Clipper Round the World Yacht Race continues to heat up

by Ruth Harrington on 10 Jul 2012 Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet are on day four of race fourteen from Derry-Londonderry to Den Helder, the Netherlands. The ten ocean racing yachts take on the tactical challenge of timing the notorious tidal gates of the North Sea, in an attempt to win a coveted podium position.

Gold Coast Australia continues to lead the pack whilst in the last 24 hours Singapore has successfully challenged Visit Finland for second place. With just two miles separating the yachts, the race continues to heat up.

Singapore skipper, Ben Bowley described the power of the tides and the importance of timing them correctly, 'We were being swept along at ten knots whereas Visit Finland was being pinned back by the tide and making no more than four knots over the ground. This allowed us to slip on the inside of them, cutting the north Shore of Stroma Island by around half a mile.'

With just 19 miles currently separating first place Gold Coast Australia and fifth place De Lage Landen, the race is still anyone’s for the taking, 'With less than 400 miles to go until we reach Den Helder, this race is going to be decided fairly quickly. There is still everything left to play for, as there are only a few miles separating all ten yachts,' explained Stuart Jackson, skipper of the Dutch entry, De Lage Landen.

During the fleet’s stay in Den Helder, Recruitment Manager David Cusworth will be holding free hour long presentations for those interested in taking part in the future races. Click here to find out more about the Clipper Race Roadshow.

Latest boat positions

Position	Team	DTF	DTL
1	Gold Coast Australia	315 NM	0 NM
2	Singapore	321 NM	7 NM
3	Visit Finland	322 NM	7 NM
4	Edinburgh Inspiring Capital	331 NM	17 NM
5	De Lage Landen	334 NM	19 NM
6	Welcome to Yorkshire	343 NM	28 NM
7	Qingdao	354 NM	40 NM
8	Derry-Londonderry	365 NM	50 NM
9	New York	370 NM	55 NM
10	Geraldton Western Australia	378 NM	63 NM

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