Clipper Race: Fighting for first

(October 15, 2017; Day 11) – The Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race is just days out from the first estimated arrival into Cape Town, and two teams are fighting hard for the honour of taking first place in the Race 2: Stormhoek Race to the Cape of Storms.

Greenings has emerged from Stealth Mode in second place, with its time off the grid failing to maintain its leading position. Dare To Lead now maintain first place by three nautical miles. Both teams have completed the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint, though the bonus points won’t be announced until the rest of the fleet crosses the eastern gate.

Dare To Lead Skipper Dale Smyth isn’t too hopeful of collecting extra points, explaining: “In all honesty, between losing our Code 3 (heavyweight spinnaker) and some big gybe angles, there is a big chance that many will better our time.”

On a more positive note, the Capetonian adds: “We passed Greenwich Meridian last night so now I am really feeling on home turf being south and east!”

The second placed Greenings also experienced a less than ideal Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint. After noticing the boat was not performing as well as others in the fleet, the team used the onboard Garmin VIRB action cameras to discover kelp wrapped around the port rudder.

Whilst every effort was made to clear the debris, Skipper Andy Woodruff says: “Unfortunately, there is still weed trapped between the hull and rudder join. Hopefully it may come out as we sail, but if not, it will impact our performance the rest of the race to Cape Town.

“But this is sailing and there is no sport so difficult with so many variables as yacht racing.”

The biggest threat facing both Dare to Lead and Greenings is Liverpool 2018. A day after jumping an impressive six places to be third on the leader board, Liverpool 2018 has elected to go into Stealth Mode. The results of this tactic will be determined when the team returns to public view at 06:00 UTC tomorrow.

In Liverpool 2018’s absence, Garmin sits in third place, despite occupying top spot just 24 hours ago. The team is now around 23 nautical miles off the lead, and Skipper Gaëtan Thomas explains: “We had the spinnaker up and we were on sight of Greenings in the day, then unfortunately we lost them due to some effects making our boat kicking to port, which will be fixed in Cape Town.

“On a port tack, the boat couldn’t keep the pressure of the spinnaker because the result would be a broach and probably the end of a spinnaker. So, we lost some ground on Greenings and Dare To Lead, and probably other boats too, but I prefer to protect the boat and keep the big picture in my head of racing round of the world.”

Sanya Serenity Coast is back into fourth place in the standings, but is closely followed by Visit Seattle, who is less than seven nautical miles behind in fifth. Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy Tuck reports: “It’s now a matter of keeping the boat fast, heading in the correct direction. The race is not over yet by a long shot, as we have a large patch of light breeze to get through yet. We have two plans and will probably go with the third one.”

The large patch of light breeze Wendy is referring to is being caused by a ridge of high pressure coming up behind the easterly boats. Clipper Race Meteorologist Simon Rowell reports it will then rotate towards Cape Town, and could potentially strand much of the fleet in a wind hole just shy of the Finish Line.

Meanwhile, a battle is also brewing between Qingdao and Nasdaq, with just ten nautical miles separating the sixth and seventh placed teams.

The eighth placed GREAT Britain is persisting with its southerly route, and made good ground over the last twelve hours, crossing off another 119 nautical miles off the journey to Cape Town. However, the team is almost 159 nautical miles off the pace.

HotelPlanner.com is a further nine nautical miles back in ninth. The team were kept busy overnight after being caught in a sudden squall while flying the Code 3 (heavyweight spinnaker). Skipper Conall Morrison comments: “We have some work to do, to make a small repair to the clew and get a Yankee sail on deck to keep HotelPlanner.com moving.”

Unicef remains in tenth, whilst PSP Logistics is in the midst of heavy winds, with gusts between 40 to 45 knots. The conditions should ease this morning, and provide a couple of days of good reaching conditions south of the high ahead of the next low.

For the ETA of the twelve teams into Cape Town… click here.

The 12 teams started leg 2/race 2 – the 3,560nm leg from Punta del Este, Uruguay to Cape Town, South Africa – on October 4, and is due to finish between October 19 and 22 and will be berthed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront until October 31.

Event details – Race facts – Race viewer – Facebook

Background: Held biennially, the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race got underway August 20 for the fleet of twelve identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. The 40,000nm course is divided into 13 individual races with the team having the best cumulative score winning the Clipper Race Trophy. Each team is led by a professional skipper with an all-amateur crew that signs up for one, some, or all the races. The 2017-18 race, expected to take 11 months, has attracted 712 people representing 41 nationalities, making it the largest to date.

Race Route – Race Schedule and Miles

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race