* Skippers and crews keen reach the open ocean
* Uniquely Singapore crew bugged by illness
* Clipper Race founder, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, receives prestigious award
The skippers and teams of Clipper 09-10 are ready to hit the open ocean again. The frustration of dodging container shipping and fishing fleets is beginning to grate, and the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean can’t come soon enough.
Spirit of Australia’s skipper Brendan Hall says, “I am very much looking forward to getting around Japan and out into the Pacific, leaving behind the shipping, fishing fleets, obstructions and fickle Yellow Sea winds. We’ve had more variable winds overnight and this morning. More heavy sail changes as we respond to the shifts in wind angle and speed.”
As the crew shake off the last remnants of seasickness the gloves are back on for the Boxing Kangaroo and the Aussies are getting ready to go the full 12 rounds. Kit preservation will be top of the agenda, safety and rig checks a part of the daily routine of life on board.
“This morning, we noticed some chafe on a few of our lines, which we have quickly repaired,” says Brendan.
The Cape Breton Island eagle is getting ready to spread her wings as soon as she is out of the confines of the Yellow Sea but it’s taking longer than skipper, Jan Ridd, would like. “It has been a frustrating 24 hours as we ran into an area of very light winds last night and made little or no progress,” he says. “The Yellow Sea is being as fickle as ever, giving you brief teasers of a decent breeze only to take it away again 20 minutes later. The weather files were originally quite accurate but for the last few hours we have been experiencing wind from exactly the opposite of the forecast. Although it is no longer cold it has been replaced with a fine misty rain which reminds me so much of sailing back in the UK!
“Apart from the fickle weather, everybody seems to be settling in well and getting used to the on board routines. I cannot wait to get into the Pacific Ocean and get away from the mad Chinese fishing fleets and find some stable wind.”
After a slow start to their Clipper 09-10 campaign, California are putting in consistently decent performances and are determined to win this race to their home port. There are still plenty of points available between now and the finish on the Humber on 17 July and, as has already been seen, the fate of a team can change in the blink of an eye. The wind can appear just as quickly but Pete Rollason and the crew of the American yacht were ready for it when it happened this morning.
He says, “After a really frustrating time of little or no wind when Cape Breton Island, Spirit of Australia and ourselves have all been in sight of each other while really going nowhere, in a matter of seconds the wind picked up to 28 knots. The crew reacted with lightning speed and, before I could say too much, had wrestled the Yankee 1 down to the deck, hoisted the Yankee 2 and were busy preparing to flake and bag the Yankee 1 while one crew member went down below to make tea. It was completed like any other every task you may undertake, but this is no everyday task and undertaken by the extraordinary people that I am sailing with.”
A racing headsail change takes a huge amount of energy and teamwork but for the more than 83,000 people playing the Clipper Virtual Race online at www.clipperroundtheworld.com a sail change takes no more than the click of a button – and you don’t get a soaking on the foredeck! It’s not too late to sign up to the game and take part in the transpacific race to pit your skills against those of the teams competing in Clipper 09-10.
Back on the water those ever-shifting winds have been frustrating progress.
“Twenty-four hours of constant changes,” reports Piers Dudin from on board Hull & Humber. “We’ve had every wind from every direction and all sorts of sail plans making their contribution to some frustrating progress. Looks like the race just got tough! The crew, however, are on top form, driving each sail to its maximum and keeping us in touch with the front runners. The rain isn’t dampening the mood just yet although any glimpse of sun is received with cheers already.
“I’m looking forward to stepping off the continental shelf back into some deep blue once we shake Japan and her islands. Until then there’s still plenty of shipping and fishing to keep us entertained.”
You get a really clear view of where the continental shelf finishes and how far away from that deeper water the fleet is if you click the ‘satellite’ tab on the race viewer.
The varying wind conditions have left the Jamaica Lightning Bolt crew exhausted but happy after 24 hours of sail change after sail change, says skipper Pete Stirling. “The one consolation is that the work has kept their bodies warm and their minds occupied. Unable to lay the course to the southern tip of Japan we decided to head east last night unlike most of the rest of the fleet which headed south. The forecast was for the wind to veer round to the north east which would then give us a better angle on the course. The forecast, however, is completely wrong and we currently have a southerly wind which is 180 degrees out on the forecasted direction. We have no choice now but to continue with what we have so time will tell if we find ourselves in a better position than the rest of the boats.”
Uniquely Singapore is just a few miles from Jamaica Lightning Bolt but a bug that has swept through the crew has forced them to sail more conservatively than they would like.
Skipper Jim Dobie explains, “Our land based friend which made it on to the boat and has managed to claim more crew including myself now. This made for quite the interesting night. So, once again, a night filled with fishing fleets, the Korean navy and today the American Navy made for some wonderful sailing. Clearly with me out of action, a lot of crew down and the magical busy traffic we were forced into a cautious night of sailing and once again were saddened to see the loss of miles against the other yachts. However we are made of strong stuff and once the air of sickness has left Uniquely Singapore we will once again rise up and chase down the others as best as possible. Luckily it happened to us at the beginning of the race with 5,000 or more miles to play with. At the moment Rachel (medic/vet) is supervising a disinfectant session including all the galley crockery and utensils, the heads, all the surfaces and the bilges. I’m pretty sure if she had her way she would try and dip us, too. The wind seems to be filling in nicely and we can’t wait to clear the south coast of Japan and head into the Pacific to leave our dear fisherman friends behind.”
There’s a trick to avoiding the fishing boats that the Hong Kong based skipper of Qingdao has been playing to his advantage. Chris Stanmore-Major says, “At the moment we are beset by fog and drizzle and the scene could well be the Solent or the Thames. The only difference is the huge number of shabby Chinese fishing boats which have been our constant companions since our departure from Qingdao. I have read much from the other skippers about being pushed back and off course by these fleets but experience from Hong Kong tells me to aim for the middle and simply dodge those who, in curiosity, get too close. Out here the fishing style is with pots on the sea bed so the vessels can be passed at close range. The effect of this realisation on watch leaders has been profound and they now pass through fleets of 50 or 60 vessels with the deck lights blazing and a light hand on the helm rather than biting their nails and stressing. Am I going to tell the other skippers about this? Hmm… Maybe tomorrow or perhaps the next day.”
Edinburgh Inspiring Capital’s crew have loved the sailing over the last 24 hours. Skipper Matt Pike reports, “The best sailing ever! Despite the cold and overcast sky Edinburgh Inspiring Capital picked up in the thirty knots, the following sea and flew. 15… 16… the surfing speed records kept falling as a new helm took over at the ‘concentration station’. We maxed at 19.7kts and an hour’s run of 13.6 – a great afternoon’s sail. Dusk came and a change of direction in the wind slowed us down overnight and by dawn we were back to chasing the breeze with the wind seeker. As for the next 24 hours, we will see what it brings, but one thing’s for sure the crew of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital has never felt so strong as a team!”
The Clipper Race was founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world more than 40 years ago. Since the first race set off in 1996 more than 2,000 people like you have learned to sail and taken on the world’s oceans in this unique challenge and interest in the race has never been higher – more than half the berths for Clipper 11-12 have already been filled.
Today Sir Robin is in New York to receive a top sailing award. The Cruising Club of America has selected the British sailing legend to receive its prestigious Blue Water Medal, without date, for a lifetime devoted to the advancement of sailing, sail training and youth development and on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his singlehanded, non-stop circumnavigation of the world. In the 85-year history of the CCA’s Blue Water Medal only seven Medals have been awarded without date. The medal will be presented this evening by CCA Commodore, Sheila McCurdy (Middletown, R.I.), during the club’s annual Awards Dinner at the New York Yacht Club in New York.
Blue Water Medallists have included such luminaries of the sailing world as Sir Francis Chichester, Pete Goss and Bernard Moitessier, whose boat Joshua led the Clipper 09-10 fleet from La Rochelle in September last year.
POSITIONS AT 1200 UTC, FRIDAY 5 MARCH 2010
1 Spirit of Australia DTF 5103
2 California DTF 5103 DTL +0
3 Cape Breton Island DTF 5103 DTL +0
4 Hull & Humber DTF 5111 DTL +8
5 Qingdao DTF 5125 DTL +16
6 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 5125 DTL +22
7 Uniquely Singapore DTF 5133 DTL +30
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 5143 DTL +40
9 Team Finland DTF 5612 DTL +509
10 Cork Did not start
(DTF = Distance to Finish, DTL = Distance to Leader)
Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found at www.clipperroundtheworld.com.
Become a fan of the Clipper Race on Facebook: www.facebook.com/clipperroundtheworld
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
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.