Schlagwortarchiv für: Clipperrace

volvo-2017-088

Clipperrace Race 3 25.11.2017

/in /von

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

RACE 3 DAY 25: THRILLING FINISH TO EMOTIONALLY CHARGED RACE
25 NOVEMBER 2017

After 25 days and almost 4,800 nautical miles of racing across the Southern Ocean, the finish positions for Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race from Cape Town, South Africa, to Fremantle, Australia, will come down to the final few nail-biting hours.

It is the second straight day that Unicef has been in the number one position and whilst his team’s first podium finish is in sight, Skipper Bob Beggs’ thoughts are fixed on his closest and somewhat surprise competitor, GREAT Britain, which has made a highly impressive leap from sixth to second in the past 24 hours.

Currently in a drag race to the finish line in Fremantle Harbour, Unicef leads GREAT Britain by around 7 nautical miles, as Bob says: “Well the race will come to an end for most of the fleet over the next 24hrs and its another frantic and exciting finish.

“Sadly, we leave one of our fellow journeymen Simon Speirs behind, but he won’t be forgotten. His passing is etched in the memories of the whole Clipper Race family. The skipper and crew of GREAT Britain are sailing close by to us and will hopefully fulfil Simon’s dream of a podium place today.”

There is no doubt that their beloved teammate Simon is the driving force behind GREAT Britain’s strong finish, with Skipper Andy Burns saying: “Today is the grand finale for which we are all hoping for a bitter sweet ending to such a tragic crossing of the Southern Ocean.

“I just want to take my hat off to the crew onboard GREAT Britain for their grit, determination and drive in the face of adversity.”

Visit Seattle is currently in third position on the leader board, but will be fighting PSP Logistics for the final spot on the podium. Both teams due to arrive between 2000 and 2200 local time Visit Seattle, whilst the fifth placed Qingdao (which has played its Joker Card which will see its race points doubled) is right behind, and is expected to cross the finish line between 2100 – 2300.

Visit Seattle Skipper Nikki Henderson comments: “This is so close! I think it must be about 8 miles separating us, Qingdao and PSP Logistics.

“We are pushing, pushing, pushing to hold them off but both boats are being sailed very well. We just need to make no mistakes and double, triple check everything.”

PSP Logistics Skipper Matt Mitchell agrees, adding: “It really could be anyone’s race and we are working hard to keep the boat going as fast as possible. We tried a slightly different route to give us a higher wind angle on our way towards Rottnest Island and it’s not working out too badly so far!”

Dare To Lead remains in sixth place, though Sanya Serenity Coast is just 8 nautical miles behind in seventh. After leading for the majority of the race before getting stuck in a wind hole just days ago, Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy Tuck says: “The only way to describe this race is as a roller coaster ride of positions and emotions.

“We are still chasing hard on Dare to Lead and we will not give up trying.”

HotelPlanner.com is continuing to move up the rankings, and is now just 5 nautical miles off the eighth placed Liverpool 2018, with both teams expected to arrive Sunday morning, local time. The Clipper Race Committee has also announced that HotelPlanner.com will be awarded a redress of 1 hour and 30 minutes for taking on six crew members of Greenings in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Tenth placed Garmin is due to arrive on Sunday afternoon, and has come out of Stealth Mode early, due to the rule that teams are not permitted to use Stealth Mode within 250 nautical miles of the finish line. It will be a close finish with Nasdaq, who is less than 20 nautical miles behind in eleventh place.

To track the progress of the teams into Fremantle, keep an eye on the Clipper Race Viewer. The latest ETAs will also be updated on the website.

The latest ETAs have over-the-line teams Unicef arriving between 1800 and 2000 local time (1000 – 1200 UTC), whilst GREAT Britain is currently expected between 1900 – 2100 (1100 – 1300 UTC).

All arrivals at the Fremantle Sailing Club will be shown live on Facebook Live, subject to weather conditions, and you can read the Skipper Blogs in full on the Team Pages.

volvo-2017-087

Clipperrace 24.11.2017

/in /von

RACE 3 DAY 24: NEW RACE LEADERS REVEALED AFTER STEALTH MODE
24 NOVEMBER 2017

It’s shaping up to be an incredibly close finish to Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race with less than 70 nautical miles separating the top seven teams. PSP Logistics Skipper Matt Mitchell, currently in fifth, says: “4500 miles of racing and it will all come down to the last 30 hours or so. It really could be anyone’s race at the moment and pressure is on to keep the boat going as fast as possible.”

For a second successive day, a new leader has revealed themselves after Unicef re-emerged from its invisibility cloak in pole position at 1800 UTC last night following spending the previous 24 hours in Stealth Mode. The team’s tactics of staying on a southerly route proved to pay off with GREAT Britain, who had also stayed south, not far behind in second place.

Unicef Skipper Bob Beggs explains the team’s improved performance but is not resting on his laurels: “The weather has been kind over the last few days, all downwind under spinnakers with reasonable boat speed. The fleet is all very close which makes for an exciting finish.

“We have our friends, GREAT Britain currently on AIS (Automatic Identification System) just nine miles to leeward creeping up on the outside. The atmosphere is always better when the yachts all arrive very close together.”

The crew of GREAT Britain have dug incredibly deep to move into second place after the tragic events of last weekend and have said: “Team GREAT Britain’s spirit is slowly returning to the GREAT boat. Last night it dawned on us that we have still got a really good chance to do well in this race.

“This could be the ultimate tribute to Simon Speirs, to get the podium finish that we have all hoped for since we started the race. It would be very fitting as Simon was secretly one of the most competitive on the boat.”

Many of the teams further north have continued to struggle with little wind and Nikki Henderson Skipper of Visit Seattle, which dropped to third place after holding the lead yesterday, said: “I think we all mentally and emotionally prepared ourselves to be nearing the finish right now – 290 miles has never felt so far.”

Just behind there’s less than 20 nautical miles separating Qingdao, PSP Logistics, and Dare To Lead currently in fourth, fifth and sixth with PSP Logistics Skipper, Matt Mitchell commenting: “We are starting to get more boats in sight now as Dare To Lead has popped up on the AIS (Automatic Identification System) over the last half an hour.”

After leading for much of the race, the wind hole has been a particularly frustrating experience for Sanya Serenity Coast, which today slipped to seventh place but Skipper Wendy Tuck remains philosophical: “Even though we are not where we would like to be, it is lovely sailing out here right now, blue sky, blue seas, warm temperature – all in all a nice day. Best news is we are moving – after parking up for 24 hours, movement is good.”

Further back, both Liverpool 2018 and Garmin, eighth and ninth, have also been unable to escape the wind hole and Garmin Skipper Gaëtan Thomas explains: “We had a good plan to pass through the wind hole and the hole moved right where we were. We weren’t that good in the leaderboard anyway but one of our last chances to gain some places just disappeared.”

With around 450 nautical miles to go, HotelPlanner.com is currently in tenth position after Nasdaq went into Stealth Mode. It will re-emerge again at 1800 UTC today and, in the meantime, Skipper Rob Graham has eschewed talk about sailing to praise the work of the Clipper Race Maintenance Team: “The maintenance guys do a fantastic job of getting everything done to schedule at stopovers, and as Skippers and crew our end of the deal is to help where we can, often that involves staying out of their way and just letting them get on with it, provide them with coffees by day…and beers by night.”

The wind hole that the Clipper Race fleet has been experiencing will reduce the amount of time teams had been expecting in Fremantle. However, Clipper Race Meteorologist, Simon Rowell, has good news reporting that over the next few hours, the Clipper Race fleet will be free of the clutches of the high-pressure system with a good sail in.

For an idea of when each team is expected to cross the Finish Line, please see the Estimated Arrival Times on the Clipper Race website.

You can also follow the Clipper Race Viewer to stay up to date on the fleet’s progress to Fremantle. All positions were correct at time of publishing.

Read more on the Skipper Reports and Crew Blogs available on the Team Pages.

volvo-2017-086

Clipperrace 23.11.2017

/in /von

RACE 3 DAY 23: LEADING TEAMS‘ WIND HOLE WOES
23 NOVEMBER 2017

Over the last two days of racing a high-pressure system has consumed the lead Sanya Serenity Coast held for the majority of Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race across the Southern Ocean. As a result, Visit Seattle is now leading with less than 400 nautical miles until the finish in Fremantle and podium places are all still for the taking.

After opting to hide its position from the rest of the fleet, by using Stealth Mode yesterday, Visit Seattle has reappeared on the Race Viewer ahead of both Sanya Serenity Coast and PSP Logistics, but all three teams are still struggling with the light winds that have entrapped them.

For Sanya Serenity Coast, now in fifth place, this has been a disheartening couple of days with Skipper Wendy Tuck reporting: “This has been a disappointing time on board Sanya Serenity Coast. We have seen our lead just get smashed, we are no longer in the lead and have dropped a fair few places back. I won’t lie, it really is tough.

“But never fail we have not given up, we are trying to get every minuscule of speed out of our mighty ship.”

PSP Logistics is still holding onto second place but Skipper Matt Mitchell is also frustrated by their current progress: “Well, this is annoying. Initially we made good speed into the high but for the last 12 hours we’ve been doing anything from one to five knots as zephyrs trickle past us. As expected while we have been stopped the guys behind have caught up considerably, this morning Chris and his team kept the wind to come up on us and they are now eight miles to the north.”

Currently in third place, Qingdao Skipper Chris Kobusch said: “The wind hole brought the fleet back together and everyone seems to struggle to keep the boats moving. We are putting all our efforts in to keep the apparent wind high and therefore at least maintain a little bit of speed, which so far seems to work quite well.”

On board fourth-placed Dare To Lead, Skipper Dale Smyth is hesitant to predict what the effect of the wind hole will eventually be saying: “Who knows what the result on standings might be with these conditions and huge leads have already been lost. Everyone is in better spirits now that the ocean seems less hostile and when this wind hole fills through we will truly be on the home stretch.”

For sixth-placed GREAT Britain, in the words of its crew, focus is on reaching Fremantle: “We are sailing with a quiet determination, with dignity, we are proud of what we have achieved but humbled by events.”

Liverpool 2018 and Garmin, in seventh and eighth respectively, with the fairer weather and light airs are preparing to maximise their time off in Fremantle by starting their jobs list early, whilst still hoping their progress won’t be as slow as the current leaders. Liverpool 2018 Skipper Lance Shepherd said: “We have all fingers and toes crossed that the wind hole won’t be too bad and will play out for us but we are on the same track as Sanya Serenity Coast which has been severely parked up for a couple of days now.”

It’s a Happy Thanksgiving from on board Nasdaq and, whilst the team doesn’t have any turkey, they do have wind and are making good progress towards Fremantle. Skipper, Rob Graham said: “The wind is favourable, the sea is almost flat and the sun is shining. We have been able to keep up a steady 10+ knots directly towards Freo, whilst the fleet updates show the boats ahead of us parked up in another (hopefully the last) wind hole.

“However, we’re not counting our (turkey!) chicks until they’ve hatched, as we still have 600+ nautical miles to go, and HotelPlanner.com is catching us as fast as we’re catching the leaders.”

HotelPlanner.com is also feeling hopeful that they will avoid the dreaded wind hole ahead. Skipper Connall Morrison said: “The crew are eagerly watching us gain miles on some of the other boats that have been stuck in the wind hole that we are really hoping to avoid! The weather reports look promising but you can never guarantee anything in the ocean so we will make the best of the wind while we have it.”

Simon Rowell, Clipper Race Meteorologist, reports that the high-pressure system should shift to leave good downwind conditions for the race to the line with estimated arrivals into Fremantle looking to be between 24 -26 November.

Read more on the Skipper Reports and Crew Blogs available on the Team Pages.

For the latest positions of the fleet today, please see the Clipper Race Viewer. All data correct at time of writing.

volvo-2017-083

Clipperrace Race3 20.11.2017

/in /von

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

RACE 3 DAY 20: SOMBRE MOOD ACROSS FLEET AS RACE CONTINUES
20 NOVEMBER 2017

Thoughts of love and support for the family, friends and crewmates of Simon Speirs remain at the forefront of the minds of the Skippers and Clipper Race crew across the fleet today as GREAT Britain Skipper Andy Burns and his crew pay tribute to their lost team member.

Despite the very difficult circumstances, the fleet continues its journey on to Fremantle in varying conditions with reports of everything from squalls and confused seas to blue skies and ideal downwind conditions. Speaking from on board Nasdaq, Skipper Rob Graham said: “There has been a sombre mood onboard Nasdaq as we try to come to terms with what has happened.

“For now, we have to pick ourselves up and concentrate on the task in hand: getting safely and quickly to Fremantle.”

Sanya Serenity Coast continues to lead the fleet but the area of high pressure ahead is bringing light winds which could threaten its progress. Skipper Wendy Tuck explained: “I am currently scratching my head trying to figure out how to get past this big high that is coming to spoil the party.

“We know the fleet will catch up as we park up, that’s always hard, as long as we have a tiny breath of air the crew are awesome at keeping the boat moving and moving well in light breeze.“

PSP Logistics, currently second, is leading the chasing pack some 200 nautical miles behind the leader. After completing the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint, Skipper Matt Mitchell reported that PSP Logistics had passed through squally conditions: “Well this is much more like it. Sun is out, kite is up and we are making great progress towards Freo.”

Visit Seattle, in third place, is hot on PSP Logistics’ stern trailing by just ten nautical miles. It too experienced varying conditions with Skipper Nikki Henderson reporting: “We are now pointing directly at Fremantle after a sloppy night in a confused sea with not enough wind to power on through.

“Going fast in the right direction with blue sky above our heads always feels good.”

Qingdao and Dare To Lead remain closely knitted together in fourth and fifth place respectively, completing the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint yesterday evening and making good progress towards Fremantle. After a slow night under white sails, Dare To Lead Skipper Dale Smyth summarises the feelings on board and across the fleet: “I hate typing the blog today as if our lives are back to normal, they are not. We are all still deeply saddened by the events of the last two days and continue to offer our love and support to the greater Clipper Race family and Andy in particular.”

In another show of support, Unicef, led by Skipper Bob Beggs, made the decision to sail towards GREAT Britain and after speaking with Skipper Andy Burns Bob said: “Overnight we could make out GREAT Britain on the AIS and had a quick chat with Skipper Andy we offered any assistance they might need but they are self-sufficient and resuming racing, our thoughts are with them.”

“We have now gybed towards Fremantle and are now flying our spinnaker making good speed and now expect the weather to become warmer each day as we head North and approach Australia.”

On board seventh placed Liverpool 2018, eighth placed Garmin and tenth placed Nasdaq, the Elliot Brown Sprint has not brought favourable conditions. However, that looks to have changed for eleventh placed HotelPlanner.com which is just about to embark on the challenge. HotelPlanner.com Skipper Conall Morrison, said: “This morning the wind is in a favourable direction for the Elliott Brown Ocean Sprint and so she is flying again.

“Our midday watch change has gone well and crew are focussed on doing their best over the next 320 nautical miles.”

Looking ahead at weather conditions Simon Rowell, Clipper Race Meteorologist, reports that the next low is starting to push in and the fleet should see the wind veering and gradually increasing over the next 24 hours, which will be more noticeable on board HotelPlanner.com than the rest of the fleet. There is also a front pushing in with this, so teams can expect more gusty conditions and more squalls but looking further ahead the big feature is the high sliding around Cape Leeuwin ahead of them.

We have created a book of condolence to share messages with Simon’s loved ones; all messages will be gathered via the email address: condolences@clipper-ventures.com. Please email your message with your full name, race edition and legs of the race you are participating in.

Read more on the Skipper Reports and Crew Blogs available on the Team Pages.

For the latest positions of the fleet today, please see the Clipper Race Viewer. All data correct at time of writing.

volvo-2017-082

Clipperrace 19.11.2017

/in /von

RACE 3 DAY 19: A TIME OF QUIET REFLECTION ACROSS THE FLEET
19 NOVEMBER 2017

Racing has taken a back seat over the past 24 hours for the Clipper Race fleet following the tragedy on board CV30 (GREAT Britain) yesterday.

Speaking on the loss of round the world crew member Simon Speirs, Sanya Serenity Coast Skipper Wendy Tuck said: “The mood on board Sanya Serenity Coast, as I imagine it will be across the whole fleet, is sombre with a lot of quiet reflection going on.

“To let my crew know of the terrible accident on board CV30 is the hardest thing to do at sea. We are all shocked and terribly saddened by the incident. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Andy Burns and his crew on board, also to all of Simon’s friends and loved ones.”

Following medical advice and considerations, Simon was given a sea burial at 0900 local time (0300 UTC) today during a service on board held by his crew. As requested by Simon’s family, who were fully aware and came together to follow the order of service at the same time back home, it was Christian, and the rest of the Clipper Race fleet also joined them in solidarity as the service was carried out.

HotelPlanner.com Skipper, Conall Morrison, said: “We prepared some readings and held a moment’s silence together as a crew on deck at the same time as the service. Our thoughts and prayers are with the GREAT Britain team. Three of our current crew will be joining the team in Fremantle and those that knew Simon Speirs on board talk of what a gentle giant he was.”

On behalf of the entire Clipper Race office, we thank everyone who has sent messages of condolence and support for Simon’s family, friends, crew, the fleet and the Clipper Race team.

Across the fleet, the sky appears to be a relatively clear on this day of reflection and the wind will gradually veer and continue easing.

Sanya Serenity Coast continues to lead the fleet with just over 1,000 nautical miles to go to Fremantle and has completed the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint – results will be announced after all teams have done so.

PSP Logistics has also completed the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint but Skipper Matt Mitchell’s thoughts are very much with Simon Speirs’ family and friends saying: “The wonderful thing about the Clipper Race is that in times of trial, as well as times of celebration, there are no longer individual teams but one big family of people, all pulling together as a group. At this most trying of times the solidarity of the Clipper Race family will be there to offer any and all support that is needed.”

Visit Seattle Skipper, Nikki Henderson, added: “I’m not sure if it is much respite to know he was doing what he loved – this ocean must be one of the most magical, and yet treacherous places in the world.”

Qingdao entered Stealth Mode yesterday at 1800 UTC, as planned, and Skipper Chris Kobusch reports: “Last night saw lots of rain squalls coming through, in which the wind speeds exceeded 45 knots at times. With the squalls came some of the biggest seas we had experienced so far.

“Our deep thoughts are with his family and Andy Burns and his team. We wish you a safe and fast passage to Fremantle and we will be there to support you.”

Meanwhile, Garmin Skipper Gaëtan Thomas has also been sending words of support while continuing to look after crew member, Erik Hellstrom, who is dealing with a serious abdominal condition. An aircraft medical supplies drop was successfully carried out by the Royal Australian Air Force and Gaëtan reports: “Erik is 24 hours under supervision. We are doing everything we can for him.”

The team is continuing to prepare for a medevac and further updates will be provided on the Clipper Race website.

Read more on the Skipper Reports and Crew Blogs available on the Team Pages.

For the latest positions of the fleet today, please see the Clipper Race Viewer.

All data correct at time of writing.

volvo-2017-081

Clipperrace Race3 18.11.2017

/in /von

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

RACE 3 DAY 18: RACE LEADERS BEGIN LIOT BROWN OCEAN SPRINT
18 NOVEMBER 2017

Leaderboard standings across the fleet have stayed consistent over the last 24 hours as the leading teams began their Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint.

Race leaders, Sanya Serenity Coast, crossed the western start gate first with Skipper Wendy Tuck reporting: “We started the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint last night, so have our spikes on and we are off. This morning has been a bit busy – we decided to go for a hoist of the Code 3 (heavyweight spinnaker) … All went well, until about one hour later the breeze built up again and what with chippy choppy sea was time to get it down.”

Conditions are turning in her favour though and she added: “Now it’s getting packed as it looks like we will be able to hold it now as the breeze has changed direction and eased. So, it will be time to drive it like we stole it very soon.”

In second place, PSP Logistics has also crossed the starting gate of the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint and Skipper Matt Mitchell reports: “We didn’t have the fastest start as the wind was a little too much for a spinnaker…We are flying along now though. As I write we have just over 260 miles until the end of the sprint on our current heading.”

Having narrowed Sanya Serenity Coast’s advantage to around 60 nautical miles, he added: “We have around 1300 nautical miles to go until arrival and the competition is heating up! Our main focus points are both defence and attack at the moment – it’s going to be a close finish either way!”

Other teams will continue to cross the start gate of the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint throughout the day and Visit Seattle is currently in third place with Dare To Lead and Qingdao in close proximity to each other in fourth and fifth place. Dare To Lead Skipper Dale Smyth commented: “I had a nice chat with Chris Kobusch this morning on VHF as Qingdao has been our sailing partner for the last 12 hours. Amazing that after 18 days you can be sailing alongside another boat despite taking vastly different tracks.”

Unlike the Scoring Gate, the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint bonus points are awarded to the three teams with the quickest times. The Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint winners therefore will only be announced once the final team has completed the challenge.

GREAT Britain retains sixth place whilst further back Liverpool 2018 is in seventh place ahead of Unicef in eighth. Unicef Skipper Bob Beggs reports: “The surfing continues, we’re pointing in the direction that we want to go. The miles to Fremantle are counting down.”

In ninth place, Garmin is preparing for a medevac of crew member, Erik Hellstrom, who is suffering from an abdominal condition [LINK], but Skipper Gaëtan Thomas said: “Erik is in good hands and we will do everything we can to get him back on track.”

Nasdaq, in tenth, is ahead of HotelPlanner.com, in eleventh, and Skipper Rob Graham is looking forward to the start of the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint commenting: “In terms of the racing, it’s interesting to see the fleet converging once again, as we each plot our best entry point and route across the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint, which for us looks as though it will begin overnight tomorrow.”

Clipper Race Meteorologist Simon Rowell reports that today and much of tomorrow should bring a continuation of the strong WSW/SW winds that the teams currently have. It looks like a high-pressure system will be sliding around Cape Leeuwin as the teams approach Fremantle leading to some fleet compression and an exciting race finish!

To stay up to date with the Clipper Race fleet, keep an eye on the Race Viewer. All data correct at time of writing.

Visit the Team Pages to read the Skipper Blogs in full, and to hear the latest news from the crew.

volvo-2017-080

Clipperrace Race3 15.11.2017

/in /von

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

RACE 3 DAY 15: FAST DOWNWIND CONDITIONS REPLACED BY SHIFTING WINDS
15 NOVEMBER 2017

Day 15 of Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race has seen mixed conditions for the Clipper Race fleet with fast downwind conditions being replaced by shifting winds and lighter airs for many teams.

Sanya Serenity Coast remains in the lead with less than 2,000 nautical miles to go to Fremantle and Skipper, Wendy Tuck, reports: “Yes, we got a kite up, but it was only for a few hours as the wind increased and it was getting to be a bit much. We still maintained good speed, kite came down as it should (i.e. all in one piece) and it is chomping at the bit to get back up again.”

Whilst in the lead, she is not resting on her laurels and adds: “We still do have some tricky bits to get through (i.e. light winds and of course the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint). At the moment it’s all about boat speed and pointing the boat towards Freo…”

PSP Logistics retains second place and Skipper, Matt Mitchell, is optimistic despite the changing conditions in the south: “Right now, the wind has eased somewhat and we have a few hours of lighter air before it builds again from the north west which means more super-fast sailing and more miles falling away!”

After a fast 24 hours under spinnaker Dare To Lead has moved up to third place after overtaking Visit Seattle, who are now in fourth, and Skipper, Dale Smyth, reports: “It feels amazing to be going downwind and we have managed to fix up and clean numerous things onboard.”

Not far behind Dare To Lead, having also taken a northerly route, is Liverpool 2018 in fifth place. Meanwhile Qingdao remains in sixth but is experiencing fickle winds with Skipper, Chris Kobusch, reporting: “The wind died down over night though and, having a look at the weather forecast, there is a risk of yet another wind hole in the south. I have no doubt we will find it. Or it us.”

On board Garmin, in seventh, Skipper Gaëtan Thomas is also fearing the dreaded light airs, but remains hopeful that the team will benefit from the following winds, saying: “The centre of a high-pressure system is trying to swallow us up inside the wind hole. In the next days we should start to have some decent downwind sailing – it will be good to see some +20kts of speed on the speedo!”

GREAT Britain has slipped to eighth place with Skipper, Andy Burns, reporting: “From 40 knots to zero knots in the space of 24 hours. We are back in the realms of tedious wallowing awaiting our next onslaught of downwind fun.”

Back in ninth place, Unicef has been enjoying the downwind conditions with Skipper, Bob Beggs, explaining: “Downwind sailing is such a delight after the last two weeks. Now with the spinnaker driving and double figure VMG (Velocity Made Good) it seems we are finally going to eat some miles up in the right direction towards Fremantle.”

Nasdaq remains in tenth place ahead of HotelPlanner.com and Skipper, Rob Graham, reports: “After a slightly blustery evening when some heavy low clouds came over, things calmed down again overnight, and when the sky cleared it was reassuring to see that the stars are still up there. It’s been a long time since we saw so many.”

He added: “We’re making decent speed towards Freo across a gentle sea, in good conditions for helming and trimming lessons.”

Clipper Race Meteorologist, Simon Rowell, reports that, after the light headwinds, the fleet will begin experiencing increasing gusts with squalls as the front creeps closer, which is expected to reach the southern teams first before gradually moving north.

The Race Committee has also announced that, following Unicef’s official request, it would be awarded redress totalling 2 hours and 33 minutes for the time spent in support of the stricken yacht, CV24, at the beginning of the race. Efforts are continuing to remove CV24 from where she currently lies and the latest updates can be found here.

To stay up to date with the Clipper Race fleet, keep an eye on the Race Viewer. All positions were correct at time of publishing.

Visit the Team Pages to read the Skipper Blogs in full, and to hear the latest news from the crew.