Here's what was going on in the North Atlantic aboard the Clipper Fleet:
RACE 13: NOVA SCOTIA TO CORK, IRELAND
DAY 6
- TEAMS MAKE BETTER PROGRESS AS WIND INCREASES
- UNIQUELY SINGAPORE STAYS SOUTH OF GREAT CIRCLE ROUTE
- CLIPPER FLEET PATICIPATES IN SUMMER SAILSTICE 2008
The fleet’s recent progress has been respectable as the teams benefit from Force five southerly winds and most teams have managed to cover over 200
nautical miles in the past 24 hours.
Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, “The winds for the next 24 hours are forecasted to back to the east and then north as a small low pressure cell
travels south of the fleet. Other than Uniquely Singapore, there have been
no dramatic tactical changes made by the teams however, the changing wind
directions that this low pressure system will bring will allow the
tacticians onboard to make a decision on when to tack from starboard onto port. This will be a critical decision because tacking too early or too late
will cost miles. This is particularly vital for the overall Clipper 07-08
Race front-runners, New York, Hull & Humber and Glasgow: Scotland with styleClipper, as
this decision could be the make or break decision of the race, Loosing or
gaining one or two points now makes such a big difference with only one race left. It promises to be exciting viewing over the next few days.
Deciding when to change course can prove costly but so can deciding when to change sails as Durban 2010 and Beyond discovered to the determent of the
team’s position amongst the fleet. Skipper of the South African team, Ricky
Chalmers, says, “We lost miles again by doing a sail change too early. We were hard pressed with the Yankee one, and with the GRIB files showing the
wind increasing marginally and, more importantly, coming forward, I made the
decision to change to the Yankee two early. Initially it looked like the right decision with the boat speed being the same if not better than before
but, over the next hours the wind progressively eased and when I was woken
at watch change we were floundering at six knots. The Yankee one is back up
again with the Yankee two ready to go.”
Uniquely Singapore has stayed further south which has initially kept the team below the great circle route and requires them to sail more miles to
the finish line in Cork. However, as the low pressure system moves past the
fleet there is a chance they will benefit from better wind angles then their
competitors further north.
Following westernaustralia2011.com’s decision yesterday to head north and join the rest of the pack, a match race has now broken out between the big
blue boat and Nova Scotia.. Martin Silk, skipper of
westernaustralia2011.com, says, “Nova Scotia by default now has a match race
on their hands since coming to greet us this afternoon. To us this makes sense, providing they do not stray too far from our intended track, allowing
a performance measure as we try to claw back some miles on the leaders.”
The whole fleet is now clear of the Grand Banks and, other than Uniquely Singapore, they are north of the Flemish Cap, infamous from the film ‘The
Perfect Storm'. Fortunately the wind will be much kinder to the Clipper
fleet than the fishing fleet featured in the film as they continue their progress to Cork, Ireland, in this penultimate race.
Today on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the Clipper fleet is taking part in the Summer Sailstice 2008. They are amongst 3,000boats signed up in 20 countries and it is estimated that at least 10,000sailors are participating worldwide. John Arndt, Summer Sailstice organiser,says, “It’s great that the Clipper fleet is taking part in the SummerSolstice. It's a day to remember all the miles sailed by sailors everywhereand celebrate what sailing has made possible. The first sailors signed up
and planning to hoist their sails for Summer Solstice will do so at sunrise
in Shanghai, China. As the earth turns sails will be hoisted around the world until finally sailors in California and Hawaii become the last to sail
on Summer Solstice.” For more information log on to www.summersailstice.com
Each of the Clipper teams are lead by an experienced professional skipperand Sir Robin recently launched his search for skippers for the 09-10
Clipper Race. If you have what it takes to lead a team of novice sailors on
a ten-month race around the world then please contact him on sirrobinknoxjohnston@clipper-ventures.com
Berths are now available for the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race. Those interested in participating in the world’s only round the yacht race
for non-professionals can find out more by contacting Clipper Ventures on
+44 (0) 2392 526000 or email oceanracer@clipperroundtheworld.com.