Clipper 09-10- Stealth mode pays for Team Finland

by Clipper Ventures PLC on 27 Jun 2010 Clipper 09-10: Race 12, Cape Breton Island to Kinsale, Ireland. Day 8 report from the fleet. Team Finland has played its Stealth card to great effect, as lighter winds are anticipated in the closing stages of the race.

As the miles tick down towards the Race 12 finish line at Kinsale, County Cork, there has been no let up in speed and Cork's crew are clearly anxious to be first to arrive. At both the 0900 and 1200 position updates they posted the highest 12-hour runs, an indication the highly competitive team has found their groove with their new boat they have nicknamed 'Fatty'.

'Take one 67-foot steel yacht complete with full main, staysail and poled out yankee 2, add one fearless helmsman, mix in a larger than average wave and sprinkle with 39 knots of wind et voila our speed record is trounced,' reports skipper, Hannah Jenner. 'Yes, Fatty is learning to surf and today she excelled herself with 17.2 knots! Now we know this doesn't sound impressive compared to the 20+ knots reported by the Clipper 68s but trust me, 17 knots aboard Cork is something of a sight to behold.

'We are quite an effective submarine so after any kind of speed run a quick headcount must be conducted to make sure no one has gone for a dip in the Atlantic. So far so good and of course all of the crew have the safety of themselves and the rest of the team as top priority as we drive hard through this low pressure system.

'It's going to be a tense 48 hours, at our current speed our ETA to the Fastnet is just over 30 hours and Team Finland are now hot on our heels. We must push as hard as we can whilst we are in the stronger conditions as they won't last the whole way in and when the wind dies away a bit we will have our work cut out to stay ahead.'

Team Finland emerged from Stealth Mode yesterday afternoon having covered some good distance and is now closest of the nine chasing yachts to the Irish entry.

Rob McInally, Team Finland's skipper, says, 'As you know the conditions have been challenging both crew and boats alike. It has been the same on Team Finland; we have been very cautious although pushing whenever good seamanship has allowed. We are not unscathed from our Stealth Mode which was seemingly well timed for the conditions the tacticians had been waiting for. It has been a long time since Team Finland used a Stealth option (December on the way to Geraldton).

'We have damaged a car on the main traveller during a fairly high velocity gybe and we have replaced a fair few hanks along the way. It is uppermost on our minds that to complete the Atlantic and arrive in the Emerald Isle in a top spot we must arrive without damaging anything else. We must also pick our way through the last couple of days of the low pressure system that has driven us across so far. There is a distinct north-south divide in the tracks of the fleet and there are opportunities in both plans.

'The race for the podium positions will be a close run thing and the converging of the fleet as the race nears Ireland will be very exciting for all. We hope we have picked the right lanes for the Murphy's to be tasting just that little bit sweeter.'

While the low pressure system that has helped the teams cover almost 1,700 miles in just one week is still pushing them towards the Fastnet rock and the finish line just beyond, the forecast is for the winds to turn light in the closing stages of the race and, says Hull & Humber's skipper, Justin Taylor, that may prove their undoing.

'Things are going well on board and we are having a good race. No gear failures so far and this depression to the north of us has been very obliging with the following winds. The end game though is near. It would appear that in the final 24 hours the wind will get lighter and our progress will slow. We have a lead over the boats behind us equal to the lead of the yachts in front of us. Is it enough to stay ahead or will the fleet compress as it has done in previous races?

'I'm hoping that we will catch the boats in front as the wind looks like it will hold longer for those of us behind. I think we will run out of race track before we can catch Cork Clipper, even though Hull & Humber has been at full speed for the entire race from Cape Breton.'

Jamaica Lightning Bolt is one of three teams who have opted to play their Stealth card in the last 24 hours and they're hoping to get some payback.

'With just 470 miles to go to the finish line the gloves are off and the fight is on,' says skipper, Pete Stirling. 'The 'Flying Finns' on Team Finland took a lot of ground out of us whilst they were in Stealth Mode and have continued to take more. We can't see them but we know they are just eight miles away over the horizon to the north of us.

'Yesterday we managed to do a temporary but workable repair to our spinnaker pole track, part of which snapped off early yesterday morning. It is a little bit 'Heath Robinson' but works very well and is safe. We are currently averaging ten to eleven knots boat speed under first-reefed mainsail and poled out yankee 3 but need more speed if we are to stay ahead of our nearest rivals. The wind is Force 6 but gusting to Force 8, the sea state confused and the sky ominous. The question is, how far do we push things to gain that extra half a knot of boat speed that we need? I am a firm believer in the expression, 'In order to finish first, first you have to finish'.'

Spirit of Australia's skipper Brendan Hall says he and his crew have also repaired their spinnaker pole track, thanks to their boat engineer, Bob Bell.

'The miles we have lost over the 12 hours we were pole-less have set us back a place or two but there is a long way left to race yet,' he reports. 'The helming conditions last night were some of the most challenging of the whole race thus far. The waves were confused and the boat had a tendency to corkscrew if you weren't fast enough to correct the helm and the wave trains were fast moving, so there was no time to settle the boat before the next one was lifting the stern.'

California has another few hours cloaked from the rest of the fleet to try to pull off a winning manoeuvre. But Pete Rollason's playing his cards close to his chest, saying only, 'We've had some more great downwind sailing and we are charging hard for a podium finish into Cork. This race is still very close and could yet see some changes in positions. The wind is due to back to the south west which should help the boats to the north but whether that helps or hinders us I cannot say. Being in Stealth Mode I could not let on to our tactics; you will just have to wait and see!'

The teams are all aware that a spell of light winds could well shake up the fleet as the endgame plays out and the northerly and southerly groups begin to converge on the course to the finish.

'As the fleet closes in on the Fastnet rock it looks like it could be a close thing; the boats to the south have a healthy lead now but the winds look likely to die out there first. It could all come down to the last few miles and we hope to be there racing to the line,' says Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's skipper, Matt Pike.

He continues, 'With only 420nm left to the rock there has been a lot of reflection on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital about how far we've all come, both in miles and the crew's competence as sailors. As if on cue the spinnaker halyard snapped and we started to drag the heavy kite out behind the boat. It took only a few minutes to retrieve and run a new halyard. Yes, they have come a long way. We have shared many highs and lows on voyage and yesterday was one of the highs, great sailing in a stiff breeze and a birthday - Alan Campbell's, celebrated with a wee dram from bottle of Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky.'

Matt's thoughts are echoed by those of Chris Stanmore-Major, his counterpart on Qingdao. 'This exceptionally close racing is testament to how far the crews' skills have come and now it is only minutes between boats rather than the prodigious distances that finally separated us on that first ocean crossing in October of last year.

He says, 'It looks like this race is going to go down to the wire. Whilst the leaders hold a position further south, a number of boats are now clustered to the north, hoping to take advantage of the stronger winds available closer to the remains of the low which has transported us across the Atlantic in a time that so far has been breathtaking. Is there time enough for a shake up? We think so and we are going to be making as strong a play as possible to be one of those doing it.'

Uniquely Singapore is also waiting to pounce and make the best of their position as the weather begins to change.

'For the first time in a long while we have a clear sky and the grey and rain has disappeared. This also means the low that has been sitting with us for the last three days is starting to move away, too. This could be an annoyance as we get closer to the Emerald Isle only to be left with little wind,' explains skipper, Jim Dobie.

'The crew of Uniquely Singapore have been great the last few days, once again dealing with strong winds and big seas. It tested their helming skills and I lost count of the number of reefs that were put in and taken out as well as the yankee headsail changes. So we have made up some ground. Our final approach and when we put in the gybe will be all important in trying to stay in the best wind corridor and utilise it to our best advantage.'

The fast conditions mean the arrival of the yachts in Kinsale, Co Cork, Ireland, is now anticipated earlier than originally estimated. The first boats are expected on Tuesday 29 June with the possibility of some arrivals on Monday 28 June.

Positions at 1500 GMT Saturday 26 June

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Cork 264nm
2 Team Finland 372nm 107nm
3 Hull & Humber 408nm 143nm
4 Spirit of Australia 419nm 155nm
5 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 434nm 169nm
6 Cape Breton Island 439nm 175nm
7 Uniquely Singapore 446nm 182nm
8 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 467nm 202nm (Stealth Mode - position at 0600 GMT)
9 Qingdao 574nm 310nm (Stealth Mode - position at 0000 GMT)
10 California 633nm 369nm (Stealth Mode - position at 1800 GMT 25 June)

*DTF = Distance to Finish, *DTL = Distance to Leader)

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