Clipper 13-14 Race - Fickle conditions shake up the leader board

by The Clipper Race on 21 Sep 2013 It’s been all change at the top of the leader board in the last 24 hours as the 12 strong fleet of racing yachts competing in the Clipper 13-14 Race battle the variable and dynamic conditions of the Doldrums.

Great Britain has been celebrating after climbing into third place, knocking rivals Henri Lloyd out of the top three for the first time in Race two. With the uncertainty of the Doldrums playing havoc with the fleets’ progress, the podium positions are still anyones for the taking.

Meanwhile Matt Mitchell, skipper of Mission Performance has been making steady speed in a wind of 10 knots, while Olly Cotterell, skipper of OneDLL shared his frustration after a day of little progress as the fleet battle the light and variable wind conditions of the Doldrums.

'The big blue watery road has well and truly led us to the Doldrums as we experience a day of fickle winds. I had been tracking our progress and we were doing really well with six hourly runs that were in the top of the fleet, making slow gains on the front runners while holding off the rest of the fleet. Our favours have turned however and most of today was spent with five knots of wind or less.'

In the last 24 hours former first place entry, Derry~Londonderry~Doire has activated its Stealth Mode. Its position in the fleet was last broadcast yesterday 1200UTC and will be hidden from the yachts and the public until today at 1200 UTC.