10:15 PM Wed 30 Sep 2009 GMT
Clipper 09-10: Race 2 - Day 9 report.
'Not our most productive 24 hours.' That's the verdict of Hull & Humber skipper, Piers Dudin, following his team's undercover period in stealth mode - an option open to all the teams to 'hide' from their competitors in order to gain a tactical advantage.
Explaining what went wrong, Piers says, 'As far as stealth mode went, the stealthiest thing that happened was that the off watch managed to hijack the boat from the on watch with a cunning midnight offensive launched from the forepeak hatch, crawling down the deck, all in camouflage, in complete silence. Inspired. Unfortunately our pace on the water was hampered by lack of wind and wind shifts counting against us. Having chosen to head inshore round La Palma island we were soon headed (unfavourable wind shift)and saw Spirit of Australia sail round the outside of the island 5 nm offshore, where we should have been, whilst we had to tack round the north corner.
'Still, spirits are high and we're looking forward to our next tussle with Spirit of Australia to make the scoring gate in a day or two's time. Not too concerned about Team Finland's progress as the weather charts show plenty of wind for us and very light conditions for them, we hope.'
The Boxing Kangaroo is ready for the next round. 'The last 24 hours have been a frustrating and nerve-wracking time,' says Spirit of Australia's skipper, Brendan Hall. 'Our game of cat and mouse with the stealthed Hull & Humber kept us scanning the horizon and the light winds kept us focussed on trimming light airs trim. We were chuffed to see them behind us when they re-emerged from stealth. It's all on for the scoring gate.'
The entire fleet is experiencing very light winds, with the exception of California. They have been caught by the edge of the depression affecting the winds in the area and now have up to 30 knots on the nose. They'll have to work hard to get out of the position they're in.
Skipper Pete Rollason says, 'The elusive wind that we have been hunting finally made an appearance and has been steadily growing ever since. We are currently sailing along in 30 knots of wind. If only it was from anywhere but the direction we wish to go. Always the way, too little or too much!!
Looking at the weather files it does look as though the majority of the fleet will be becalmed over the next 48 hours so it is our intention to push the boat hard in order to move up the rankings.'
Race Director, Joff Bailey, says, 'The winds for the majority of the fleet are forecast to remain light over the next few days. The teams in the west will probably get some wind forward of the beam but this may not be a bad thing as this will help the apparent wind strength and increase their speed.
'Over the next 24 hours we will see what each of the teams plans to do with the scoring gate and those valuable extra points available to the first three boats to cross the gate. The angles and wind strengths aren't favourable for Team Finland and they're not very well positioned for the gate. They may decide to go for the overall race win and miss out the gate altogether. I think it's likely that the three boats that were leading until 24 hours ago will still go for the gate.'
Team Finland's skipper, Eero Lehtinen, is not giving much away about his team's plans. He says, 'The Blue Finn sails have been happily filled while most of the fleet has been on a hold at Canaries or north of them. We found a slippery gap between Gran Canaria and Lanzarote/Fuerteventura. Having studied a few models of the passage through the Canaries I had four or five different scenarios for how to negotiate the islands. The one we picked was supposed to be the by far least likely one but was the case for 'when trade winds fail'. And believe us they have now failed, we are also struggling to move, it's life on the eggshells onboard Team Finland.'
The testing conditions have been a great training ground for the crews of the ten yachts. They come from all walks of life and, for many of them their first taste of life on an ocean racing yacht was when they embarked on their pre-race training.
'It is very noticeable how quickly the crew have become proficient at sail handling,' says Jan. During the night there were numerous sail changes as the wind built and dropped and swung around but all were completed with a smooth competence that was a joy to see!'
On board Uniquely Singapore they've been putting that training into practice. 'The guys have just finished a racing headsail change from the number 1 yankee down to the number 2,' says skipper, Jim Dobie. 'It's strange that this will have been their first upwind headsail change for quite a while now, but the good news is we have wind, it's increasing and we are holding a fairly decent course.
'I think everyone needed this after yesterday when we tracked other yachts going past further inshore as we sat in no wind and then only very slowly did it build in the evening.'
As Race Director, Joff Bailey, says, 'With the Cape Verde Islands, the Doldrums, the Equator, the South Atlantic High and more than 3,000 nautical miles of ocean still to sail, this race is far from over.
POSITIONS AT 1200UTC, WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER
1 Team Finland DTF 3398
2 Spirit of Australia DTF 3413 DTL +15
3 Hull & Humber DTF 3439 DTL +40
4 Qingdao DTF 3463 DTL +65
5 Cork DTF 3464 DTL +66
6 Uniquely Singapore DTF 3528 DTL +129
7 Cape Breton Island DTF 3534 DTL +135
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 3569 DTL +171
9 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 3575 DTL +177
10 California DTF 3641 DTL +242
(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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