In the final 24 hours of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race Mother Nature is throwing the crews of the ten yachts one final challenge to remember her by.
In strong winds the crews left Ijmuiden in the Netherlands and were quickly blasting their way across the North Sea, the heavy shipping and oil and gas platforms adding to the navigational obstacles between them and the finish line off the coast of north east England.
Hull & Humber’s crew are entirely focussed on winning this last race to their home port. Skipper, Justin Taylor, says, “So the final race of this epic adventure and it’s every bit as exciting as it promised to be. We didn’t quite get the gale force winds we were prepared for, much to the relief of those that tend to suffer from sea sickness. None of that here on ‘Ull & ‘Umber.
“After a good start and a quick change through the gears from the Yankee 3 down to the 1, we soon had the heavyweight kite up and Hull & Humber has been flying! A steady increase in wind meant we returned to white sails just before breakfast but are still holding our position well. The crew have been working hard and are focussed and determined. An overall podium position is looking unlikely for us now but everyone is giving 120 percent and going all out for that illusive win into a home port. With less than 12 hours to go and our old adversaries, Cape Breton Island snapping at our heels, plus surely a big local crowd cheering us on as we pass Bridlington later, it’s now all or nothing! Go ‘Umba!”
This final race sees a return to the pursuit format introduced in the transatlantic crossing from Cape Breton Island to Kinsale, Ireland, in which Cork’s IRC handicap was applied up front and the rest of the fleet must chase them down. Hull & Humber are the closest to Cork, closing down the gap – and opening up a narrow lead over the rest of the chasing pack.
“It’s rather crazy to think that 48 hours ago we were dancing the night away in Amsterdam (fitness training, of course) and now we find ourselves tearing up the miles in the North Sea, weaving between rigs and reminding the odd cheeky ship who has right of way,” says Hannah Jenner, skipper of the Irish boat. “We are back to the pursuit race format, one which we enjoyed in the Atlantic and we hope to make the best of in this final race. We began in great breeze reaching under full main, staysail and Yankee 2, after an hour we were down to three reefs and just the Yankee which is the smallest sail plan we have ever used but effective in the lumpy old sea state.”
In shifting and variable winds Cork’s crew completed many sail changes through the night, including hoisting their heavyweight spinnaker.
“After a check on the course it became clear that the boat would not be very easy to handle as we threaded our way between sandbanks so the spinny promptly came down,” reports Hannah. “Thankfully the wind is now holding and with the tide underneath us all is well and speeds are great.”
Team Finland, who won the race to Ijmuiden and are currently second overall, are struggling with a ripped mainsail and, with just 6.3 points between them and third placed Cape Breton Island, it could affect their final position.
“Shortly before the start our mainsail decided it had had enough and split from leech to luff,” says skipper, Rob McInally. “The stitching along the large horizontal panel gave way. The forecasts had shown high winds all evening and through the night. Unfortunately for us this did not happen. Although it is fairly windy now, for much of the night we were incredibly underpowered because we can only sail with two reefs in our main. This just about halves the size of the canvas we can use to power the yacht and also affects our pointing ability. This aside we are still racing hard doing all we can to keep up with the fleet.”
Cape Breton Island, Spirit of Australia and Jamaica Lightning Bolt are neck and neck as they race towards the finish line on a course that will include a loop in Bridlington Bay so spectators can watch the action from the shore between 1600 and 2200 BST today.
Jamaica Lightning Bolt’s skipper, Pete Stirling, says, “Within an hour of the start the wind had started to subside and all the crews were kept busy shaking out reefs and changing headsails. The biggest drama for us came just after dawn this morning when a particularly big gust of wind came through and we blew the head off the heavyweight spinnaker. It was a very clean break allowing the spinnaker to drop into the sea next to the boat from where it was quickly recovered by the crew. We quickly hoisted the Yankee 2 and staysail but had lost a mile of ground to Cape Breton Island who were now alongside us.
“The ‘comeback kids’ are pushing hard all the way to the finish. If we do well there is still a slim chance we could rise from fourth to third place overall. However if we get a bad result we could drop back to fifth place overall. There is a lot at stake on this race and everything to play for.”
The battle for sixth and seventh places continues to rage between Qingdao and Uniquely Singapore, the Chinese team marginally holding the advantage for the time being.
“In all likelihood this will be the last report from Qingdao,” says skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, who is in reflective mood. “After many, many miles and many, many words I come to the final hundred and it will be with some regret that I hang up my spurs. How best to encapsulate what we as a crew have experienced in these past ten months? A list of adjectives comes to mind but it would be too clichéd to list them. I know I speak for the crew when I say this race has been about dreaming big, bigger than any of us had ever dreamed before, and about fulfilling that dream through hard work and determination.
“How can you go from not being able to sail to becoming a circumnavigator? It’s literally an ocean away – impossible, surely? Well, as the crew have shown, you start by believing you can do it and then you make a plan. As we have girdled the world we have learnt that there is no challenge that cannot be completed if you have a plan and no drama or crisis that cannot be overcome if one believes in one’s self. For many aboard the coming weeks will be a sharp return to a reality that right now seems very far away, even though we are approaching the finish at breakneck speed.
“Though their surroundings will change they take away with them a fantastic catalogue of memories, some pleasant, some not so, and some very precious ones from the very edge of adrenaline-fuelled exhilaration where for a moment life burnt white hot and nothing was impossible. Flying through the Southern Ocean chasing down the fleet, surfing ashore at Gosong Mampango to do what we could for Cork, battling upwind to Qingdao and taking on and surviving the mighty North Pacific. No-one can deny us these things; circumstance called on us and we responded and we triumphed. From this starting point lives will begin afresh. For now nothing is impossible, nothing is beyond reach, goals are only on ocean away now and crossing an ocean is difficult. It’s hard work but it is possible. Step one – believe you can do it. Step two – make a plan.”
Jim Dobie, skipper of Uniquely Singapore is in equally contemplative mood.
“As I write this my last report it is with a touch of sadness but yet happy that we, the crew of Uniquely Singapore, are going to be finishing this epic race tomorrow. It’s been a long way since the first report I sent after leaving Hull and, if the welcome back is half as good as the send off, it will be a memory to hold on to for the rest of my life.
“I think the mood on board is one of excitement, sadness, a little bit of trepidation but most of all full of memories of ‘mate-ship’, laughter, exhilaration, a little bit of fear perhaps, and loads of fun. In all this has been one heck of a ride and I believe we have fully taken our sponsor Keppel’s ‘Can do!’ message around the world. It has shown in our experience of dealing with a three-day kite wrap, keeping up our spirits in the Doldrums, recovering after our knock down, our podium finishes, especially our first win into New York, bouncing back after coming last in the fleet and many, many more.
“My crew have been outstanding and have never stopped to amaze me in their courage, determination, bravery and their non-stop commitment to this boat. As such we became the closest crew in the race and I’m sure that bond will continue after. To all Singas’s supporters, friends, families and ex-crew: a big Thank You for your continued support and all the messages we received. You kept us going through those long races.
“We are presently flying across the North Sea and have had an interesting night of fast downwind sailing under kite and a bit of excitement when the guy snapped but very quickly had the kite down and under control. We are still hunting that last podium place as well as doing our best to keep Qingdao behind us so we don’t lose our place in the rankings.”
“The last chapter of a long story, and every boat wants this to be their best – none more so than the crew on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital. It was a poor Le Mans start for us after the Yankee halyard jammer broke, trapping the rope. After a quick fix we were off, fully expecting a long tough night but, to our amazement and against all predictions, the wind eased off and one by one the reefs were shaken out and the Yankee 3 was replaced by the Yankee 2. Still the wind continued to drop and back southerly. Yankee 1 or wait until it backs further and go straight for the heavy spinnaker? We didn’t wait long and soon were flying towards Hull with a heavy kite set and the wind beginning to build again. We were recording good speeds – a 6.8nm half hour and top speed of just over 20 knots as the wind built to a steady Force 7, gusting higher.”
The high boat speeds mean that any mistake or damage is punished heavily – slowing down for 20 minutes can allow a rival boat to swiftly open up a lead of a couple of miles, as California’s crew have found to their cost.
“Unfortunately California had a problem when we tried to reef down the mainsail,” reports skipper, Pete Rollason. “The sail would not come down and eventually the decision was made to heave-to so that we could free the line that was stuck and preventing us from reducing the sail area. All in all it took about 30 to 40 minutes but that instantly dropped us back about six or seven miles from the leaders and we have been fighting to make it up ever since. As always we will push hard until the line.”
The course of the final race will take the fleet past Bridlington between 1600 and 2200 on their way to the finish line to the east of Spurn Point where HMS Severn will be marking the official finish line of Clipper 09-10. There are excellent vantage points at Flamborough Head and The Spa in Bridlington. Tomorrow the fleet will race up the Humber in the presentational John Harrison Race, starting at 9.30am from outside Hull Marina towards the Humber Bridge (within approximately one mile) and back, before beginning their entry to the marina at 11am.
Positions at 1200 GMT Friday 16 July
Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cork 77nm
2 Hull & Humber 96nm 19nm
3 Spirit of Australia 98nm 21nm
4 Cape Breton Island 99nm 22nm
5 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 99nm 22nm
6 Qingdao 100nm 23nm
7 Uniquely Singapore 102nm 25nm
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 106nm 29nm
9 Team Finland 116nm 39nm
10 California 121nm 44nm
