Sail-World.com : Jamaica leads off on home Clipper leg
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Jamaica leads off on home Clipper leg |
In fluky wind conditions, varying between 12 and 30 knots predominantly from a north easterly direction, Race 10 to from Panama to Jamaica began at 10:02 local time (15:02 UTC) with a Le Mans start. Jamaica was first off the line, showing determination to break the ‘home port curse’ and secure their first win of the Clipper series.
Following their headsail hoists the fleet was hit by a sudden squall causing the winds to shift temporarily to a southerly direction. As the fleet headed north towards the Caribbean island of Jamaica, overall race leaders Hull & Humber had moved into pole position with Durban 2010 and Beyond close on their heels, as both teams sacrificed direction in favour of speed by choosing to sail higher than best course.
The 590-mile race is one of the shortest of the 14 individual races in Clipper 07-08 and will be an upwind sprint to the Caribbean island and the finish line before the fleet arrives in Port Antonio, Jamaica.
Current overall leaders Hull & Humber are confident they can maintain their current form and make another appearance on the podium. Round the world crew member Nigel Rose says, 'The race is going to be manic because it’s a sprint so
there’s not going to be any weather routing issues or anything. It’s just going to be side by side for four days so it’s going to be tough and demanding. We seem to be able to push the boat harder than most. It’s challenging but we’re very good at it.'
James Douglas is a member of the One Hull Tag Team, a group of young people from Hull who are sailing a leg each in the 35,000-mile race around the world. He says, 'I reckon this race is going to be a lot more difficult than the last one, definitely. It’s another different experience, beating all the way. We’re confident of getting another first place. We’ve got a good crew on here, so I reckon we can do it again.'
With approximately 8,000 miles left of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation and just five races to go, the Hull & Humber crew know they will have to maintain their momentum if they want to stay ahead of New York, Durban 2010 and Beyond and Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper who are all nipping at their heels.
The yachts are expected to arrive in Errol Flynn Marina, Port Antonio, late on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Clipper - Panama to Jamaica - DTF - 18:00hrs 19 May
1 Hull & Humber 468
2 Qingdao 469
3 New York 468
4 Nova Scotia 469
5 Glasgow:Scotland with style 468
6 Liverpool 08 468
7 Uniquely Singapore 506
8 Jamaica 468
9 westernaustralia2011.com 467
10 Durban 2010 and Beyond 469
by Event media
7:59 PM Mon 19 May 2008 GMT
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Clipper 07-08 Round the World Race
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