Clipper Round The World Race - A flying start on Day 1 of Race 11

by Clipper Ventures on 20 Apr 2014 On Day 1 of Race 11 of the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race 2013-14, The PSP Logistics Panama 100 Cup, after a spectacular send-off from San Francisco, USA the 12 strong fleet competing pulled no punches as the 3,300 mile race to panama got off to a flying start.

With Derry~Londonderry~Doire, Henri Lloyd and Old Pulteney first across the start line for Race 11, it wasn’t long before PSP Logistics made its move eager to make an impression and secure a win in its title race. Skipper of PSP Logistics, Chris Hollis which currently lies in second place behind Old Pulteney knows all too well the pressure is on:

'Today see's us on our way to Panama in Race 11, which has being named by our sponsor, the PSP Logistics Panama 100 Cup. Needless to say, we want to do very well in the race for obvious reasons. By the time we were under the Golden Gate Bridge and heading out to sea we had over taken four boats.'

Although the Northern Irish entry took an early lead, skipper of Derry~Londonderry~Doire Sean McCarter was far from impressed by his team’s initial start in Race 11. Sean explains in today’s skipper report:

'Our departure today was less than straight forward. With crowds cheering from the dock, we proceeded to bounce our way out of the marina in a very erratic manner. I was worried the Coastguard might want to breathalyse me but I can honestly confirm that as the tide was fully out, the keel was gently ploughing through the muddy bottom and making manoeuvring very tricky!'

'After the embarrassing departure, we knew we had to redeem ourselves at the start. The largely new crew (11 joiners) pulled together really well with the seasoned round the world crew and we managed to win the start and lead out under the Golden Gate Bridge which was fantastic for all aboard (and all our fans who were unlucky enough to witness our departure!)'

With just four miles now separating the top three leading boats, Old Pulteney, PSP Logistics and Derry~Londonderry~Doire respectively, all eyes will be on the Race Viewer to see how the tactics in Race 11 will play out over the next few weeks.

Standings

Position - Team	DTL
Derry~Londonderry~Doire	0NM
Old Pulteney	9NM
PSP Logistics	13NM
Mission Performance	9NM
Team Garmin	17NM
Jamaica Get All Right	17NM
Invest Africa	17NM
One DLL	19NM
Henri Lloyd	20NM
Switzerland	18NM
Qingdao	29NM
Great Britain	28NM