Clipper 09-10- Groundhog Day as Qingdao regrets stealth move

by Clipper Ventures on 20 Mar 2010 Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race. Leg 7 Qindago to San Francisco Day 18

It may be just nine days until the clocks go forward by an hour for most of Europe, but in the Pacific they've just put them back - by a whole day!

Bizarrely that means that while Cape Breton Island, Uniquely Singapore and Jamaica Lightning Bolt are ahead of the rest of the fleet, their log book will show them to be 24 hours behind. While the teams go through the same date for a second time their day on board will be far from the same so it's not entirely Groundhog Day.

First to pass into the western hemisphere was Cape Breton Island, now 140 miles ahead of their closest competition despite the light winds of the last 24 hours.

'We have had a comfortable 24 hours sailing on board Cape Breton Island,' reports skipper, Jan Ridd. 'Last night we crossed the International Date Line and had the strange moment when we turned the calendar back one day, so we literally went back 24hours!

'Since then we have enjoyed a light breeze which has seen us make steady but fairly slow progress towards the finish. Last night, after carefully considering the latest weather files, we decided to start heading south to try to avoid the heaviest of the winds brought by the storm system developing behind us. It worked well until the last half hour which has seen the wind veer and blow from exactly the direction we want to sail in. This is not only slowing our progress towards the finish but means we might not be able to get far enough east to outrun the worst of the winds due to pass over us tomorrow.'

Uniquely Singapore and Jamaica Lightning Bolt are duelling just behind the Canadian boat, the advantage switching with each three-hourly update on the Race Viewer.

Jim Dobie, skipper of Uniquely Singapore, says, 'With a brief quiet spell in the wind overnight and through today we are now experiencing gentle head winds which should move around to the south and allow us to head in the right direction. Crossing the date line today was an event welcomed by the crew and the round the worlders could add another tick to their list of achievements: two Equator crossings and a dateline. It puts into perspective the miles already sailed and their achievements up to now.

'We are pushing on in a more southerly route which has allowed us to stay in a little more favourable weather and take us away from the centre of the incoming low set to arrive late tomorrow. It appears to be developing into a bit of a monster and we don't really want to get too close: 50 knots versus 30 to 40. This will take us off the great circle
route but, with just over 2,500 miles to go, shouldn't cause us to cover too many more miles.'

The last day has been more of a frustration for the crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt. Skipper, Pete Stirling, says. 'We chose to take a more northerly route than Cape Breton Island and Uniquely Singapore and it has cost us dearly. Though we have good wind again now we have been dogged with very light conditions for most of the day since early
morning and have lost a lot of miles to our nearest rivals. Not to worry, we are the Comeback Kids and we still have more than 2,500 miles to go to the finish line. As I say to my crew, it is easier to lose a race than it is to win one.

'We have, however, had one reason to celebrate today and that was the crossing of the International Date Line which we did at 05:00 UTC. This event could not, of course, be allowed to pass without paying our respects to Neptune. The crew had a choice of a wee dram of Benromach 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky or, if they preferred, a shot of Appleton Estate rum. Of course Neptune didn't miss out and had some of both. Normally we change our boat time in one hour increments every few days but this time we have had to put our clocks back a full
24 hours. So we get yesterday all over again. Does that mean I can change my tactics and go in a different direction to the one I chose yesterday?!'

One person who might wish that could be the case is Qingdao skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, who says, 'It's a jagged pill to swallow but there comes a point when you just have to admit you've gone the wrong way and no amount of tactical fluster is going to cover the mess.

'During our stealth move four days ago we moved north, having seen a high pressure cell developing ahead, with the intent of passing to the north of it in favourable winds whilst those to the south floundered, we hoped, in light headwinds,' he explains. 'It was not to be; the centre of the high was further north than we expected and it is we who have fallen into our own trap. With a day of bobbing around like a penguin on a floe behind us we now start to slowly grind back into gear but the figures are hard to process; California, who were 8nm ahead are now more than 150nm away, Cape Breton Island are two days' sail in front of us already, across the Date Line and into another hemisphere.

'As the skipper this is a hard blow as the primary responsibility for tactics comes down to me but simultaneously as the leader of this team there is little time to lick my wounds. Together this crew cannot lose sight of our goals; it's not where we stand in times of great ease that defines us, it's where we stand in times of hardship and strain - for us
these are those times. All we can do now is make best speed on the Great Circle route - the quickest route to San Francisco - and keep our eyes peeled for any opportunity to gain back the miles. For now we will enjoy our sailing, stay safe and happy and remind ourselves that we lost 150nm in 36 hours - that means others can, too.'

The crew of California, currently in fourth place, are getting ready to cross the International Date Line and preparing for the low pressure system that is due to reach them in about 36 hours.

'The wind has not done what it was told today and spent a good five to six hours on the nose when the forecast said it should be on the beam.' A philosophical California skipper, Pete Rollason, notes, 'Oh well, that is why it is a forecast and we just have to deal with it, so a few tacks to keep us on course have been required but obviously the VMG (velocity made good - ie speed toward the destination) has suffered as a result. Finally the wind has veered and we are now making good course and speed.

'Today the talk has been about the weather system that is due to come in in approximately 36 hours when the winds are forecast to peak at 55 knots, no doubt with gusts much higher. Storm sails have been checked, the rig has been checked and everything else has been checked so that we are as prepared as we can be for the onslaught. As I have said previously, our southerly position in relation to the fleet should, in my opinion, benefit us both now and when the next system comes through as we will hopefully avoid the worst of it, whereas the boats to the north will get hit much harder. With the mileage to San Francisco gradually counting down we are all focused on the task of catching the
boats ahead of us to ensure the finish that we need.

'We have just started Groundhog Day! It can cause much confusion if you allow it to, such as which day's weather forecast do you use? Do the mothers have 48 hours of looking after us all? When to email home? The scheds... AHHHH!! I think we will just carry on as normal!'

On Edinburgh Inspiring Capital they are taking the opportunity to appreciate the majesty of their surroundings. Skipper Matt Pike says, 'We now have time to study the wonderful wildlife. A humpback whale asleep on the surface passed 30 metres down the starboard side and a constant escort of sea birds wheel and dive behind us. Most curious of all are the sea lions. It seems a long way from shore but we have had numerous sightings. So we plough on through the cold, ticking off the miles. It's still a long way to go but we're looking forward to arriving.'

Team Finland is almost clear of the Yellow Sea, reports skipper, Rob McInally. 'We are approaching Sata Misaki, South East of Japan,' he says. 'Since leaving Qingdao we have had a lot to do. During our first night we had 30 knots from ahead and in our first daylight day we had 35 knots. This was not the recipe we had in mind for our new mast or our new staysail. We expected the rigging to stretch over a period of time but these unique conditions made it all happen a lot sooner.'

Tuning the new standing rigging is like breaking in a new pair of shoes or a pair of jeans - the only way to do it is to wear them. Similarly the best way to tune the rigging is to sail the boat and while they do that the crew have been working through their sail wardrobe.

'Today the wind has been fairly light although we have had a good run under sail. (Two reefs and a Yankee 3) We have had the yacht up to 11 knots under sail alone and surfed up to 16 knots. We are trying out our stay sail currently and, although under powered, we are gliding along nicely at 9 knots with the staysail, Yankee 3 and two reefs in the main.'

The first yachts are due to arrive in San Francisco Marina between 1 and 4 April.

POSITIONS AT 0900 UTC, FRIDAY 19 MARCH 2010

1 Cape Breton Island DTF 2439
2 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 2578 DTL +139
3 Uniquely Singapore DTF 2578 DTL +139
4 California DTF 2652 DTL +214
5 Spirit of Australia DTF 2770 DTL +331
6 Hull & Humber DTF 2772 DTL +333
7 Qingdao DTF 2802 DTL +363
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 2938 DTL +499
9 Team Finland DTF 5089 DTL +2651
10 Cork Did not start

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

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