Clipper 09-10 R5: Avoiding fishing boats & nets, reefs and volcanoes

12:42 AM Thu 14 Jan 2010 GMT

'Krakatoa and its son Ana erupting' Clipper Ventures PLC &copy

'As far as the crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt are concerned the sailing we had yesterday was probably the most exciting of the entire race so far,' says the team's skipper Pete Stirling. They are not alone as all the teams are unanimous in their belief that the racing over the last 24-hours has been the most varied and exciting to date.

'A very close nights racing has been the highlight so far on this leg for everyone here on Qingdao,' says Chris Stanmore-Major. Uniquely Singapore's skipper, Jim Dobie agrees, saying, 'Wow what a ride! The last 24 hours have been full of excitement. Wind squalls of 40 knots, volcanoes, islands, all types of shipping and oil fields.'

At the head of the fleet the three front runners are battling it out for supremacy. A steady 20-30 knots of wind was blowing from the north-west when Spirit of Australia, Jamaica Lightning Bolt and Cape Breton Island became engaged in a tacking duel in their final approaches to the Sunda Straits.

Jamaica Lightning Bolt's report to the race office gives a taste of just how close it was. 'At the 0600 UTC position report we were nine miles behind Spirit of Australia and four miles behind Cape Breton Island,' says Pete. 'Six hours later we had overtaken Cape Breton Island and were only three miles behind Spirit of Australia. Now 24 hours on they are just two miles ahead of us and both teams are pushing as hard as they can to get the absolute maximum speed out of their yachts.'

Cape Breton Island's skipper, Jan Ridd, is relieved to finally have some significant wind to race in, saying, 'We have enjoyed some nice fast sailing in a decent breeze, which after the frustration of the light airs off Indonesia is a great relief. The only downside at the moment is that we are crashing through waves which mean all hatches have to be kept shut; this has turned our boat into a giant oven, which we are all melting in.'

Qingdao has also been racing in company as the fight to gain the advantage in the middle of the fleet has been equally intense.

'As we approached the entrance to the Sunda Staits it became apparent that we were not alone in the darkness,' says Chris. 'Faint stars on the horizon dropped lower and lower until two resolved themselves into red top lights on yacht masts the height of which we are all too practised to look for. Uniquely Singapore and Hull & Humber fell into a tight formation with us and we entered the straits in good company racing hard for the advantage.'

Determined to stay ahead of their Asian rivals and move into a podium position, the crew on Uniquely Singapore are now in their element. 'The wind is on the beam and we are reaching a steady nine to ten knots,' says Jim. 'It's fantastic to be sailing again after the last few days of little to no wind. Uniquely Singapore has always sailed best in the breeze so now she can smell her home port, she is doing her best to fly home.'

Hull & Humber is hot on their heels and the team's skipper, Piers Dudin, believes that although his team is currently lying in ninth place that there is every chance of moving up the leader board before Race 5 comes to a close.

'Not such a great 24 hours as the top five boats got away from us again,' admits Piers. 'But we're on the case, heavy kite reaching in a flat and fast Java Sea. It's still all to play for and the standings will keep changing right till the final whistle!'

Team Finland is holding on to fifth place at the moment and skipper, Rob McInally's report from the boat gives some indication as to why fortunes can change so quickly amongst the fleet.

'After our windless time getting to the Sunda Straits we had a thirty five knot reach before we entered Selat Panaitan,' says Rob. 'The wind then died away because we were being shielded by the land and we put up our spinnaker up and made for the dodgems experience through the fishing vessels and ferries. During these night time manoeuvres one of our cloud friends came along and gave us the wash of a lifetime. We decided to take the spinnaker down and so Andy Philips went to the end of the pole. He later said that as he turned to acknowledge our readiness for the drop he realised he could not see the boat mast or indeed the majority of the pole he was sat on.'

Ahead of the Finnish entry, things have been just as varied and interesting on board Cork as skipper Richie Fearon explains. 'We've had it all in the last 24 hours! Zero wind to severe gale force winds, monsoon to clear blue skies, upwind, reaching and then downwind with the spinnaker - our entire sail wardrobe has been used except for the storm sails. We've had ocean sailing to inshore sailing avoiding boats, reefs and even volcanoes!'

The volcano to which he is referring is Krakatoa but unfortunately as the majority of the teams passed under the cover of darkness they were unable to appreciate its true majesty.

'The excitement of seeing Krakatoa was high,' says Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's skipper Matt Pike, one of the few teams to pass the volcano during daylight hours. 'But unfortunately we passed her at 10 knots on our ear in torrential rain! Five miles on we slowed to a snails pace but still we couldn't see her! Heavy rain is one thing but in a 3.7 nautical mile wide busy shipping channel going blind brings on a whole new meaning. Sat glued to the radar, finding targets and tracking them is fine until a squall comes through so thick that as it makes tracking the ships virtually impossible. The resulting radio chat leaves us feeling no more secure, but once past the narrows we breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately so does the wind, and there we sit watching the dawn rise and the ferries pass, until there she is, Krakatoa in all her glory.'

Positions at 1200 UTC, Wednesday 13 January
(DTF = Distance to Finish, *DTL = Distance to Leader)
1 Spirit of Australia 468nm
2 Cape Breton Island 471nm 3nm
3 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 472nm 4nm
4 Cork 486nm 18nm
5 Team Finland 498nm 30nm
6 California 523nm 55nm
7 Uniquely Singapore 528nm 60nm
8 Qingdao 532nm 64nm
9 Hull & Humber 534nm 66nm
10 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 618nm 150nm

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by Clipper Ventures Media