was first across the start line to the delight of the home crowd as Race 5 of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race got underway. Hundreds of supporters lined the breakwater in Geraldton, Western Australia, and cheered as the Australian team raced past with the other nine internationally sponsored yachts in hot pursuit. Conditions were perfect for the beginning of the next leg to Singapore with a strong southerly breeze blowing 15-20 knots.Spirit of Australia’s skipper, Brendan Hall, said, “I’m really looking forward to this one, it’s going to have a different flavour – a bit of an ocean race to start off with but then going up through Indonesia the navigational hazards are going to be a real challenge. It’s something a bit different but also something to sink our teeth into.
Spirit of Australia
Speaking ahead of the race start,
“The enthusiasm and the effort put into this stopover by the people of Geraldton has been absolutely fantastic. Words can’t describe the welcome we’ve had, all the crew have had a fantastic time in Western Australia and we’ll all be very sad to leave.”
Spirit of Australia was followed across the line by California and their closest rivals, Team Finland, with only three points separating the Finns and the Aussies on the overall leader board. Chasing the front three and in order across the line were Cape Breton Island, Uniquely Singapore, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Jamaica Lightning Bolt, Cork, Ireland, Hull & Humber and Qingdao.
By the time the fleet rounded the first mark, Hull & Humber had moved into third place with Spirit of Australia holding the lead and the Californian entry staying in second place. As the fleet headed out to sea the crews, who come from all walks of life, were just getting their spinnakers ready for hoist as the boats disappeared from view.
Race 5 is one of the most interesting and varied races of Clipper 09-10. The initial part will deliver some very high average speeds as the teams head north across the Indian Ocean. Approaching Christmas Island the conditions will then change quite dramatically as they sail across the Monsoon Trough, an area similar to the Doldrums where the winds will drop and temperatures will soar.
Race Director, Joff Bailey, says, “The crews face a number of challenges on this race and the winner will be the team that can quickly exit the light patch of winds and get themselves into the steady airflow further north. The boats will also be crossing the Equator again and the new crew joining for this leg will have to meet King Neptune just before the finish.”
The fleet is now racing towards the first of many gates on the course and this one is particularly poignant as it marks the site of HMAS Sydney, the Leander Class light cruiser which went down with all hands in February 1941. Following a fierce engagement with the Komoran, a German raider, both ships sank and while many from the German vessel managed to launch their life boats, HMAS Sydney went down so quickly that no one survived. 645 officers and men perished, making it the biggest single loss of life for the Australian Navy.
Each yacht has picked a representative to lay tributes in the form of a wreath of flowers as their boat passes over the war grave. They include a tribute from Her Majesty’s Royal Australian Navy which will be laid at the site by the crew of Spirit of Australia. During the three-week stop in Geraldton the fleet has been overlooked by a beautiful war memorial dedicated to the servicemen who lost their lives. Prior to the race start some of the crew headed up to the site to pay their respects, the centre point of which is a dome made up of 645 interlocking steel seagulls.
Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, Peter Stirling, sums up the feelings of all. “I know I speak for all my crew when I say what a brilliant stopover we had in Geraldton. From the moment we stepped ashore we had a fantastic reception from everyone we met. Several very well organised events were laid on including the procession / prize giving event, the New Year’s Eve party and the send off / race start. The people of Geraldton Greenough should be very proud of what they achieved.”
He adds, “For me the stopover was made particularly special by the fact that my girlfriend agreed to marry me.” Congratulations Pete and Su!
Now attention is turned once more to the racing. “Game faces on and we’re back in action,” as Spirit of Australia’s skipper, Brendan Hall, says.
California’s crew will be hoping the new year brings a reversal of fortune. They got off to a flying start, following Spirit of Australia across the start line in second place yesterday and, says skipper Pete Rollason, “Thereafter we switched into top gear and sailed passed her. We are now locked in a very close battle with Uniquely Singapore, Jamaica Lightning Bolt and Qingdao. Everyone is finding it strange to be back on the race course after such a long and enjoyable stopover.”
Cape Breton Island has taken the early advantage overnight, nosing ahead of Uniquely Singapore whose crew are hoping to become the first in this edition of the Clipper Race to win the race to their home port.
Across the fleet there has been quite a large crew changeover in Australia and, with five new people joining the Canadian team for the race to Singapore, skipper, Jan Ridd, knows it will take a little time for them to get back into the rhythm of life on the ocean. He says, “It has been quite an interesting first night for Race 5, after a good start we decided to hoist the spinnaker early and see if we could pull out an early lead. We held the spinnaker until nightfall and then dropped it and sailed under white sails overnight, very mindful of the long break we have all enjoyed as well as the new crew who have just joined.
“We are now on course for the Sunda Straits and have hoisted the spinnaker again but by the way the boat is swinging it feels like the crew are having trouble controlling it so it will not be long before we drop and go with poled out headsail. The long break in Australia was well needed but I am well aware that we all need to now focus on the race and put all our efforts towards getting our first podium position.”
Uniquely Singapore won’t easily let go of their chances of victory and a hero’s welcome at Marina at Keppel Bay on 23 January. Skipper Jim Dobie says, “Overnight we took the offshore option as we figured there would be more wind so, while one half of the fleet chose the inshore route, we went with the other half offshore and, as expected, the wind held out through the night.
“It seems now we are in the thick of the fleet with boats everywhere. From here it is a drag race straight for the scoring gate and it will make an exciting next four to five days of close racing. So as the crew settle down once more into the routine of a race yacht we look forward now to the fantastic reception that will greet us in Singapore.”
With just a dozen or so miles separating the teams at this stage of the race, Jamaica Lightning Bolt has also been mixing it up with the leaders – in second place at the 0600 UT sched, losing just a mile to Uniquely Singapore by the 0900 UT update on the Race Viewer, click here to view.
They, too, are settling in to the routine of life on an ocean racing yacht, says skipper, Peter. “The conditions have been perfect for the first day back at sea with good winds, mainly behind the beam, and a moderate sea state. With Australia having been such a long stopover the crew are inevitably a bit rusty and it will take a bit longer for them to find their sea legs. Furthermore we have six new crew on board, our biggest crew changeover of the race so far, and for them the favourable conditions are even more welcome.”
As well as new crew, Team Finland has a new skipper, Rob McInally taking over the reins from Eero Lehtinen who made the tough decision to step down at the end of Leg 3. Rob, who skippered Nova Scotia in Clipper 07-08, is taking a cautious approach to the start of this race.
He says, “After crossing the start line third we rounded the windward mark in fourth but took Hull & Humber as we turned. The kite went up for a time and then a bigger one then, as agreed by the crew, we are now enjoying the poled out Yankee 2 allowing less pressure on us and our yacht at these early stages of what is sure to be a very eventful leg. Meanwhile the crew and I are properly getting to know each other.”
Hull & Humber and Cork, Ireland got to know each other a little too well at the start of Race 4 – not so this time and both crews are clearly revelling in the experience of being back on the race track amongst the whole of the fleet.
Cork’s skipper, Richie Fearon says, “It is great to be racing in among the fleet again and at the minute we can see eight other boats around us which is fantastic racing. We were in ninth place earlier today but, as we’ve converged on the site of the HMAS Sydney II, we have passed five boats on the water and we have the others in our sight. We ran with a number 2 and one reef in the main for most of the night and changed to a full main and heavy weight spinnaker earlier this morning which has given us the advantage to pass half of the fleet. The crew is working very well on board and the hunger is in the crew now to start delivering the results and building on our victory in the race to Cape Town.”
Piers Dudin, Hull & Humber’s skipper, says, “We cleared the start line in clear air and at speed and with plenty of space – if a little late – but made it out of the bay in third place. Then the games really began! We’ve been peeled to the binoculars trying to keep track on the ‘who’s who?’ that Race 5 is quickly becoming. The fleet has been belting along in familiar southerlies and now our course opens up for the scoring gate in 950 nm – about five days’ time.
“It’s great to be out racing again with the others and refreshing to see such a turnaround in the standings! Mikey and Jack our ambassadors are living up to the high helming standards set by their predecessors. It’s pretty humid and a little overcast but as long as there’s wind it’s GAME ON!”
Wind is one thing the Race Office is keeping a very close eye on during this leg as Tropical Cyclones can be a big issue in this region at this time of year.
Race Director Joff Bailey explains, “There are two Tropical lows that the Australian Bureau of Meteorology is tracking at the moment which are in our area of concern. The first is near Darwin and is expected to become a Cat 1 Tropical Cyclone tomorrow and cross the coast near Darwin. The second is well to the west of the fleet and is moving further west. Forecasts have now downgraded this Tropical Low and are not expecting it to become a Tropical Cyclone. The Race Office is monitoring both of these systems and at the moment doesn’t consider that either of them will cause the fleet any issues.”
The Race Office will continue to monitor and advise the fleet accordingly – in the meantime the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts are making fast progress north and making the most of the southerly airflow provided by the Indian Ocean High.
Early this morning the teams passed the first waypoint at the wreck of HMAS Sydney, a designated war grave 230 miles north west of Geraldton. They were there for a purpose – to pay tribute to the 645 men who were lost when the ship sank with all hands following a fierce battle with the German ship, Kormoran, in November 1941. The wreck site was discovered in 2008 and a memorial to those who died, among them men from Geraldton serving on board, now stands in the city.
Passing over HMAS Sydney’s final resting place was a poignant moment for all. Peter Stirling says, “We actually sailed almost directly over the site of the wreck and after dropping the wreath over the side observed a two minute silence as a mark of respect.”
Uniquely Singapore’s crew also held a minute’s silence as they laid their wreath on the ocean and Cape Breton Island’s skipper, Jan Ridd, says, “It was a solemn moment whilst we gathered on the aft of our yacht and thought of all the lives that were lost.”
Edinburgh Inspiring Capital crew member, Paul Rogers, read a touching tribute as they paid their respects. Paul, a 37 year old plumber from Hampshire, has joined the Scottish crew for this leg of the race to Singapore and Qingdao. As he visited the memorial in Geraldton before setting sail Paul read words sent to him by Spirit of Australia crew member, Lance Costello. Lance will race on leg 7 of the Clipper Race but asked Paul to speak on his behalf. Lance’s uncle was on board HMAS Sydney and is one of the 645 names engraved on the memorial.
In addition to their own wreath, Spirit of Australia’s crew laid another on behalf of the Royal Australian Navy. Skipper Brendan Hall says simply, “Crossing the gate over the wreck site was a touching moment for all of us as we quietly set adrift the wreaths into a building swell under a steel grey sky. Lest we forget…”
