Clipper Race: Scoring gate bonus points

(November 25, 2019; Day 8) – Leading the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race charge to Fremantle for a fourth consecutive day, Qingdao held off Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam to cross the Scoring Gate first and stake a claim on the first bonus points of Race 4 along the southern latitudes.

“The day started in some tricky spinnaker conditions, before the wind increased gradually and moved forward to make it a white sails approach into the Scoring Gate,” said Rhiannon Massey, AQP on board Qingdao. “We passed through the scoring gate in the early hours of this morning and it looked like we may well have been pretty successful in our efforts towards it.”

With three bonus points for first across the line, two for second and one for third, the bonus points soon add up and could make a huge difference in the overall standings. Whilst the results won’t be confirmed until three teams have crossed and been verified by Clipper Race officials, it is neck and neck between Zhuhai and Imagine your Korea for the final point on offer.

Nick Leggatt, Skipper of Zhuhai said: “This is getting exciting. Qingdao and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam have just gone through the scoring gate and third place is up for grabs with only about 12 nautical miles separating us and Imagine your Korea.

“At the last position report we were ahead but they were going faster than us. At the moment it is very windy, rainy and rough and although we are pushing hard to stay ahead it is not at the expense of sailing safely, so we are hoping that we will strike just the right balance to be successful. We will know the result in about 12 hours time. Game on.”

Imagine your Korea has also been keeping a close eye on Zhuhai’s progress with Skipper Dan Smith saying: “Soon we will see how quick Zhuhai has been through the night and see if there is any chance of a point at the scoring gate. Either way we are going east with maximum speed and a tired but motivated crew are pushing the boat hard.”

As the racing teams continue to make fast progress east, Unicef, diverting to Durban for the medevac of crew member Andrew Toms, is expected to reach its destination late tomorrow evening.

Collision: Punta del Este and Visit Sanya, China remain in Cape Town for repair after an incident at the start of Race 4 resulted in significant damage. After a review of the facts, Sanya, China was deemed to be at fault after a clear breach of the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) 10 ‘On Opposite Tacks’. Details.

The 11 teams set off on November 17 for the Leg 3/Race 4 of the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race, which takes the fleet 4750nm from Cape Town, South Africa to Fremantle, Australia. The majority of the fleet is due to arrive in Cape Town between December 9 and 14.

Race details – Skipper list – Race route – Tracker – Facebook

About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race:
The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors.

Held biennially, the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race gets underway September 1 for the fleet of eleven identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. This 12th edition has attracted 688 crew representing 43 nationalities for the 41,000+ nm course. The race finishes on August 8.

The course is divided into 8 legs and 15 individual races, with some of the crew in for the entire circumnavigation while others will do individual legs. The team having the best cumulative score over the entire course will win the Clipper Race Trophy.

The Clipper 2019-20 Race Route:
The fleet departs from London, UK to Portimão, Portugal; across the Atlantic to Punta del Este, Uruguay; the South Atlantic to Cape Town, South Africa; across the Southern Ocean’s Roaring Forties to Fremantle, Western Australia; around to the Whitsundays on the east coast of Australia, back into the Northern Hemisphere to China where teams will race to Qingdao, via Sanya and Zhuhai; across the mighty North Pacific to Seattle, USA; to New York via the famous Panama Canal; to Bermuda and then it’s a final Atlantic crossing to Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland; before arriving back to London as fully proven ocean racers.

Source: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race