2:31 AM Fri 6 Nov 2009 GMT
It may be Bonfire Night in the UK but it's unlikely we'll see any fireworks out on the race track today. The fantastic high speed sailing all of the teams have been enjoying over the last 24 to 48 hours are likely to drop off during the next day or two.
'It's some of the most exciting sailing I have done, these last 24 hours,' says Brendan Hall, skipper of Spirit of Australia. 'The heavyweight spinnaker is flying strong from the masthead and we are achieving some amazing speeds, helped by the gathering swell. We surfed down a wave and did 17.5 knots last night, to whoops of exhilaration from all the crew on deck. Long may it continue.'
'Twelve, 13,14,16,18 knots!' went the cheer as Detlef steered us down a long wave,' reports Jim Dobie, skipper of Uniquely Singapore. 'What a night, starting with six to seven hours of downwind surfing with the heavyweight in pitch black conditions so, not being able to see the waves, the guys had to steer by feeling the motion of Uniquely Singapore through the helm. This is a skill that can't be taught, rather developed with experience. It's incredible, really, thinking that some of the crew still only have weeks of sailing under their belts. Then, as the swell picked up and it became more difficult, the heavyweight came down and poled out headsail was the order for the early hours.'
Cape Breton Island's skipper, Jan Ridd, has been enjoying the conditions as well. 'In the last 48 hours the wind's been doing a bit of everything,' he says. 'Yesterday we were flying the heavyweight kite. It was quite hot and, as the day went on, the wind went aft nicely and increased. After lunch the wind jumped to 30 knots so I took stock, gave the helm a break, and enjoyed surfing down some nice swells. We considered dropping it but the boat speed was so good we decided to hold on to it and the crew of Cape Breton Island successfully sailed the big blue canoe all afternoon in winds gusting to 38 knots and a very nasty sea - they were awesome! We had a three-hour run when the wind was at its strongest of 42nm with an hour run of 16nm.
'Overnight we were running with a poled out Number 2 but after a couple of hours the wind had dropped so we set about hoisting the medium kite. But as the kite was being hoisted the wind swung around and was now on the nose. Luckily the wool on the kite hadn't broken so we were able to pack it back into the bag. We quickly hoisted the staysail and trimmed sails and set about clearing up! The crew were awesome, very competent and put in a lot of hard work in a short time. Now we're heeled over again on a fine reach with a Force 5 and doing good boat speed.'
The teams have been able to ride the crest of the South Atlantic low pressure system that swept below their position but, as that low passes through, it will be payback time.
Race Director Joff Bailey has been studying the weather files that are sent to the boats and explains, 'A high pressure ridge has dropped down behind the low pressure system as it moves off to the east and it looks like a small high pressure cell will develop below the fleet during the next 24 hours. This will give the majority of the fleet some medium strength headwinds over the next day or so, but it will also be a cruel blow to the teams at the back as it looks like they will get the worst of the headwinds and for longer, which means the leading teams will further extend their lead.'
Out in front, pressed hard by Cork, Ireland and Uniquely Singapore, Hull & Humber continues to hold her lead over the fleet and 'it's been a blitzing 24-hour run' for the English team, according to skipper, Piers Dudin.
'We had a kite hoist at 8am, loads of fast running all day, 12 knots averages over six-hour periods. During the night we expected a wind shift behind us, a moderate front and no moon for the first two hours, so we prudently dropped the kite to head on under poled out Number 2,' he says.
'There's been some excellent helming in tricky conditions, especially from Bex M, effortlessly, driving Hull & Humber down the waves charging us eastwards. There's a bit of a break on the cards now for 24 hours and it will be trim, trim, trim as we reach across the South Atlantic.'
For the time being the winds are keeping the teams on their toes and Team Finland is not alone in having to perform evolution after evolution as the conditions dictate.
'I shouldn't complain,' says the Cape Town-based Finnish skipper, Eero Lehtinen. 'We have had plenty of wind and daily runs have been very good. But some sort of consistency in the direction of the wind and sea state would be appreciated. Again, we had gusts over 30 knots, waves rolling from multiple directions and suddenly boat out of control. So down comes the spinnaker, our smart tripping line saves us from too much drama once again and the sail is in one piece when it gets repacked. Now, it's time for the Yankee 2 to be poled out, so the sail must be hoisted but, before that can be done, the spinnaker anti-wrap net must come down. Then the pole comes down to be set for this different purpose, then up again and raised higher at the mast before gybing the Yankee over to the pole end. The staysail also goes up to give extra balance and horse power. Quite a session in the dark and damp night, only to realise that now the wind direction has changed and it's time to gybe! Gybe the main, gybe the Yankee, hoist the staysail and find out that wind has dropped and actually the spinnaker could be hoisted again!
'I suppose we didn't give enough of the Benromach 10 Year Old to King Neptune... Before we got the spinnaker up the wind shifted another 45 degrees and we're now reaching east with white sails!'
As the low pressure moves eastwards the winds will die for the tail enders first and they will have to watch as the leaders pull away from them. But the skippers and tacticians only have to look about 72 hours to the west and they will see stronger westerly winds approaching, which the tail enders will pick up first, and which will once again see all of the teams continue their relentless march towards Cape Town.
'It's been a very wet night with that lovely fine drizzle all night, the kind that absolutely soaks you and never lets up, but we are still having fun, regardless,' reports California's skipper, Pete Rollason. 'We've got good wind and good boat speed. We have just gybed as the wind is backing and, looking at the weather, we have some heavy beating to come over the next 48 hours. The crew are confident that they can make some good gains during the upwind sailing as they are really focused on sail trim and helming.'
Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's skipper, Matt Pike, says, 'It looks like we're just too late for the latest weather window and will spend the next two days beating. We've had some great sailing with the big kite, the crew gybing it across in one swift motion. No longer does each step need to be ordered, in fact there is little sound other than calls of 'made' as the new pole is in position and the ever present noise of water running past the hull at 11 knots. All was good until 2300 when the cry went up that the halyard had gone and at once Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's crew showed how much they have learned since the start of the race.
'It's dark, the wind is a constant 25 to 30 knots and we're now dragging our largest kite in the water. From the halyard snapping to having it retrieved and down below, the new heavyweight brought up on deck, hanked on, raised, set and trimmed so the boat was speed was back over ten knots was just under nine and half minutes! The sewing machine is already at work on the three small rips. What a team!'
From the outset of their compulsory pre-race Clipper Training the crews learn the value of teamwork - from performing racing headsail changes to problem solving following an incident such as happened on board the Scottish boat last night. Safety procedures are also drummed in, drill after drill after drill, to ensure the crews are equipped to deal with every eventuality on board.
The Clipper Race skippers are at the top of their game, some of the best professionals in the industry, and the training does not stop once the race starts. Qingdao's skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major likes to keep testing his crew and last night gave them an unannounced man overboard drill - in part to remind them of the dangers of ocean racing and also as a highly effective team bonding exercise.
He says, 'The crews of the Clipper Race come from all walks of life, have huge life experience to draw on and the sense and focus to become expert in all aspects of driving their boats as hard as possible but it's interesting to see who they are when the chips are down. As an individual you never know who you are unless you challenge yourself - that is, indeed, why many of the crew are here.'
Last night the crew initially thought the exercise was for real and it served as a valuable reminder of the importance of teamwork, the need to think clearly in a crisis and the trust each crew member places in his colleagues. As Chris concludes, 'This morning on Qingdao something has changed; as the dawn breaks the gloves are off. Everyone knows for sure who they are entrusting their safety to.'
Positions At 0900 UTC, Thursday 5 November
(DTF = Distance to Finish, DTL = Distance to Leader)
1 Hull & Humber DTF 1746
2 Cork DTF 1755 DTL +9
3 Uniquely Singapore DTF 1759 DTL +12
4 Team Finland DTF 1811 DTL +64
5 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 1829 DTL +83
6 Qingdao DTF 1858 DTL +111
7 Spirit of Australia DTF 1866 DTL +120
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 1928 DTL +182
9 California DTF 1949 DTL +203
10 Cape Breton Island DTF 2012 DTL +265
www.clipperroundtheworld.com
.
by Clipper Ventures Media
|
Valentine, Lake Macquarie, NSW
Foiling - Wind Wing Foilboards
Foiling - Windsurfing Foilboards
Foiling - SUP Foilboards
Kitesurfing - Kites