Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet hit by light winds
by Isabel Hokken on 11 Jul 2012
Race 14 Day 5 - Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2011-12 onEdition
http://www.onEdition.com
Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet are on day five of race fourteen from Derry-Londonderry to Den Helder. The fleet has been hit by light winds, as the ten teams fight for position in the important last 24 hours of racing to the Netherlands.
'Sailing frustration is when you wake up to the sound of flapping sails and the boat is too calm to believe that we are in open seas and miles offshore,' says De Lage Landen skipper, Stuart Jackson. Pulling out all the stops, the Dutch entry is keen to arrive into home port in prime position.
Meanwhile, overnight there has been a tight battle between Gold Coast Australia, Singapore and Visit Finland. Singapore took the lead during the night, seeing its competitors becalmed around them.
'Sailing clean round Gold Coast Australia and Visit Finland last night while they languished in a windless hole was the highlight in the past 24 hours and enabled us to shift into first. There but for the grace of the wind gods go any of us so we are careful not to be too jubilant just yet,' says Singapore skipper, Ben Bowley.
Singapore is currently one mile ahead of Gold Coast Australia while Visit Finland is only two miles off the frontrunner. The back of the fleet is juggling for the best position too as Derry-Londonderry, Qingdao and Geraldton Western Australia have all moved up the leader board.
The Clipper Race fleet is expected to arrive into Willemsoord Marina in Den Helder tomorrow morning with the yachts arriving all throughout the day. Keep an eye on the website for latest arrival times.
A festival will be held in Den Helder over the weekend which includes an international food market, street theatre, music and more. The Clipper Race Roadshow will also be there, with presentations for anyone interested in taking up the adventure of a life time on a brand new fleet of yachts. Download the programme
here.
Latest boat positions
|
Position
|
Team
|
DTF
|
DTL
|
|
1
|
Singapore
|
186NM
|
0NM
|
|
2
|
Gold Coast Australia
|
187NM
|
1NM
|
|
3
|
Visit Finland
|
188NM
|
2NM
|
|
4
|
Qingdao
|
201NM
|
15NM
|
|
5
|
Derry-Londonderry
|
201NM
|
15NM
|
|
6
|
Welcome to Yorkshire
|
202NM
|
16NM
|
|
7
|
De Lage Landen
|
206NM
|
21NM
|
|
8
|
Edinburgh Inspiring Capital
|
210NM
|
25NM
|
|
9
|
Geraldton Western Australia
|
226NM
|
40NM
|
|
10
|
New York
|
228NM
|
42NM
|
Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found
online along with daily skipper
Clipper Round the World Yacht Race website
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