nine days, the weather during the period of assistance, the Distance to Finish (DTF) when Jamaica Lightning Bolt stopped racing and changed course to provide assistance and the DTF when Jamaica Lightning Bolt finally started racing again and therefore the miles lost whilst giving assistance.

“The Race Committee has reviewed the request for redress and agrees that it is a fair time allowance for the distance lost by Jamaica Lightning Bolt during the period of assistance. As such the Race Committee agrees with the request for redress and 32 hours 15 minutes shall be deducted from the Jamaica Lightning Bolt finishing time. This revised finish time will be used to calculate overall finish positions.

“The Race Committee would also like to thank the crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt for the speedy reaction to the situation and the assistance they gave to California.”

Qingdao’s skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, comments, “The news of Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s redress comes as no surprise aboard the Dragon. It was clear from the start that after the assistance they gave California they would seek redress using the means available under the Racing Rules of Sailing. They are now approximately 20 hours ahead of us on corrected time although still ten behind on the water. It would take an uncharacteristic error On Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s behalf or an unfortunate weather pattern to slow them down sufficiently to allow us stand on the podium ahead of them but stranger things have happened and we shall continue to make the best headway we can at full race speed in case Lady Luck fancies throwing us a bone at the last moment.”

And while Jamaica Lightning Bolt surfs towards the finish line - recording a top speed for this leg of 22.4 knots with Belinda Smith on the helm - Mother Nature still has a few surprises to spring on the crew.

Skipper, Pete Stirling, reports this morning, “Life was sweet with the miles slipping effortlessly by under the keel. Life was obviously a bit too sweet because out of nowhere a particularly large wave picked up the back of the boat and, despite the best efforts of the helm to counter it, spun the bow up into the wind. The poled out Yankee 3 backed and the spinnaker pole ripped a section of the mast track it was attached to from the mast. The spinnaker pole was catapulted aft, fortunately wedging itself firmly in the leeward rigging whilst the Yankee was flogging out of control. Immediately the shout from the on watch of ‘all hands on deck’ was heard down below.

“This is only the second time since leaving Hull that such a call has been heard. The crew know it is serious when they hear this and the response was impressive with all the crew on deck within a couple of minutes, some even appearing in their pyjamas. The situation was quickly brought under control with the Yankee sheeted in on the leeward side before dropping it and the spinnaker pole carefully disentangled from the rigging. Apart from a slightly bent spinnaker pole and the damage to the mast track we came away relatively unscathed, largely due to the fast and professional response of the crew.”

Uniquely Singapore has clocked the highest 12-hour run of the fleet. “The wind has picked up and is giving us some good speed and the crew are now fixed on the GPS as they see the miles go down,” says skipper, Jim Dobie. “There was an unusually big swell today which must be a pulse or leftover from quite a large system and which has been uncomfortable to deal with.

“The Race Office confirmed news of Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s redress and we are now following the battle which is taking place between Qingdao and Jamaica Lightning Bolt - it should make for some interesting viewing all the way to the finish,” he adds.

Spirit of Australia and Hull & Humber, accompanying California are set to pass the ‘fewer than 1,000 miles to the finish line’ milestone today. It will lift the spirits of the crews who have been severely tested - and definitely not found wanting - on this marathon leg from Qingdao, China, to San Francisco, California.

The Scottish entry is not far behind, skipper Matt Pike saying, “Edinburgh Inspiring Capital keeps on trucking towards the Golden Gate Bridge, fiddling her way between the windier lows and the slowly developing high pressure system. The first rendezvous points for meeting California are passed; their speed is better than expected and we can’t go any faster, so we are shadowing them as best we can but the most comfortable angle for them to motor is different to our best speed/wind angle. We will see if we can cross paths before the finish - hopefully in a couple more days as the distance reduces hour by hour.”

Cape Breton Island is on course to cross the finish line later today and will arrive in San Francisco Marina several hours later - updated ETAs will be posted on the official race website, www.clipperroundtheworld.com and on Twitter: twitter.com/Clipper0910.

POSITIONS AT 0900 UTC, TUESDAY 30 MARCH 2010

1 Cape Breton Island DTF 66
2 Qingdao DTF 594 DTL +527
3 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 682 DTL +615
4 Uniquely Singapore DTF 892 DTL +826
5 Hull & Humber DTF 1036 DTL +970
6 California DTF 1037 DTL +971
7 Spirit of Australia DTF 1039 DTL +972
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 1105 DTL +1038
9 Team Finland DTF 3421 DTL +3354
10 Cork Did not start