Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Tension within the fleet

by Ruth Harrington on 10 Jun 2012 Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet are on the third day of race twelve from New York to Nova Scotia. It has been another day of competitive, tactical sailing for the ten-strong fleet, as the fight for vital points in the final leg of the race are high on everyone’s mind.

Stuart Jackson, skipper of the De Lage Landen captured the tension within the fleet, ‘The incredibly close racing is keeping everyone on their toes; we have been in sight of most of the fleet for the day. The wind has finally started filling in so we have had some great spinnaker sailing since early this afternoon.'

Race 12, the 600-mile sprint to Halifax, Nova Scotia is shaping up to be one of the closest yet. Gold Coast Australia is currently in first place with only four miles separating them and second place Visit Finland, which is neck and neck with third place Singapore.

Richard Hewson, skipper on Gold Coast Australia who is first on the overall leader board, is taking full advantage of the good weather to train the new crew members ahead of race finish in Nova Scotia, 'We have been coaching the new crew members since we left New York to bring them up to speed for the remainder of the race. The mild conditions create a fantastic training platform and everybody remains fit to enjoy the sailing.'

The Clipper Race fleet is expected to arrive in Halifax, Nova Scotia between 11-12 June and will be berthed at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.

Latest boat positions (1500 UTC)

Position	Team	DTF	DTL
1	Gold Coast Australia	290 NM	0 NM
2	Visit Finland	292 NM	2 NM
3	Singapore	298 NM	8 NM
4	Geraldton Western Australia	300 NM	10 NM
5	De Lage Landen	301 NM	11 NM
6	Derry-Londonderry	304 NM	14 NM
7	Qingdao	305 NM	16 NM
8	Edinburgh Inspiring Capital	306 NM	16 NM
9	New York	309 NM	19 NM
10	Welcome to Yorkshire	321 NM	31 NM

Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found online along with daily skipper Clipper Round the World Yacht Race website