Clipper Race: Risks and rewards ahead

(May 9, 2018; Day 9) – With light and variable winds set to afflict the Clipper 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race fleet for the next few days along the course from Seattle to Panama, teams are busy talking tactics with all keen to avoid the giant wind hole forming off the southwest coast of Mexico.

With points now awarded for the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint, the news was bittersweet for some due to its impact on the leaderboard.

Dare To Lead collected the maximum three bonus points on offer after completing the distance in 18 hours and 14 minutes. This was 23 minutes and 2 seconds faster than its nearest rival, Sanya Serenity Coast. Dare To Lead Skipper Dale Smyth says: “We are very happy with this as we were worried at the time that we had made a sacrifice that was not worth it. But we still managed to keep our overall race position in the process.”

It was a different story for the seventh placed Sanya Serenity Coast. Despite collecting two crucial bonus points for being the second fastest boat, just 10 minutes and 35 seconds quicker than Visit Seattle, which collected one point, Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy Tuck saw the cost as too much position wise.

Qingdao may have missed out on collecting any bonus points in the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint, but Skipper Chris Kobusch has reflected on the decision to sacrifice the sprint in order to remain on top of the leaderboard. He says: “Visit Seattle and Dare To Lead are chasing us and we have to hope that they won’t overtake us, as we gave up the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint to avoid exactly that and both boats got points there.

“We are getting closer and closer to the Scoring Gate and as we are approaching, the wind is not only dying down a bit, but also backing more and more. We are now not able to make it on one tack.”

Qingdao is not the only team watching the change in conditions closely. With light and variable winds to dominate much of the rest of the week, Matt Mitchell, Skipper of the fifth placed PSP Logistics, recognizes the risks and rewards that lie ahead.

“We have just under 1,000 nautical miles to go until the Scoring Gate and there looks to be some big tactical decisions to make in order to get there,” said Mitchell. “I’m really hoping we can start clawing back the miles that we have lost over the last few days.”

What all the teams will be looking to avoid is the giant wind hole forming off the southwest coast of Mexico. Unicef Skipper Bob Beggs believes the wind hole could shake up the leaderboard: “We are also due to sail towards our first proper wind hole of the race and I’m sure positions will change as always. It looks like a formidable barrier on the weather grib files, and as we continue our journey south, there will be many more to come.”

Event details – Race facts – Race viewer – Facebook

The 11 teams are now taking part in the US Coast-To-Coast Leg 7, which is made up of two races: Race 10 from Seattle to Panama and Race 11 from Panama to New York. Race 10 started May 1 and is expected to take approximately 23 to 26 days, with the fleet to arrive between May 23 and 27. After transiting the Panama Canal, Race 11 to New York begins June 3.

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. The race concludes in Liverpool on July 28.

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.

* Twelve teams began the first leg but one yacht (Greenings) ran aground just hours after the start on October 31 of the third leg from Cape Town, South Africa to Fremantle, Australia. The crew was safely evacuated but damage to the boat was deemed too extensive for it to continue in the 2017-18 edition.

Race Route – Race Schedule and Miles

Source: Clipper Ventures