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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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

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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

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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

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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

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* 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.

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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

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