Oceanracing - Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race

Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race
www.clipper-ventures.com - Übersicht

Friday, 23rd June 2006 Final leg underway with fleet New York bound
Photo by: Ingrid Abery Cardiff leads the fleet towards New York Click on Image to Enlarge Race 10 from Port Antonio to New York got underway at 1300 local time (1800 GMT) on Friday afternoon when the ten yachts crossed the line off Folly Point Light in a brisk easterly breeze. Cardiff was the first over the line with New York hot on her heels, keen for a good result into her home port, but with 1,420 miles ahead everyone knows that the race is still anybody's.

As the yachts rounded the windward mark off the Trident Hotel, Cardiff was still leading with Skipper Conor Fogerty at the helm, and Uniquely Singapore had moved up into 2nd place. Qingdao and westernaustralia.com rounded shortly afterwards, followed by Glasgow, New York, Victoria, Jersey, Liverpool 08 and Durban. Glasgow, skippered by Rory Gillard, managed to pull up into 3rd after rounding the mark, while New York fell back into 6th at the mark after their good start. Liverpool 08, skippered by 2002 Clipper Race Skipper Sam Fuller for Race 10 to New York while Tim Magee returns to the UK for a funeral, was 9th round the mark and starting to claw back some ground on the front runners. The race into New York is going to prove to be a tactical one, with light winds forecast before the yachts get into the Gulf Stream off the Eastern Seaboard. The boats can opt for the Windward Passage or go around the Bahamas, en route to the penultimate stopover in the USA. The boats slipped the newly named Errol Flynn Marina at 1100 local time before sailing out the harbour in formation led by the Jamaican Coastguard vessel Cornwall. Each of the boats was waved off by Errol Flynn’s widow, Mrs Patrice Wymore Flynn, and a crowd of local supporters as they passed the Ken Wright Cruise Terminal as their boat battle songs blasted out on the powerful PA system. The Jamaican Coastguard RIB with the Race Photographer Ingrid Abery onboard was diverted for an unusual search and rescue operation after spotting Glasgow crew frantically waving and pointing astern. New crew member Nicola Jolly had dropped a flip flop overboard prior to the start and everyone was keen to get it back onboard before the start gun. The former Miss UK and Sky TV presenter, is sailing to New York aboard Glasgow: Scotland with Style and was reunited with her sandal within minutes thanks to the professionalism of the Jamaican Coastguard team. The crews have spent almost a week ashore in Jamaica, enjoying the laid back Caribbean hospitality. As the yachts head up to New York, there will be plenty of stories to share after a week exploring this tropical island and its many beautiful beaches. Manhattan will provide a complete contrast for the crews who have slipped into the relaxed way of life in Port Antonio. Port Antonio Mayor Rupert Kelly was out on the JCGS Cornwall to view the start and was delighted at the international attention the race has brought to his parish. He said: 'The Clipper Race has given a great deal of publicity to Port Antonio and Jamaica as a whole. Not only that, but this event will be seen and heard around the world. Port Antonio is one of the premier international tourist destinations and this has been a huge boost for area.’ Even the regular deluges of rain haven’t dampened the crews spirits during the Clipper Race’s first visit to Jamaica. As the locals point out, the rain doesn’t stop the fun in Port Antonio, the area that gets more than its fair share of downpours at this time of year. “If you don’t get a little bit of rain when you’re in Port Antonio, you’re not welcome,” is the mantra of the many people who have have welcomed the international crews this week and no one can question that the fleet were made very welcome here.