Clipper 09-10- Final race underway

by Clipper Ventures on 16 Jul 2010 Clipper 09-10: Final stage underway from the Netherlands to England.

The ten yachts competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race have begun the last stage of their 35,000-mile challenge and are racing across the North Sea from Ijmuiden, Netherlands, to their final destination, the Humber in north east England.

Race 14 once again takes the pursuit race format with Cork, smaller and heavier than the other nine 68-foot yachts, departing ahead of the rest of the fleet. In strong winds the fleet left Ijmuiden Seaport Marina, Netherlands, this afternoon, for the start at 1900 local time (1700 GMT).

The strong winds led to a delay in the race start with Uniquely Singapore suffering from a broken halyard and Team Finland's mainsail splitting as they pulled out of the harbour. So at 1948 local time (1748 GMT) in 20 to 25 knots of wind, Race 14 got underway with the nine Clipper 68s, comprising of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Jamaica Lightning Bolt, Uniquely Singapore, Team Finland, Qingdao, Cape Breton Island, Hull & Humber, Spirit of Australia and California, nicely lined up for the start.

Hull & Humber was first off the mark, closely followed by Team Finland. But despite a good start, the Finnish entry's inability to change up from a second reef due to their mainsail damage saw them quickly drop to the rear of the fleet. Having recovered from their broken halyard, Uniquely Singapore could keep up with the early pacesetters of Spirit of Australia and Hull & Humber.

Under the Le Mans start rules all the teams have to keep to their chosen sail plan for the first ten minutes of racing, but with the winds decreasing and the seas lumpy both Hull & Humber and Qingdao were quick to shake out their reefed mainsails as soon as the allotted time was up.

Now the teams are chasing down Cork who, in accordance with their IRC handicap, started a couple of hours before the Clipper 68s and with just 180-miles of race track in which to do so, the final leg of Clipper 09-10 will be fast and furious.

The East Riding of Yorkshire coastline will provide a unique vantage point for part of the final stage with the yachts scheduled to pass by on Friday 16 July, sometime between 1600 and 2200, en route to the finish line. Flamborough Head will provide a bird's eye view as the teams sail a course past Sewerby and Bridlington Bay where there will be additional viewing points.

Spirit of Australia has already secured overall victory but the final two podium positions are yet to be decided with Team Finland, Cape Breton Island and Jamaica Lightning Bolt in the chase for glory, with the home team Hull & Humber still in with a chance of securing third place overall. They are also the only team who could now win a race to their home port in this edition of the Clipper Race and the crew is going all out to do so.

The morning of Saturday 17 July will see the fleet race up the Humber In the presentational John Harrison Race from King George Dock to St Andrew's Quay. The race, which starts at 0930, has been named in the memory of the 18th Century clockmaker from Barrow-on-Humber who invented the marine chronometer which measures longitude.

The Clipper fleet's arrival back in Hull coincides with the city's Maritime and Jazz Festival. With entertainment on the land and water, the skies will also be alive with aerial displays by The Red Devils Freefall Parachute Display Team who will be dropping in at 1030 and the Black Cat Helicopter Display Team who will be wowing spectators with their aerial acrobatics at 1330.

More than 150,000 people were in Hull to bid farewell to the fleet when they set sail from the city in September last year. Tens of thousands are expected to line the banks of the Humber and the quayside in Hull Marina to welcome home the ten yachts and their intrepid crews. After ten months of battling the elements, away from friends and families, their homecoming this weekend is sure to be an emotional one.

Standings after Race 13
1. Spirit of Australia 120 points
2. Team Finland 103.3 points
3. Cape Breton Island 97 points
4. Jamaica Lightning Bolt 92 points
5. Hull & Humber 89 points
6. Uniquely Singapore 72 points
7. Qingdao 69 points
8. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 50 points
9. Cork 46.8 points
10. California 41 points

www.clipperroundtheworld.com