Clipper fleet are off and working towards Qingdao

The teams taking part in the Clipper 11-12 Round the World Yacht Race are well aware of what lies ahead on this stage from Singapore to Qingdao. While the majority of the world’s longest yacht race follows the prevailing winds, this section of the 40,000-mile course is upwind, meaning the crews will be facing life at an angle for the next two and a half weeks.
 
In addition, the conditions as they pass Taiwan and head north into the East China Sea will be some of the most challenging they will face, sailing up the face of steep waves and slamming into the trough behind them. Add plummeting temperatures to the constant bashing upwind and it makes this one of the most gruelling legs of the 15-race series.
 
So the steady winds since yesterday’s start from Singapore have been a welcome way of easing themselves back into race mode and preparing for the intensity of the conditions to come.

The Qingdao crew are determined to do well on this race and are hoping to secure their first podium finish, as well as become the first team to win a race to their home port in this edition of the Clipper Race. They have taken a westerly course while the rest of the pack stays to the east.
 
“After all the worries about the potential lack of wind at the start it filled it to give us a lovely 13 knots true,” reports skipper, Ian Conchie. “Unfortunately we got boxed in at the start and stuck in several boats’ dirty air and in a bad position so we had to bear off and lose height to get clean air. However the crew sailed the boat really well to recover all the lost ground.
 
“We decided to tack north early to try and position the boat to take advantage of the wind today and tomorrow. Unfortunately this meant taking some pain early on as we fought the current up the coast which has dropped us down the leader board but we are hoping that over the coming days it will pay dividends.  We are all up for trying everything to try and get a good result into our home port and make them proud of us!”
 
Over to the east, after their false start yesterday, Gold Coast Australia is leading the field by just three miles over Geraldton Western Australia and Welcome to Yorkshire.
 
Richard Hewson, skipper of Gold Coast Australia, explains, “With five minutes to go the ten yachts were all jostling for position and flinging the 68-foot yachts around like Laser dinghies. With our bow girl, Lisa Blair, calling the distance to the line we made our approach as New York ducked behind our transom and sailed into the gap below us leaving us very little room to manoeuvre. There was a stronger tide than expected and since we could not bear away, we ended up slightly over the line at the start.  As a result we were required to sail around the end of the line and re-start.
 
“Thankfully it was a quick manoeuvre and less than five minutes was lost when we crossed the line for the second time and started to chase down the fleet.
 
“Thanks to some good tactics, navigation, sail trim and helming Gold Coast Australia has managed to gradually overtake the other yachts one by one and at the last sched we were leading the fleet who are almost all now lined up to the south of us and in sight.  The crew have been working and concentrating very hard to keep up our boat speed and height as we sail through the South China Sea in almost perfect sailing conditions,” he concludes.

Positions at 1200 UTC, Sunday 5 February
 
Boat                                                       DTF*
1 Gold Coast Australia                          2,281nm
2 Welcome to Yorkshire                        2,284nm (+3nm DTL**)
3 Geraldton Western Australia              2,286nm (+5nm)
4 Singapore                                           2,289nm (+8nm)
5 Derry-Londonderry                             2,289nm (+8nm)
6 De Lage Landen                                 2,289nm (+8nm)
7 Visit Finland                                        2,291nm (+10nm)
8 New York                                            2,294nm (+13nm)
9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital                2,298nm (+17nm)
10 Qingdao                                            2,313nm (+32nm)

- Clipper Media