Team Finland makes good progress with repairs in Taiwan as the temperatures begin to plummet for the crews heading north. ” “I have never felt the boat take such a beating,” says Spirit of Australia’s skipper
Team Finland’s crew have been working hard in Hualien, Taiwan, where they have diverted following the loss of the top section of their rig.
“We have had a productive morning, removing a seven metre piece of broken mast without incident,” reports watch leader and round the world crew member, Mark Cole. “All the standing rigging deck fittings have been removed in addition to the fittings from the broken mast piece. We have fitted some blocks to the masthead that should enable us to fly the tri-sail and storm jib if required and the holes in the deck at the starboard gateway have been temporarily repaired with a plywood/epoxy sandwich, bolted through the deck.”
A diver has also completed a full hull check to ensure there was no damage while the folded rig was hanging over the side of the 68-foot yacht.
Skipper Rob McInally and his team have been made very welcome by the local community who are celebrating Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Tiger.
“Last night we were hosted by the local Coastguard commander who invited us into their Mess. We enjoyed plenty of New Year toasts, local food and a bit of karaoke. Team Finland’s rendition of Eye of the Tiger will be remembered in Hualien for some time to come,” says Mark.
“Afterwards we exchanged flags with the commander to thank him and his crews for seeing us safely into harbour. I think this now makes us unofficial members of the Taiwanese Coastguard!”
The crew is working towards being able to leave on Wednesday morning Taiwan time and is currently refuelling to maximum capacity – 1,500 litres in the tanks plus an extra 200 litres – for the journey ahead.
Spirits amongst Team Finland’s multi-national crew are high and they are understandably proud of what they have achieved as a team – both on the water to make the boat safe in the wake of the dismasting and in port as they make their repairs. They can’t wait to get back out and on their way again.
Out on the course the other yachts have had a torrid time in the last 24 hours. Spirit of Australia, at the back of the pack a week ago, is maintaining the lead she has now built up at the front – and it’s been anything but easy.
Brendan Hall, the Brisbane-based skipper of the Australian entry, told us this morning, “Last night was quite something. I have never felt the boat take such a beating by the steep sided waves. The sound the hull and rig make as they come crashing down off the crest into the next trough is incredible, like the sound of a car crash. Again and again and again. We were reefed down to our smallest possible sail plan and still making very fast speeds.
“The Spirit of Australia crew are handling the conditions well despite not many being able to sleep and many unable to eat due to seasickness. The fact we are now in the lead of this race has made each of us dig that little bit deeper and find the extra energy to make that sail change or empty the bilges every hour. We will grind our way to Qingdao, no matter what it takes.”
California is determined to make it to the podium this time and is just 20 miles behind Spirit of Australia.
Skipper Pete Rollason is full of praise for his crew today, saying, “As the temperatures are dropping quite considerably we are now down to a maximum of one hour on deck before the need get below and warm up becomes vital. I cannot praise the crew enough, never a grumble or moan, just a dogged determination to continue to drive the boat hard and secure a good finish in Race 6.
“The sea state is atrocious and the wind even worse, although the weather files do show some easing in the wind later today so we should be grateful for small mercies if it comes.”
Erstwhile leaders, Cape Breton Island, have taken the slowly slowly approach in another wet and wild night in the East China Sea, according to skipper, Jan Ridd, who says, “As we approached the north of Taiwan we saw the wind build and reduced sails accordingly. We had the storm jib, staysail and third reef in the main, which I thought would see us through the night, and had just crossed paths with California. We tacked back to the west and not soon afterwards the wind rose considerably and the boat was becoming difficult to control as we were launching ourselves off some fairly large waves.
“I had to make a decision whether to keep on driving hard or to dramatically reduce the sail plan and calm things down, losing positions in the race. It was an easy decision to make. Even though I am as competitive as everyone taking part in this race my primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of the crew and the yacht. So we dropped the staysail and sailed very slowly through the night, heading east on a losing tack but hopefully into lighter winds which will allow us to start sailing properly again.
“It was as daylight broke that we saw the true size of the storm we were in. During the night we just had numbers on the instruments, the howling of the wind in the rigging and being caught completely unawares as a wave broke on the deck, flooding the whole of the cockpit area but this morning, in a miserable, grey, rainy light we could see what we had been sailing through in the night. There were five metre steep seas regularly breaking and wind gusting up to 50 knots.
“I do not know if the crew will thank me or curse me when they see the latest position report but I know I would make the same decision every time.”
Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s crew still have a 13-point haul in their sights for this race, even though their progress over the last 12 hours has been painfully slow and they have made just 16 miles towards the finish line in that time.
Skipper Pete Stirling says, “The crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt had another exciting night last night. At about 0200 (local time) the wind increased from 30 knots to a steady 40 knots plus. We hove to so that we could drop the staysail in a safer and more controlled manner. Just as well, as more than half the brass hanks securing the sail to the stay snapped. It’s not a particularly large sail but in gale force winds and mountainous seas it took a huge effort by the crew to wrestle it back under control and get it down below. Once below several crew set about replacing the broken hanks and at first light we re-hoisted it.”
Pete makes the point that Spirit of Australia has managed to build up a healthy lead but, he says, “As seen already on this race, big leads can quickly disappear if the weather turns against you.”
Hull & Humber and Cape Breton Island discovered that to their cost in the early stages of this race when their lead was wiped out by a patch of light air which developed in their path.
Piers Dudin, Hull & Humber’s skipper, knows it’s all part of the ocean racing game and you get the impression from his report to the race office this morning that, despite the heavy conditions, the Salisbury-based skipper and his crew are having fun out there.
“We’ve struck out east again and tacked early this morning for our first positive attack run on Qingdao. After the last few days of trying out different sail configurations we’ve hit upon the right plan and Hull & Humber is galloping along in a solid Force 7 and lovin’ it! Initially charging over the deep Kuroshio rolls, we’ve now stepped up onto the continental shelf and charging full tilt towards China.
“Life below decks isn’t too unpleasant yet, although it’s getting pretty damp. Once in a while the bow arches and everyone braces for impact; if the helmsman has timed it right everyone cheers, or if the wave was more of a cliff the resultant SLAM sends shudders through everyone and they wince for Hull & Humber’s discomfort as torrents of water wash down her decks. But off she goes again regardless…
“Tonight we should experience a sharp drop in temperature as we close in on our destination but, without the huge waves of the Kuroshio to douse us and an abating wind forecast, we’re hoping to stay dry and warm.”
The team representing the Olympic sailing city is sure to get a warm welcome – whatever the temperature when they arrive in Qingdao.
The weather in the city, where the first members of the Clipper Race team have arrived to establish the Race Office, is not as cold as it has been on previous visits, although the wind chill factor will take temperatures down to about minus 10C overnight. Add to that freezing water across the decks and you get some idea of how cold it is out there for the Clipper crews.
Qingdao’s skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, says, “The dragon is all fired up as she enters the home run. Helming was the name of the game last night with each taking a turn to tame the beast and point her head north. Six-metre swell with broken white faces and two-metre breakers flooding over the boat combined with horizontal rain and dropping air temperatures produced challenging conditions.
“For the skipper these are conditions in which sleep comes at a premium; with shipping to dodge, rig damage an ever-present thought at the moment and crew safety at the forefront of one’s mind, sleep is not possible except in five minute blocks, laying on the floor next to the nav station. I have now had 1.5 hours sleep in 36 but by the power of chocolate and coffee I am still a functional human being and I am enjoying the opportunity to get on the helm and provide hints and tips in conditions crew rarely get to experience.
“Stealth Mode means I will not be commenting on our place in the fleet – we had a plan, we are following it and the results may not provide a better fleet ranking but will put us in the geographical position we feel has the advantage. So far so good – you judge for yourself next time you log on.”
POSITIONS AT 0900 UTC, TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2010
1 Spirit of Australia DTF 552
2 California DTF 572 DTL +20
3 Uniquely Singapore DTF 599 DTL +48
4 Cape Breton Island DTF 606 DTL +55
5 Hull & Humber DTF 610 DTL +58
6 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 644 DTL +92
7 Qingdao DTF 669 DTL +118 (Stealth: position at 1200 15 February)
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 726 DTL +175
9 Team Finland DTF 750 DTL +199
10 Cork Did not start
The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race started on 13 September from the Humber on the UK’s east coast and will return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. Crew can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more legs. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.