Displaying items by tag: Clipper
New York Crew Set To Commemorate 9/11 Afloat
Through their participation in the 40,000-mile round the world race, the New York crew is raising funds and awareness for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a not-for-profit organisation created to design and run the Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center.
At 1246 GMT (0846 EST) on Sunday, exactly ten years after the first plane hit the Twin Towers, the team of 18 led by skipper Gareth Glover will hold hands and observe a minute's silence before casting wreaths of remembrance into the Atlantic Ocean.
For the Clipper 11-12 crew members who hail from New York, the ten-year anniversary will be especially poignant.
New York crew member for Leg 2, Pat Coppolechia is a lawyer and a New York resident, and admits that Sunday will bring back powerful memories.
"In my wallet I've got the times that the planes hit the Towers and the times that they collapsed. It is certainly going to be on my mind and I'll reflect on where I was when it happened and the whole impact it had on New York and the world as a whole. I think there's going to be a moment of vulnerability and concern for those at home and everywhere around the world on the tenth anniversary," Pat said.
New York is racing around the globe alongside nine other internationally sponsored teams, all of whom will put their rivalries aside to remember the people who died in the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 with a minute's silence.
Just over ten years ago the biennial Clipper Race visited New York in August 2001, enjoying a stopover at Liberty Landing in New Jersey overlooking the Twin Towers after racing from Brazil. The fleet set sail on 31 August just 11 days before the attacks.
Former crew member Sarah Thorogood, who took part in Clipper 2000-01, said many of the crew enjoyed trips to the top of the Twin Towers during their visit to the city.
"We heard about the attacks mid-Atlantic when one of our crew called his son on the satellite phone. It was a huge shock and hard to comprehend when so many of us had been to the top of the Towers just a few days before. It didn't fully sink in until we arrived in Jersey when we saw the shocking images," Sarah said.
The New York team is endorsed by Empire State Development, the agency responsible for promoting business and economic development throughout the state, which is proud to see its powerful marketing message taken around the world on the yacht's distinctive livery featuring the iconic 'I love New York' branding.
The Clipper Race was established 15 years ago by sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world in 1968/69. The name of the race was inspired by the trade routes followed by the early clipper ships and over a century later Sir Robin's ten identical stripped down 68-foot ocean racing yachts are using the same trade winds to help global destinations boost business and tourism through their participation in this unique event. Each yacht represents an international city, region, country or company.
The race makes an official stopover in New York between the end of leg seven and the beginning of the eighth and final leg of Clipper 11-12.
The Clipper Race departed the UK at the end of July and raced to Brazil via Madeira. The ten teams are currently gearing up to start Leg 2 to South Africa on Saturday. After a well-earned stopover in Cape Town, the matched yachts will race to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Panama, USA, Canada, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands before returning to the UK just before the opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games in July next year.
With the strap line 'Raced by People Like You', the Clipper Race is the embodiment of Sir Robin's vision to enable people from all walks of life to experience the thrills and challenges of ocean yacht racing: ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Each of the teams is led by a professional skipper but the crews are all amateurs, nearly 40 per cent of whom have never sailed before undertaking their extensive pre-race training. Five hundred people will participate in Clipper 11-12 with around 100 racing the full 40,000 miles and the remainder joining for one or more of the eight legs of the competition.
Only Derry-Londonderry Remains in the Northern Hemisphere
Derry-Londonderry, who currently find themselves tenth in the fleet and the most westerly of the back markers.
"The fleet is well and truly split; it will be hard for the chasing back to reel in the three leaders particularly with the forecasted winds. The three leaders will continue to have favourable breeze for at least the next 72 hours when it will ease off before returning the next day. So it's fast, slow fast for them," explains Justin, who previously skippered two Clipper Race entries around the world.
"Although the wind is a more consistent direction and strength for the following pack, they will for have a tough time beating mostly to windward in order to round the shoulder of Brazil before laying the finish at Rio."
Currently in third and pushing for good speeds in the Ocean Sprint is Welcome to Yorkshire.
"If one was to describe this mode of transport in one word it would be WET!" reveals skipper, Rupert Dean.
"Since my last blog, when we were becalmed off Fernando de Noronha, the south east trades have kicked in big style. We are now flying along,
seriously powered up at 10-plus knots on a close reach, as we bid to be the fastest boat between 5 and 10 degrees south.
"As we charge along, Welcome to Yorkshire is shouldering big seas as she ploughs through waves on her relentless charge south. Well, not perfectly south as that would be hard on the wind and slow, but close reaching to obtain maximum VMG," continues the Yorkshire entry's skipper, referring to the boat's speed in relation to the direction they need to travel.
Focused on securing victory in the Ocean Sprint, Rupert has opted for a tactical change on the helm.
"Helming a Clipper 68 in these conditions is pretty physical and requires a high degree of concentration. Consequently we've elected to use our best helms for this form of sailing, bearing in mind that this is a time trial, a point is at stake and at this speed we should have completed the trial within one and a half days."
Unfortunately not experiencing the same conditions and boat speeds is Derry-Londonderry, who currently find themselves tenth in the fleet and the most westerly of the back markers.
"Probably the most frustrating day we have had so far," explains skipper, Mark Light.
"The wind has been light and after threatening to back early on has promptly returned to the south south west and massively hindered our progress south! Due to the light winds and adverse current running north west up the coast of Brazil we have had to head out on another losing tack to clear before we can turn south once more.
"Our tacking angles at the moment are approx. 150 degrees and this is not making Rio! This feels very cruel and we can only watch as other
teams sail faster and more directly to our destination and we slip further down the rankings!"
Even as their progress to Rio de Janeiro hits a setback, the Derry-Londonderry crew continues to be positive as Mark comments, "We will get good winds the further south we get. We have a fast boat and we are at our best hunting down others. We have a fantastic team spirit!"
Meanwhile it was celebrations on board Edinburgh Inspiring Capital yesterday, who are just one position in front of the Northern Ireland entry, as they crossed the Equator.
"Greetings from the Southern Hemisphere, today we are over 3,600 nautical miles from the capital city of Scotland and the home of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, the fair city of Edinburgh. Last night at 0000BST, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital and her fine crew of ocean racers crossed the Equator," reports skipper, Gordon Reid.
"We celebrated with a wee dram of Kinloch Anderson 12-year-old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, however we had to come off the wind a
little and reduce speed from 14 knots to 11.9 knots, so as not to spill the dram, due penance was paid to King Neptune and Davy Jones as they
too received a wee dram and some M&Ms.
"As we crossed into the Southern Hemisphere we also moved up the leader board and will continue to do so today. Inspired by their visit from
King Neptune and a little afraid of Davy Jones the race team on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital want to catch the lead pack and are as usual
focused, committed and smiling as we drive very very very fast towards Rio."
The Scottish boat was joined in the Southern Hemisphere by five other Clipper Race teams, including De Lage Landen, skippered by Mat Booth.
"ZERO! At 2231GMT, De Lage Landen crossed 'the line' and another major milestone of our first leg of the Clipper 11-12 Race achieved - transit from Northern to Southern Hemispheres," says Mat.
"Before our crossing a letter from King Neptune himself was discovered in the snake pit. Sometime this afternoon one of his assistants must
have been aboard to deliver this communication. During dinner this letter was read out loud for everyone to hear. All crew have been
invited to attend Neptune's Court at 1700 sharp dressed 'suitably' for what is in store!
"So tonight promises to be a fun evening! More about that tomorrow, on top of all the Equator crossing excitement one of our crew, Jose enjoyed a fantastic birthday cake produced by both watches. Cut in the shape of a yacht and complete with candles, it's safe to say Jose had a fantastic birthday," continues the Dutch entry's skipper.
"We finally managed to take that place from Derry-Londonderry. Having been duelling with them for weeks it's great news to see we've pasted
them at last. As we gain we also lose out to Geraldton Western Australia, we'll fight for that place over the next few days, we're also chasing the dragon down with Qingdao in our sights."
King Neptune was busy making appearances across the fleet as Geraldton Western Australia was next to cross into the Southern Hemisphere.
"Yesterday was a day of celebration and thanks, as at about 1215pm we crossed from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern," explains skipper,
Juan Coetzer.
"The occasion was celebrated with a Mad Hatters party which included our navigator Ian in a dress and bowman Peter in a skirt made of rope. King
Neptune visited via his alter ego David 'Hawkeye' Hawkins.
"Crossing the Equator was a short distraction, as the crew have been driving hard keeping the boat speed up and overnight moved up a place on
the leader board. Showers were the topic of the afternoon both below and above decks. While the off watch were allowed a wash, the on watch had
to deal with a few squalls. The wind then increased, so we changed down from Yankee 1 to Yankee 2 with full main before sunset which has given
us some consistent speeds through the night.
"Today we also celebrate our first birthday: Ian Geraghty."
After yesterday's report of light winds Chinese entry, Qingdao, has found the wind which they hope will keep De Lage Landen and Geraldton Western Australia behind them and propel them up the leader board.
"The wind eventually began to co-operate as darkness began to fall last night, so we were able to make the north east headland of Brazil
without tacking which brought the crew much relief. As the wind continued to back we were able to free off slightly and began to get boat speeds of around 9 knots," reveals Qingdao crew member, Tom Way.
"We finally crossed the Equator at 0125UTC and Neptune joined us for the occasion and the normal ceremony was carried out with the crew being
punished for sins that they had committed. King Neptune left us some parting gifts to let everyone savour the moment.
"Everyone on board is still in high spirits despite being in sixth place and if anything it has given them greater determination to stay ahead of
the chasing boats and do all they can to catch the boats in front," signs off Tom.
"Today Visit Finland is charging south at a speed we are quite content with," reports Tomi Lintonen, the team's navigator.
"Our closest adversaries are doing roughly similar speeds on more favourable courses and we are looking forward to seeing the courses converge later on. I have been developing simple performance measurement indicators along the way and now, in addition to analysing our performance against other boats, we are using them to make comparisons between watches as well," continues the Tampere-based researcher.
"In fact, watch leader Carl-Axel Palmer proposed a wager between the watches where the watch recording the best run towards the finish would
be offered a three course meal by the 'slower' watch in Rio de Janeiro. Visit Finland crossed the Equator at exactly 1200 noon UTC carefully
following seafarers' time tested traditions. Fridge cool champagne (well, sparkling wine, to be honest) was first offered to King Neptune and the remainder to the crew in small quantities while other sacrifices of valued food stuff were also made. The offerings have worked like magic: our six-hour runs have been on the increase since!"
Current leaders Gold Coast Australia, who will today complete the Ocean Sprint, have once again encountered challenging conditions.
"The Ocean Sprint seems more like a triathlon at the moment as the wind continues to vary angles of 60 degrees and from 12 to 37 knots in strength," reveals skipper, Richard Hewson.
The Ocean Sprint is a simple matter of speed; each team gets the chance to record a time between 5 degrees south and 10 degrees south. The team
with the shortest time elapsed between the two points will gain a potentially crucial extra point. Something skipper Richard Hewson is keen to secure after Singapore's Scoring Gate victory.
"With Singapore looming in the background and apparently making ground on us towards the finish, we are working hard to maintain and if possible open our lead. We are still hell bent on getting the extra point for the Ocean Sprint as this is the only way we will beat Singapore on points in this race since they were first through the Scoring Gate.
"The conditions have been going from starry night Champagne sailing to full on sheets of rain pelting the crew's faces like burning needles. We have had hours at a time of beautiful conditions with nice wind, then suddenly out of the darkness a massive group of squalls will hit us and the crew will have to work very hard to keep the boat upright and moving. For the occasional big gust like the one we had at about 0200 this morning, this has meant we have just had to turn the boat and run with it as there has not been enough time to reduce sail," continues Richard.
"However, due to the conditions we have had so far it is becoming less and less likely that we will get the point unless conditions are favourable in the remaining 60nm of the sprint."
Taking a more inshore approach to the final sprint to Rio de Janeiro compared to Gold Coast Australia is Singapore, currently in second place.
"It's been a fairly busy 24 hours that has seen us do a fair few headsail changes, reefs in and reefs out. After I finished my report yesterday we had a large squall pass overhead which required us to drop the Yankee 1 rather rapidly and before long it became apparent that we needed a couple of reefs to keep the boat under control in 35 knots of true wind," says Ben Bowley, skipper of the Singaporean entry.
"The drop was a great success, even though blinded by a combination of stinging spray and choking rain the guys and girls on the bow did a sterling job as per usual. Once we had the Yankee 1 down and a couple of reefs snugged in the boat became far less like a wounded bull at the helm and soon she was begging for a little more canvas. We quickly hoisted the Yankee 3 and she thanked us by delivering around 9.5/10 knots all day long with the sheets just cracked a little for speed."
With Gold Coast Australia, Singapore and Welcome to Yorkshire set to complete their Ocean Sprint today, American entry New York will look to
secure the extra point when they cross the first point.
Positions at 0900 UTC, Friday 26 August
Boat DTF* DTL**
1 Gold Coast Australia 1016nm 0nm
2 Singapore 1093nm 77nm
3 Welcome to Yorkshire 1118nm 102nm
4 New York 1338nm 322nm
5 Visit Finland 1419nm 403nm
6 Qingdao 1500nm 484nm
7 Geraldton Western Australia 1514nm 498nm
8 De Lage Landen 1516nm 500nm
9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 1576nm 560nm
10 Derry-Londonderry 1681nm 665nm
*DTF = Distance to Finish, **DTL = Distance to Leader
Racing Round up: Olympic, Fastnet, Clipper, Figaro, Dragon, J24, Fifteen, Topper, Feva, Oppy
This morning's edition includes photos and pics from Sunday's Figaro departure from Dun Laoghaire and the Rick Tomlinson's pics of the start of the Fastnet race from Cowes. Derry-Londonderry is on her way to Rio in the Clipper race. Regrettably there was no Gold, Silver or Bronze from Weymouth but we're in a strong position. See our video with Annalise here. Plus: The Topper Worlds at the National YC, John Lavery's win at the Flying fifteen South coast champs in Dunmore East, the J24 Nationals from Lough Erne, A local pair whitewashed the RS Feva Nationals in Cork Harbour, some great shots from Bob Bateman. The Oppy Nationals start in Howth and Afloat's Sailor of the Month for July Martin Byrne retained the Dragon Nationals in Kinsale. There's also the full weekend results from Dublin Bay SC.
Clipper fleet Bound for Rio de Janeiro
"After sustaining a very minor injury to a crew member and a minor rip in our spinnaker, we have eased back a bit to play it safe," he says. "This obviously shows on our performance, but it is a conscious choice which is likely to pay off in the long run.
"We dropped the spinnaker and the evening and night were rather uneventful, only interrupted at times by flying fish landing on deck. We passed the westernmost Canary Islands of La Palma and Hierro so far that we did not actually see them, despite La Palma being 2,425 metres high. The next place of interest will obviously be the Scoring Gate north of the archipelago of Cape Verde. Before that, however, we will be officially entering the tropics. The climate inside the boat does feel quite tropical already; the temperature is above 30 centigrade and humidity very high."
Joining them in their more westerly course is Geraldton Western Australia who are enjoying the strong downwind sailing conditions that the north easterly trade winds are delivering.
"A great days sailing once again," reports the team's skipper, Juan Coetzer. "The spinnaker went up at first light and we flew along all day beneath her, making good progress south. Evening came and the spinnaker went down as the wind increased.
"While it has been plain sailing, routine maintenance has been carried out, checked and carried out again on all our ropes and halyards - all is well on board."
The Chinese team are having equally as good a time as the Western Australian entry, who also opted to drop down to a poled out Yankee yesterday evening as darkness fell.
"Another fun day on the happy ship Qingdao!" exclaims the team's skipper, Ian Conchie. "We hoisted the kite at first light yesterday and then through the day we ended up using all three spinnakers. We started with the medium, then the lightweight and finished the day under the heavy weather spinnaker before changing down to a poled out No 2 Yankee for the night. So a lot of spinnaker packing yesterday which, in the heat below deck, is no easy thing."
Pushing hard in these downwind conditions can be quite stressful for boat and crew with large loads on the lines and the risk of broaching under novice helms is always high.
"With our waypoint dead downwind, it is a choice between running deep downwind with an unstable spinnaker, yet not able to quite make the course (fastest option) or taking it more steadily and being able to steer the course required under goose wing (poled out head sail)," explains Welcome to Yorkshire's skipper, Rupert Dean. "In heavier conditions the goose wing option has definitely been the way to go. Whatever happens, no one wants to risk a crash gybe with the huge loadings involved."
Rupert's thoughts are echoed by skipper of Derry-Londonderry, Mark Light, who says, ""Helming has been challenging with the crew doing 30 to 40 minutes each then coming off with arms like Popeye. With these sorts of boat speeds come the inevitable boat breakages as loads on the boat are high. Overnight we blew a halyard which meant our heavyweight spinnaker dropped from the top of the mast and ended up in the water. A call of 'all hands on deck' followed and we managed to slow the boat down enough to be able to haul in the sail, undamaged, in double quick time. A fantastic effort from the crew, but worse was to follow! A huge wave hit the side of the boat, soaking the crew and landing a large proportion of Atlantic Ocean over the skipper... not amused! I guess that will teach me for going on deck!"
De Lage Landen has also suffered in the heavy downwind conditions as skipper, Mat Booth, explains in is 0600 report.
"There's a saying in sailing, 'If you're thinking about it, do it' and sure enough it was proved right yesterday afternoon!
"After a full day sailing with our heavyweight spinnaker we'd made some good ground. As the evening began setting in I decided to drop to go to a poled out Yankee 2 as the sea state was increasing and the crew were struggling. I planned to write my position report to Clipper HQ then drop the spinnaker and go to white sails.
"I was sitting at the chart table, writing my update when the boat began heeling over. This was normal as the sea state was considerable. Calls of 'ease the sheet' and 'bear away' from deck didn't give me cause for concern as the guys on deck have become very competent spinnaker handlers.
"I became aware we were going to broach after a few seconds, they were not going to recover this time! Leaping up the companion way the priority was to ensure crew were safe and not going to go overboard – we run a rule of being clipped on most of the time and the crew were all fine. Getting my life jacket on to deal with the carnage it became quickly apparent we had snapped our port spinnaker pole.
"I called for all hands on deck and within a minute or so the other watch began appearing. What happened next makes me proud to be sailing with these guys – the crew work I witnessed was nothing short of spectacular. With my guidance the kite was quickly dropped, pole recovered and the mop up had begun – all very efficient and panic free.
"The good news is all crew are fine, the spinnaker is in one piece, nothing else got damaged and we got sailing again quickly. The bad news is the pole is now so we will have to be careful to nurse our intact pole though to Rio."
At the front of the fleet Gold Coast Australia and Singapore are in a fight for the lead, with Singapore's position further west just giving them the edge on the Australians this morning.
Singapore's skipper, Ben Bowley, says, "We've been pushing very hard for the last 24 hours and I think that this should translate into a very good improvement in our overall position and a sterling effort from the crew has enabled us to achieve this. The trade off has been an uncomfortable and fairly stressful night pressing on under spinnaker. The strong trade winds have been pushing us down the rhumb line at an amazing pace, at times reaching 18 knots surfing down waves and the speed rarely dropping below 12 knots."
Gold Coast Australia is pushing equally hard and is now considering their options: go for the Scoring Gate and the points on offer or take a faster route towards Rio in the hope that the team will secure more points by being the first across the finish line.
"The decision to go through the gate is still undecided due to its position in relation to the various pressure systems. A close eye is being kept on the barometer and the cloud formations ahead of us," says Aussie skipper, Richard Hewson.
"Our top speed recorded in the last 24 hours was 17.2 knots, which was very exciting and a good sign of things to come."
Derry-Londonderry arrives in Madeira at end of Clipper Race Leg
Derry-Londonderry has arrived in Madeira at the end of the first stage of the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race which began in Southampton on 31 July. The team crossed the line outside of Quinta Do Lorde Marina at 0210 local time (0110GMT) and despite a valiant effort to get on the podium the team finished the race in a respectable fourth place.
Derry celebrate arrival into Madeira. Photo: OnEdition
The battle for the final podium position was intense amongst five of the teams with only a handful of miles separating them over the last 24 hours of racing. In the end the American entry, New York, was able to hold their position at the front of the mid-fleet pack to take third place. Line honours in Race 1 went to Gold Coast Australia who came out victorious following a two-way battle for supremacy with Visit Finland. A tactical move east towards the coast of Portugal at the end of the 1,340-mile race enabled the Australian team to pull out a sizeable lead, forcing the Finns to settle for second place.
Shortly after the Northern Irish team pulled alongside at the Quinta Do Lorde Marina, skipper of Derry-Londonderry, Mark Light said, "It's brilliant to be here after ten days of racing. It was a shake down sail for all of us and everyone is now getting used to being on board. We raced very well and sailed really well as a team and could have taken third. In the end it was very close but we're pleased with fourth.
"The crew have all surprised me in that they've got used to everything so much quicker than I thought they would. The spinnaker work, the hoisting and dropping of sails... everything has worked really well. I can honestly say they've come on a lot more than I expected, even at this early stage."
Despite an excellent start out of the Solent at the beginning of the 40,000-mile race around the world, Derry-Londonderry and the nine other international teams taking part were caught out on the first night when the wind died, forcing the crews to drop their kedge anchors to prevent their boats going backwards with the tide. The fickle conditions continued until the teams entered the notorious Bay of Biscay which lived up to its reputation by delivering strong headwinds and lumpy seas. Eventually the trade winds kicked in as the fleet rounded Cape Finisterre and the crews were able to enjoy the fast downwind sailing conditions that the Clipper 68s are built for.
As with all ten teams taking part in Clipper 11-12, Derry-Londonderry's crew come from all walks of life, all ages and have different levels of sailing experience. 23-year-old Niall Boyle is one of five Derry City residents who have been chosen to take part in the race and will be an ambassador for the city, inviting visitors from around the world to experience Derry-Londonderry during 2013 when the city becomes the first UK City of Culture.
Speaking from the dockside, Niall said, "It's great to be finally in. The race itself was fantastic, full of ups and downs. We had a few times when we were making good progress on the other boats and catching them up, just to have the wind die on us and drift backwards. But on the whole it's been great, an unreal experience."
Joining the friends and family members of the crew to welcome Derry-Londonderry were representatives from Quinta Do Lorde Marina who have laid on a packed social programme for crews to enjoy during their short stopover. After the deep cleans and essential maintenance have taken place the crew will have some time to explore the beautiful island with a jeep tour and visit to the Madeira Wine Caves and a tour round the island's capital, Funchal City, where they will have the chance to sample the local cuisine and taste the Madeira wine that the island is renowned for. The crews will rejoin their boats on Friday 12 August for the next leg of the race across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is scheduled to start at 1630 local time (1530GMT).
Clipper 11-12 is the world's longest ocean race at 40,000 miles and started from Southampton on 31 July 2011. It will take the teams 12 months to complete and the remainder of the race course will take them from Madeira across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro and then on to Cape Town in South Africa, Geraldton in Western Australia, New Zealand, Australia's Gold Coast, Singapore, Qingdao in China, California, Panama, New York, Nova Scotia, Derry-Londonderry and Den Helder in the Netherlands. The race will make its triumphant return to the Solent on 22 July 2012.
Gold Coast Australia, one of two Australian teams competing in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race, has secured victory in the first race from Southampton to Madeira, crossing the finish line at 1237 local time (1137GMT). For the final part of the 1,340-mile leg it has been a two-way battle for supremacy between the Gold Coast entry and Visit Finland. The Finnish team are set to take second place and are expected to cross the finish line later this evening.
Shortly after the team pulled alongside at the Quinta Do Lorde Marina, skipper of Gold Coast Australia, 31-year-old Richard Hewson from Tasmania, said, "I feel fantastic and I'm very happy with our result. It's great to have a podium up on the board this early into the race. It's a great feeling."
When asked what the secret of the team's success was, the skipper replied, "Hard work at the start of the race; the crew and I spent a lot of time getting the boat ready and prepared. Tactics also played a big part, I was looking at the pressure and weather systems throughout the race and I saw a nice little bit of wind off the coast of Spain and Portugal and we basically headed over and got straight in to it. We had the kite up from then on, flying along at around 10 to 13 knots. And finally, the third secret to our success was the amount of training we put in. The crew trained really hard for this and they've definitely come a long way. Everyone had a go at helming on the way down and considering some of these guys have never sailed before their four weeks' training it's just an amazing achievement for everyone."
Despite an excellent start and leading the Clipper fleet out of the Solent at the beginning of the 40,000-mile race around the world, it hasn't been plain sailing for the east coast Australian entry. All the teams were caught out on the first night when the wind died, forcing the crews to drop their kedge anchors to prevent their boats going backwards with the tide. The fickle conditions continued and on day two Gold Coast Australia found themselves trapped in a wind hole and watched as the majority of the fleet sailed past. However, the competitive Aussie spirit never left them and they gradually fought their way back up the fleet until a decision to gybe east saw the team eventually steal the lead from Visit Finland.
As with all ten teams taking part in Clipper 11-12, Gold Coast Australia's crew come from all walks of life, all ages and have different levels of sailing experience. Lisa Blair is a 27-year-old shop assistant from Queensland's Sunshine Coast and has flown halfway round the world to take part in her challenge of a lifetime.
Speaking from the dockside, Lisa said, ""For me it really lived up to all my expectations. We were first off the line and had a slow couple of days when we were caught by a few wind holes but then there was the big catch up, falling from first to ninth place and then back up to first place again.
"Sailing through the Bay of Biscay was something I was really looking forward to, I'd read so much about it and it's such an infamous place and it really lived up to its reputation. We were freezing cold and miserable the whole time, but that's OK because when we got through there we just had pristine, perfect downwind sailing conditions, surfing waves. I surfed a wave at 15 knots so I was extremely happy with that.
"I feel great! How could you not feel great? Being able to represent my own state and come in first on the first race has really set the bar for the rest of the round the world race. So hopefully we'll pull in a few more firsts along the way."
Joining the friends and family members of the crew to welcome the team were representatives from Quinta Do Lorde Marina, the Madeira Wine Company and Madeira International Business Centre who have laid on a packed social programme for crews to enjoy during their short stopover. After the deep cleans and essential maintenance have taken place the crew will have some time to explore the beautiful island with a jeep tour and visit to the Madeira Wine Caves and a tour round the island's capital, Funchal City, where they will have the chance to sample the local cuisine and taste the Madeira wine that the island is renowned for. The crews will rejoin their boats on Friday 12 August for the next leg of the race across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is scheduled to start at 1630 local time (1530GMT).
Clipper 11-12 is the world's longest ocean race at 40,000 miles and started from Southampton on 31 July 2011. It will take the teams 12 months to complete and the remainder of the race course will take them from Madeira across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro and then on to Cape Town in South Africa, Geraldton in Western Australia, New Zealand, Australia's Gold Coast, Singapore, Qingdao in China, California, Panama, New York, Nova Scotia, Derry-Londonderry and Den Helder in the Netherlands. The race will make its triumphant return to the Solent on 22 July 2012.
Clipper Teams Enjoy Respite from Strong Winds
This question and the decisions taken are behind today's shake up at the top of the Race 1 leader board as Gold Coast Australia, which was at the head of the fleet 24 hours ago, plumps for the first option, while Visit Finland is sticking to the rhumb line in their quest to be the first to fly a yellow winner's pennant in Clipper 11-12.
"Who would have thought that yesterday morning we were smashing into 25 knots of wind with rain and not a glimpse of sun and this morning we are sailing downwind with 20 knots behind us in glorious sunshine... it's almost as good as being on the Gold Coast of Australia!" says skipper, Richard Hewson.
"Yesterday the tactical decision was made to gybe east towards land in a direction away from Madeira and head towards the Portuguese coast towards a developing wind belt between two pressure systems. The benefit of this is also to pick up stronger currents flowing south down the Portuguese coast.
"During the evening the decision was made to change from the heavy weight spinnaker to the medium weight. Alas, during the change some extensive chafing was noticed on the spinnaker halyards. After hoisting the medium spinnaker on the starboard halyard, the crew worked hard to re-splice cover onto the port halyard to prevent further chafing.
"At 0400 the wind backed to the north northwest and co-incidentally it was change of watch time and a perfect time to gybe back onto starboard and resume our course for Madeira.
"At the moment we are just off Lisbon on the west coast of Portugal and making good speed towards our destination. We will not know if our decision to cover the extra miles and head inshore has paid off until this morning's, or even this evening's sched (a sched is communication between the race fleet and the race office to notify them of our position). My guess is that at the moment the rest of the fleet are a lot further west to and closer Madeira as the crow flies. We will have to wait and see if our 'flyer' has paid off."
Have a look at the wind forecast on the race viewer on www.clipperroundtheworld.com, clicking through the next 12, 24 and 36 hours to see whether you think Gold Coast Australia's tactic is the correct one. The arrows show the direction and strength of the forecast wind.
Visit Finland is back in the lead and the team's navigator, Tomi Lintonen, also remarks on the difference in the conditions they now have. "What a contrast to the previous couple of nights!" he says. "Now we know that racing can sometimes feel luxurious. For a while it seemed that we would not be able to see the half-moon or the stars due to a band of clouds closing in from the west but after midnight we were treated to a friendly sight of hundreds (sorry, just hundreds, not millions) of stars. We were fortunate to have enough breeze to keep the lightweight spinnaker up all through the night - and it aided our fine ship in eating up the miles separating us from the pleasures of Madeira."
New York is maintaining pressure on Visit Finland and Gold Coast Australia and they, too, are enjoying the respite from the battering of the last two days.
Gareth Glover, skipper of the US entry, says, "The sea is still rolling a bit in the swells that the storm churned up and with the kite up, the helm and the trimmers were doing their best to squeeze out some low single digit knots. Talk turned to where the boats that sped down the coast were. They seem to have gained some distance but perhaps not that much towards the finish.
"The breeze was slightly better by evening and the crew settled down for a starry night of helming and trimming. Scorpio was just setting as the 10pm watch came on and Sirius appearing in the east was bright enough to throw a reflecting stream on the gentle seas... The dreads of last night seem so far away."
The podium places in this race are all there for the taking and Derry-Londonderry, Singapore and Welcome to Yorkshire are all in with a chance of claiming one - and they're all working hard to get there.
Mark Light, skipper of Derry-Londonderry, reports a night full of headsail changes. "We have gone from a beautiful sail with our medium weight spinnaker to poled-out Yankee 2, to windseeker and now to Yankee 1 as the breeze is now building from the west northwest.
"My crew are very proficient at most evolutions and are showing great confidence even at this early stage. I do give my watch leaders and assistants lots of responsibility and they have responded with lots of intelligent and pro-active answers. I'm no Einstein but my theory is: Crew Responsibility + Coaching + Confidence = (Fast Boat + Happy Boat) x Extra Sleep! I was never good at maths but I'm liking simultaneous equations more and more!"
While Mark has discovered a new skill for maths, on Welcome to Yorkshire it's gymnastics, according to skipper, Rupert Dean.
"Our lives have been transformed from being thrown around at 20 degrees to trying to coax life into lifeless sails on a flat deck - very difficult when the residual wind is overcome by confused, sloppy seas from the day before," he tells the race office this morning.
"Moving around the boat in these conditions is every bit as much of a challenge as in rough weather. For with lack of wind to induce a constant angle of heel, the boat moves unpredictably in the sloppy seas, making us all stumble around like drunken men. Some can cope with this better than others. Keith Pickering, for example, has found a unique way of getting across the boat quickly, which involves unannounced backflips. His latent gift for gymnastics was spotted when doing a back-flip across the deck, which impressed us all. No harm done, fortunately, but it does demonstrate the point that working on boats has its hazards. Needless to say, all on Welcome to Yorkshire send their condolences to Russell Sandbach on Geraldton Western Australia. It could have happened to anyone."
"It's been a calmer night in many ways for the crew on Geraldton Western Australia," says Juan Coetzer, skipper of the Western Australian yacht. "After our pit stop in Vigo we have enjoyed lighter winds on our journey south west to re-join the fleet. Below decks things are back to normal with everyone catching up on a bit of rest and adapting to our new watches following Russell's, hopefully brief, departure. He's planning to re-join us with Madeira cake and beer!"
He'll be heartened by all the messages of support on the Clipper Race Facebook page!
Reports from across the fleet this morning have an air of relief about them - none more so than from Singapore, whose skipper, Ben Bowley says, "We have seen a marked improvement in the weather and therefore the general mood aboard Singapore. The sun has been out, people are dry, the boat is stable and things can finally get clean and tidy. I feel that part of the joy of yachting is pulling through the really rough times when one really is at one's wits end and emerging the other side with a greater appreciation of life's simple pleasures. Such things as dry, clean clothes we tend to take for granted in everyday life whereas on a yacht they can be the greatest of luxuries. Having these deprivations at sea tends to change one's attitude to life when back ashore.
"In terms of our sailing performance over the last 24 hours, we started off very well, managing to hoist our heavy kite early in the day yesterday. The conditions were not ideal as there was a failing wind combined with a confused heavy sea, throwing the boat violently from side to side as if she were a child's toy in the bath, hence the choice of the heavy, more robust spinnaker. We were able to hold the kite well through the day until around mid-afternoon the halyard parted approximately ten metres from the top. The kite was recovered with no further damage and the Yankee 2 swiftly raised and poled out to allow us to still make good progress downwind.
"This is how we have been running for the last 12 hours, slowly, almost dead down wind, whilst we endeavour to put more chafe protection on the forward inboard end of the spreaders. Chafe is going to become the bane of our lives on these yachts with a lot of areas yet to be discovered the hard way and protected against. The wind has just backed round and come forward of the beam so currently Rotary watch are rigging for a change to the Yankee 1. Hopefully a day of close reaching toward Madeira in light, flat conditions will give the guys a chance to have a taste of how life aboard is to work for extended periods. Thermals and underwear are to be washed today, as are bodies, as we have finally dug out the solar showers purchased pre-departure. Hopefully we can finish the chafe protection on the spreaders before the wind comes aft again requiring the kite."
Chafing - where a rope rubs constantly against a piece of the metal rigging and wears through if you don't pick it up quickly enough - is also on the minds of the team on board Edinburgh Inspiring Capital.
Skipper, Gordon Reid, writes this morning, "The old saying that 'chafe is the enemy' was proven to be correct following our previous night flying towards Madeira. The crew are proving to be quite skilled at recognising as well as resolving any potential problems before they become problems and spent a large part of the day whipping lines and applying chafe protection to every surface of the boat that might give us a problem.
"They are all now in the solutions business... 'No problems, only solutions'. Sometimes solutions arrive without problems, it's great to watch! The standard and quality of the workmanship was very impressive and they whipped and spliced their way around the entire race yacht.
"Whilst all of this activity was underway we continued to tease every knot out of the yacht under spinnaker in sometimes light and fickle winds. Our patience paid out as the wind backed and filled once again we were rocking along under conventional headsails. The crew have found their inner tigers and want to roar!"
While, at the back of the fleet, Qingdao's dragon may not be roaring, the fire in her belly is not extinguished either. There are still more than 38,000 miles and 14 more races in Clipper 11-12 and, as is often said, it is a marathon not a sprint. Skills learned in difficult times will stand the team in good stead for the rest of their campaign.
Ian Conchie, skipper of Qingdao, says, "It's been a quiet-ish night; no reefing, no rain, no shipping. For once the only excitement we had was a broken strop on a spinnaker sheet! And a toast related fire alarm - all causing me interrupted sleep but no major drama. It's been a good 24 hours as we have kept the boat moving in pretty much the same direction, just praying for more wind to speed us on our way! If the forecast is right the wind should start to veer today and build to speed us down for the final push to Madeira!"
The first yachts are expected to arrive at Quinta do Lorde Marina on Tuesday 9 August.
Positions at 0900 UTC, Sunday 7 August
Boat DTF*
1 Visit Finland 459nm
2 New York 474nm (+15nm DTL*)
3 Gold Coast Australia 477nm (+18nm)
4 Derry-Londonderry 485nm (+26nm)
5 Welcome to Yorkshire 493nm (+34nm)
6 Singapore 497nm (+38nm)
7 De Lage Landen 520nm (+61nm)
8 Geraldton Western Australia 558nm (+99nm)
9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 567nm (+107nm)
10 Qingdao 607nm (+148nm)
*DTF = Distance to Finish, DTL = Distance to Leader
Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found at www.clipperroundtheworld.com.
Royal Navy to Start Clipper Race from Southampton
With one week to go until the gun fires to signal the start of the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race, the first global event to set off from the Solent since 2004, organisers are thrilled to welcome the Royal Navy's helicopter carrier, HMS Illustrious, which will attend the weekend's festivities in Southampton, culminating in the race start on Sunday 31 July.
Ireland is represented by the City of Derry entry. The race will stop there in its course around the world.
At 40,000 miles Clipper 11-12 is the world's longest yacht race and almost 500 people from all walks of life and representing more than 40 nations will take part, putting their everyday lives on hold to take on the challenge of a lifetime. More than 40 per cent of them had no sailing experience before beginning their rigorous pre-race training.
Commanding Officer of HMS Illustrious, Captain Jerry Kydd, said, "HMS Illustrious is delighted to be in Southampton to support the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. The Clipper Race stands for much of what the Royal Navy and Royal Marines hold dear: personal determination and fortitude, in dangerous and demanding conditions, where teamwork, resilience and a winning spirit overcome any challenge the crews may face on their adventure. On behalf of the officers and crew of HMS Illustrious, I wish all yachts and their crews the very best of luck for a safe and fast circumnavigation and a cracking race!"
Founder and Chairman of the Clipper Race, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world, said, "The Clipper Race has always had a very strong relationship with the Royal Navy and I am very pleased to welcome HMS Illustrious for the start of Clipper 11-12. She is part of the large maritime community of the south coast and I am very keen that as many members of that community as possible are able to enjoy this event which promises to be a quite spectacular sight."
Many boat owners and sailing enthusiasts will be joining the flotilla of spectator boats to watch the parade of sail in Southampton Water from 2.30pm – where the ten ocean racing yachts will sail in formation ahead of HMS Illustrious – before the race begins at 4.30pm from the historic Royal Yacht Squadron line.
HMS Illustrious will arrive in Southampton on Saturday 30 July and will be berthed at the QE2 Terminal. A raft of free, family friendly entertainment is taking place over the weekend in Ocean Village where the ten 68-foot yachts contesting Clipper 11-12 will be based. Live music will include sets by Southampton groups, Delays and Parade, as well as Toploader, who will headline on Friday night. As well as the live music on stage other entertainment in the Race Village will feature African dancers, acrobats, drummers and fire eaters plus a spectacular fireworks display on Saturday night.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit the race village between Thursday 28 July when the yachts arrive and Sunday 31 July when the teams will say an emotional farewell before setting off on their 12-month circumnavigation. The course will take them to 15 ports on six continents and across the largest and most ferocious expanses of water on the planet. Each of the colourful yachts bears the name of the city, region, country or company it represents.
Southampton City Council and MDL Marinas, owner of Ocean Village Marina where the yachts will be berthed, are working in partnership to host the Clipper 11-12 race start, the eighth edition of the event established by Sir Robin to give people from all walks of life the opportunity to take part in the life-changing experience of ocean racing.
As the official host port for the race start Southampton can expect a significant economic return from the tens of thousands of visitors expected to visit the city over the four days the fleet will be in Southampton, delivering millions of pounds worth of revenue for local businesses.
The Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race will start from the historic maritime city of Southampton on the south coast of England on Sunday 31 July 2011. At 40,000 miles the event is the world's longest sailing race and will take the ten identical 68-foot ocean racing yachts almost a year to complete their circumnavigation of the globe.
Ireland has an entry in the race sponsored by the City of Derry.
Southampton City Council and MDL Marinas, owner of Ocean Village Marina where the yachts will be berthed, are working in partnership to host the Clipper 11-12 race start. It will be an atmospheric, colourful affair as crews bid an emotional farewell to family and friends at a shore-based ceremony before a stunning parade of sail by the yachts as they head to the start line.
It is the first time since 2004 that a round the world yacht race has started from the iconic sailing grounds of the Solent and promises to provide a breath taking spectacle for spectators both on the water and watching from the shore.
Southampton will be the fifth UK venue to host the race start. The Clipper Race celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and first set off from Plymouth in 1996. Two editions later the fleet started from Portsmouth before moving to Liverpool for the subsequent three races and then to the Humber on the UK's north east coast.
As the official host port for the race start Southampton can expect a significant economic return from the tens of thousands of visitors expected to visit the city over the four days the fleet will be in Southampton, delivering millions of pounds worth of revenue for local businesses.
This will be the eighth edition of this unique event which is 'raced by people like you'. More than 500 people from all walks of life and representing more than 40 nationalities will take part. Around 40 per cent of them had never set foot on a boat before beginning the compulsory pre-race training to prepare them for the gruelling challenge of racing across the world's fiercest oceans.
The race was created by British sailing legend, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world. Since the first edition in 1996 almost 3,000 people have taken advantage of the opportunity to race across oceans in a challenge unlike any other.
Sir Robin says, "Fewer people have raced around the world than have climbed Mount Everest; it remains one of life's great challenges and experiences. Over the last 15 years we have discovered the power of the race to change not only the lives of our crews, but we have also seen it transform perceptions and prospects for the participating global cities, regions and countries.
"The Clipper Race creates a powerful platform at ports of call around the world where our destination sponsors and their partners can network together to develop international trade, promote tourism and celebrate culture."
Each of the ten yachts is sponsored by a city, state, country or company who leverage their participation with trade, tourism and cultural programmes, building on successful pilot initiatives which have seen deals done, trade agreements signed, tourism enquiries generated, universities promoted, knowledge exchanged, cultures shared and powerful economic impact generated on top of extensive international media attention. Clipper 09-10 was seen by a cumulative global audience of more than half a billion people.
Sir Robin adds, "I am particularly pleased that Southampton is to host the start of Clipper 11-12 and that for the first time in many years the very active sailing community in the Solent will be able to be part of a round the world yacht race."
Councillor Royston Smith, Leader of the Council, said, "Southampton City Council is proud to be supporting this race. This internationally renowned event will attract tens of thousands of people of all nationalities to Southampton, generating millions of pounds for the local economy. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase all that Southampton has to offer to an international audience. Southampton's reputation as a destination of choice is growing, and events like this will only enhance that reputation further. We are also a centre of maritime and marine innovation – a fitting location for the start of this race."
In the build up to the start of the race the fleet will be based in Ocean Village, Southampton, and high profile events for international delegations to the event will also be held in the city.
Dean Smith, Marketing Director at MDL Marinas, commented, "We are delighted that Ocean Village Marina has been selected as the official host port for this phenomenal race and are really looking forward to bringing together thousands of people to celebrate the landmark event. It really is great that this year's race will start from the renowned boating haven of Southampton, which is synonymous with ocean racing, with Ocean Village playing host to round the world races starts and finishes for the likes of Whitbread and Challenge, as well as arrivals from Ellen MacArthur and Dee Caffari. The whole team at MDL is looking forward to looking after the fleet at the marina before cheering them on as they set sail on 31 July."
Already confirmed for Clipper 11-12 are the Keppel Corporation-sponsored Singapore and, representing China's Olympic sailing city, Qingdao, both entering the race for the fourth time. Qingdao is twinned with Southampton. Returning for their second appearance are Visit Finland, backed by the Finnish Tourist Board, and the Scottish entry, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital. And, making their debut in the race, are Derry-Londonderry, celebrating their status as UK City of Culture 2013, and De Lage Landen, the global provider of asset-based financing programmes, which will race under the Dutch flag. The names of the remaining four yachts will be revealed in the coming weeks ahead of the race start.
The international fleet will visit 14 ports on six continents during the 12-month race. Starting from Southampton the route takes them to Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, the west and east coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Qingdao, California, New York, Nova Scotia, Derry-Londonderry and the Netherlands before returning to the south coast on 22 July 2012.
A few places are still available for people wishing to take part in Clipper 11-12 and berths are now released for Clipper 13-14 and beyond. Participants must be 18 years old and over and there is no upper age limit. No sailing experience is required. For more information visit the official race website: www.clipperroundtheworld.com
Clipper Yacht Derry-Londonderry to be Officially Welcomed to City During Foyle Days Festival
The Derry-Londonderry yacht, skipper and crew will be visiting the city from 20-22 May 2011 ahead of the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
At 40,000-miles Clipper 11-12 is the world's longest yacht race and will get underway from the south coast of England on 31 July. Derry-Londonderry will host a stopover for all ten of the 68-foot yachts in July 2012.
The crews are drawn from all walks of life – 'people like you' – and in Clipper 11-12 will represent more than 40 nationalities. Almost half of them have never sailed before embarking on their pre-race training to prepare them for the gruelling challenge ahead.
Skipper, Mark Light, and his crew will be officially welcomed to the city during the Foyle Days Festival by the Mayor, Cllr Colum Eastwood.
There are a number of media opportunities during the yacht visit including interviews with skipper and crew and guided tours on board.
Thursday 19 May
Derry-Londonderry is due to arrive in the River Foyle in the afternoon/evening.
11.00 Cllr Colum Eastwood meets with crew and skipper on board Derry-Londonderry.
12.00 Official Welcome, first floor, Timber Quay, The Riverfront.
Speakers: Mayor, Cllr Colum Eastwood, Clipper Race Director Jonathan Bailey.
Followed by Derry-Londonderry yacht for photo and filming opportunities including breaking champagne over the bow of the boat, on board tours, interviews with skipper, crew and race director.
Sunday 22 May
12.30 Blessing of Derry-Londonderry yacht, service to be conducted the Church Leaders from the city. Foyle Pontoon, Queen's Quay.
14.00 Derry-Londonderry leaves dock to lead Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners Open Cruiser Race from Derry-Moville and head back to sea.
