Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet head to Derry-Londonderry

by Isabel Hokken on 16 Jun 2012 Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet have set sail on the first day of race thirteen from Nova Scotia to Derry-Londonderry after a short stop in Halifax.

It was an exciting start to the 2,350-mile Atlantic crossing as the teams yesterday afternoon (GMT) lined up at the inshore start line with only minutes to spare. Aided by steady winds, as the gun sounded, all ten teams crossed together in a tightly packed charge out of the harbour with only metres between each yacht.

Jostling for position over competitors, each team has been using almost every sail in its wardrobe over the last 18 hours and as they head further into the Atlantic, choosing the right sail plan opens up the potential for some very fast sailing.

If you look at the Race Viewer on the Clipper Race website you can see the fleet is still packed with only seven miles separating the front and back runners. Gold Coast Australia is currently in the lead while Visit Finland is second and Singapore is in third place.

With the Clipper Race crew getting back into the routine of rough ocean racing, on board Derry-Londonderry, skipper Mark Light reports that the mind-set on board is focused on achieving its first win, and the first home port win in the race series.

'We are all fired up to get the most important result that we can. A first place, a yellow pennant, a home port win – a victory would be an amazing achievement. We will do everything that we possibly can to make the city proud on our journey across and it will be absolutely fantastic to sight the shores of Northern Ireland ahead of our arrival. We are most definitely coming home.'

The fleet is expected to arrive in Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland between 29 June and 1 July, where the UK City of Culture for 2013 will host a Clipper Race homecoming festival on behalf of the fleet from 29 June - 8 July.

Latest boat positions (0900 UTC)

Position	Team	DTF	DTL
1	Gold Coast Australia	2154NM	0NM
2	Visit Finland	2156NM	2NM
3	Singapore	2157NM	3NM
4	Geraldton Western Australia	2158NM	4NM
5	New York	2159NM	5NM
6	Derry-Londonderry	2159NM	5NM
7	Edinburgh Inspiring Capital	2159NM	5NM
8	Qingdao	2159NM	5NM
9	De Lage Landen	2160NM	6NM
10	Welcome to Yorkshire	2161NM	7NM

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