11:24 PM Sun 4 Oct 2009 GMT
Clipper 09-10. Race 2, Day 13. A salutary lesson for the skipper and crew of Qingdao yesterday - mistakes at sea can be costly.
In this case, an error in entering the location of the eastern limit of the scoring gate and subsequent failure to double check the data cost them the two points they thought they had won in reaching the gate ahead of Hull & Humber. In an event as closely contested as the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race this could be the difference between overall victory and going home empty handed when the 35,000-mile challenge ends in the Humber on 17 July 2010.
It was Qingdao's skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major's 32nd birthday yesterday but he had little to celebrate as, too late, he realised his mistake.
'The worst of it was that we have made a number of sacrifices in fleet position to hit the mark and we could easily have made it had we spotted the error earlier. The mood during the briefing at lunch was sombre but, once the initial shock subsided, the crew, as is their way, immediately started to see the positive side: 'Well at least we got ourselves back to the west;' 'We're in a good position as we knew we would be;' 'We don't have the points but we can still push for a podium position.'
'Personally, I feel empty. It is not the end of the world, true, but all things that happen on Qingdao are my responsibility and, as the skipper, everything should be checked and double checked down to the letter, down to the second, down to the decimal.
'I will recover in time, of course. How could I not with such a positive crew? But a great lesson has been learnt and it is one that I presume is best learnt early in this race. This time it is a virtual mark in the middle of nowhere. Some wounded pride and two points lost. But the sea is not so forgiving - she will always exact the full penalty for any error made, professional or not, and ignorance is not a defence. I am reminded in timely fashion that my job as skipper is to teach, to command, to lead and ultimately to stand as the defence between my crew and the sea.'
Hull & Humber takes the two points, which have been added to their overall score, lifting them from sixth to fifth on the leader board.
The final point could ultimately bring some consolation to California whose crew is still struggling to break free of the vice-like grip of the wind hole that has held the team in its jaws for so long.
Pete Rollason, skipper of the US entry says, 'It has been a frustrating night with the wind picking up then dying, picking up then dying. Numerous sail changes have ensued and we are slowly making progress toward some steady north easterly winds. This route should also take us through the scoring gate to potentially take the remaining one point on offer which could make a lot of difference later in the race. The chase for the leading pack is just starting.'
At the front Team Finland's skipper, Eero Lehtinen is only too aware of the tenuous hold they have on their current placing.
'We will have to spend our lead on the water wisely to position ourselves as safely as possible in relation to entering Doldrums and covering the rest of the fleet,' he explains. 'The bungee cord effect will be rather visible the coming week as the speeds and angles will vary a lot and at times the chasing pack will be making nice gains while the following day it might be the case of the rich getting richer.
'We will now receive more frequent weather data until all of us are through the fluky ITCZ (Doldrums) zone and hopefully our next files will confirm that we might be entering the zone at a rather lucky time.
'But let's not get excited yet. My two previous experiences of Doldrums this time of the year were both devastating. As foredeck crew on board the 82-foot IOR maxi Union Bank of Finland in the 1989/90 edition of the Whitbread Race I had no responsibility for navigation or decisions made but, even so, it was traumatic to see the fleet sail away from us as we were parked up for days in the hopelessly calm and variable conditions. Five years ago as a skipper in the Global Challenge we were nearly in tears when watching our nice pre-Doldrums lead evaporate and first place changing to a disappointing 7th in the fleet of 12. So, I am prepared for the worst while hoping for a 'third time lucky' experience.'
Team Finland has made the move to the west, aiming for the westerly side of the Cape Verde Islands. The Race Viewer shows Cork, Spirit of Australia, and Jamaica Lightning Bolt all following suit.
Peter Stirling is cagey about Jamaica's routing plans for the next few days. 'So as not to give away our tactics to the competition it is, for the moment, classified information for the eyes of those on board only. We are making a steady 10-12 knots boat speed under full mainsail and heavyweight spinnaker in 20-25 knots of true wind. Hopefully we should be able to put a few extra miles between us and the boats behind us before we run into the dreaded Doldrums!'
Cork is flying her medium weight kite and skipper Richie Fearon reports his crew are in high spirits with 'good, steady sailing in steady winds.'
But their lack of a heavy weight spinnaker, which was seriously damaged in a wrap early on in this race, may count against them. At least, that's what Spirit of Australia's skipper, Brendan Hall, hopes.
He says, 'Another day of champagne trade wind sailing, great speeds and calm seas. We're trimming like demons in an attempt to catch Cork and overtake them before the Cape Verdes. Without their heavyweight spinnaker, we know they have fewer options than us, so hopefully that will play into our hands.'
Indeed, at the midday sched, the Aussie boat had slid past the Irish entry, nosing ahead into second place.
Don't discount mid-fleet Hull & Humber and Cape Breton Island just yet, either. They have been investing heavily in improving the skills of their crew for long term gain and both skippers are reporting great progress.
Jan Ridd, skipper of Cape Breton Island, says, 'Helming has dramatically improved, so much so that I have actually had a decent bit of sleep. We are continually managing better 12-hour mileage than most of the fleet, which is showing in our position. The crew have Cork firmly in their sights and are not letting off at all, continually trimming and communicating between helm and trimmers.'
Hull & Humber's skipper, Piers Dudin, says, 'We've been testing the light and medium kites at some pretty tight wind angles which we've found productive. Basically the same technique we reckon Spirit of Australia used to get away from us.
'Our two points for the scoring gate were well received. Our next goal is to get back up there to at least third place. Loads of miles in which to do it and plenty of opportunities all the way.'
While for the most part the teams are now enjoying some steady winds, California is not the only team frustrated by the lack of it.
'The guys are squeezing out as much speed as we possibly can from very light wind conditions. It's still frustrating sailing as the trade winds aren't being very helpful at the moment. It seems like ages since we have had a decent breeze,' says Jim Dobie, skipper of Uniquely Singapore.
And Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's Matt Pike says, 'We're still chasing our wind river south to the Cape Verde Islands but, after so many false starts, is it really there? As soon as it starts to build it drops again. Frustrated helms try their best to gain momentum and speed - not easy as all the wind has done is produce a swell rocking the boat and shaking the last of the breeze out of the sails!'
POSITIONS AT 1200UTC, SATURDAY 3 OCTOBER
1 Team Finland DTF 2746
2 Spirit of Australia DTF 2879 DTL +133
3 Cork DTF 2880 DTL +134
4 Cape Breton Island DTF 2949 DTL +204
5 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 2960 DTL +215
6 Hull & Humber DTF 3008 DTL +263
7 Qingdao DTF 3016 DTL +270
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 3071 DTL +325
9 Uniquely Singapore DTF 3099 DTL +353
10 California DTF 3313 DTL +568
(DTF = Distance to Finish, DTL = Distance to Leader)
Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found at
www.clipperroundtheworld.com
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by Clipper event media
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