News

Tail enders succumb to light winds

24 June 2008

“The wind has left us… We have popped out of the back of the low pressure system much like westernaustralia2011.com and Nova Scotia did before us and we suffered last night trying to keep the lightweight kite and then the windseeker full,” says Ricky Chalmers, skipper of Durban 2010 and Beyond.

Several of the tail enders in this race have been overtaken by lighter winds extending from the west, and, as in most ocean racing, the rich just keep getting richer, a truism only too evident to the crew of Uniquely Singapore.

“The light airs have caught us up and it is frustrating to know that the guys ahead have still got wind and are likely to keep it for some time. We will have to watch them get further away as westernaustralia2011.com and Nova Scotia have had to. It is amazing how such small distances can make one’s fortune,” says skipper, Mark Preedy.

Over the next 24 hours the light winds could extend all the way to the front runners but, if they are lucky, the next low pressure system will catch up beforehand and they will keep more pressure.

Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, “The trick at the moment is to look at where the best winds will be in two days’ time along the route to Ireland and place your boat in front of it. There is no point looking at what is happening 12 hours ahead of you as you have already missed that. The skippers and tacticians onboard must be looking 48 hours ahead to see what is coming from behind them. At the moment if they do look 48 – 72 hours into the future they would see not just one but two low pressure systems chasing them across the Atlantic.”

If the skippers put their boats to the north of the system they will get headwinds, which are slow, if they are directly in its path they will pass through the centre, which is not fast. The ideal is to get south of the low pressure centre which will be at about 50 degrees N when it hits the fleet.

Joff continues, “I would imagine that we may see one or two teams move slightly further south of the great circle line over the next day or so to take advantage of what could be a sleigh ride all the way to Ireland and maybe, if they are lucky, a golden ticket for the podium.”

The current overall leader of Clipper 07-08 is New York, one the yachts in the leading group on this race. Skipper Duggie Gillespie says, “There is close racing in our group with gains and losses closely monitored and we look forward to see if our route choice works out.”

The first of the ten internationally-backed yachts are expected at Royal Cork Yacht Club on approximately 30 June at the end of the 2080-mile race across the North Atlantic. “It was great to pass the half way point yesterday,” says Qingdao skipper, Marcus Cholerton-Brown, “but there is still a long way to go and everything to play for.”

If the current positions stand once the fleet crosses the finish line in Cork the top three overall podium teams will be known, but the final order will have to wait for the outcome of the sprint race from Cork to Liverpool to be confirmed. So, after 13 races and 35,000 miles of racing, the final results may only be decided as the fleet races into Liverpool Bay and crosses the final finish line off the Bar buoy in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race.

The ten-part documentary series featuring Clipper 07-08 produced by Sunset + Vine I APP will be shown across the globe over the coming weeks, bringing the unique story of the Clipper Race and the 400 crew taking part to millions of viewers as the racing draws to a close in Liverpool. The character-driven series focuses on some of the people that have taken time out of their everyday lives to take on the challenge of a lifetime sailing around the world. Each of the half-hour programmes tells their amazing stories as the action and drama of the 35,000-mile race unfolds.

Broadcasters’ television schedules are available in the Multimedia section.