Clipper Race: GREAT Britain clinches line honors in Western Australia

(November 25, 2013) – GREAT Britain has crossed the finish line into Albany, Western Australia ahead of Henri Lloyd to clinch its second consecutive win, following a dramatic and close fought 5000 miles race in a challenging Leg through the Southern Ocean from Cape Town, South Africa in the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race.

GREAT Britain crossed the line at 13.32:48 local time (UTC+8). Henri Lloyd crossed the finish line 27 minutes later in front of Albany Waterfront Marina at 13:59 local time with crowds cheering on the teams in front of the breakwater.

GREAT Britain Skipper Simon Talbot celebrated the win with his crew and will also be awarded the Kinjarling Cup by the City of Albany. He said: “That was so emotional I had tears in my eyes as we crossed the finish line. We are absolutely delighted as it was such a tough race and we really didn’t expect to win.

“We had our fair share of dramas, particularly when we were knocked down by a big wave and crew morale took a hit, but we picked up the pace again. The crew is a winning crew and really knows how to perform.

“In the last 48 hours there has been just three miles between us and Henri Lloyd, and after a squall we did a double manoeuvre and managed to stay ahead until the finish.”

The close finish followed a particularly brutal and dramatic Southern Ocean crossing. Early on in the race, two boats had to divert and medevac off injured crew after exceptionally strong wind speeds with gusts in excess of 90 miles per hour lashed the fleet, providing dramatic surfs and towering waves as it headed south through the Indian Ocean’s Agulhas Current into the Roaring Forties of the Southern Ocean. Every two to three days, the yachts were hit by new low pressure systems which made for an epic and particularly challenging Leg.

Henri Lloyd Skipper Eric Holden is defending his team’s position at the top of the overall leader board and kept up the pressure to the very end.

He commented: “It’s been a very challenging but rewarding race. Everyone feels like they have achieved a real accomplishment.

“It was a close battle with GREAT Britain, and when a squall hit two days ago and they gybed away, our kite got doused which slowed us down and they got away and we couldn’t catch them. To win, you risk equipment damage and we have none so are really happy.”

The third podium place goes to OneDLL , currently expected to cross the finish line around 1830 local, with Qingdao anticipated in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time .

The remainder of the fleet will arrive in Albany Waterfront Marina over the next three days.

Race 5 to Sydney will start on Tuesday, 3 December.

The fleet’s progress can be tracked through the Clipper Race Viewer at www.clipperroundtheworld.com/raceviewer

Expected arrival times for the fleet are currently as follows:

Team ETA Albany Waterfront Marina (Local time – UTC+8 )
OneDLL 3 Mon 25 Nov – 18 00 to 1900
Qingdao 4 Mon 25 N ov – 23 00 to 03 00
Invest Africa 5 Tues 26 Nov – Late morning
PSP Logistics 6 Tues 26 Nov – Afternoon
Switzerland 7 Tues 26 Nov – Evening
Jamaica Get All Right 8 Weds 27 Nov
Mission Performance 9 Weds 27 Nov
Old Pulteney 10 Weds 27 Nov
Derry~Londonderry~Doire 11 Weds 27 Nov
Team Garmin 12 Thurs 28 Nov

Source: Marina Thomas, Press Officer, Clipper Ventures