Clipper Race: To motor or not to motor

Published on January 26th, 2020

(January 26, 2020; Day 7) – The 11 teams in the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race are navigating towards the Doldrums Corridor during Race 6, with most of the crew reporting to be in close proximity to each other to heighten the competition.

Seattle Mate, Lyndsay Barnes said: “Last night there were six of us all making our way North together in a line on timezero. To be able to see other boats on the horizon is definitely helping to keep the crew focused and their concentration levels high.”

Similarly Rich Gould, skipper of WTC Logistics comments: “With only a handful of miles separating fourth to ninth place, every point of knot counts. To still be in touch with half the fleet is rather unusual.

“Gains and losses are clearly visible to the naked eye, not just represented buy little pictures of boats on a screen and numbers on our run sheets. When you can physically see that you have gained on another team it helps keep the crew pushing for those extra 1 percent”

The big question of the day was whether to use the motor or not as teams are allowed to use it for one period of 240 miles at 6 knots. Teams now motoring are Zhuhai and Unicef.

Notes Chris Brooks, skipper of Qingdao: “It’s a great idea which allows us to progress through the dead air near the Equator.”

The decision to motor is difficult to judge and is often seen as a gamble between the weather and mechanical advantages. Whether this gamble will pay off in the long run remains to be seen. Zhuhai has a race lead to protect and are beating off strong competition from Qingdao, current second place holders and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam in third.

This race has the potential to be turned on its head and teams expect there to be a myriad of twists and turns as it progresses. Dare to Lead Skipper, Guy Waites says: “The crew are enjoying this multi- dimensional game of chess that adds a twist in the tail to this almost windless part of the world… Anything could happen with the possible exception of a good sailing breeze.”

The weather conditions remain varied and challenging. Punta del Este’s Jeronimo comments: “This morning at 6am, it was already 32°C; the deck is melting and best not to touch anything metal.

He continued on to say: “We had a fast run last night, entering the Solomon sea at good speeds with flat seas, the perfect conditions for all crew to get better at helming, so we rotated everyone to get some coaching.”

The tactical decisions taken by the teams has a direct impact on the overall race standings and the battle for first position continues to present a close and achievable challenge for all.

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

Delayed: Originally scheduled to begin on January 18, Leg 5/Race 6 – a 4280 nautical mile race from the Whitsundays, Australia to Sanya, China – was postponed twice, initially due to watermaker issues on three boats and then because of light winds. The 11 teams finally got underway January 22.

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.