Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Race 3 starts off Brazilian coast

by Julia Wall-Clarke on 13 Oct 2013 In the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the twelve yachts competing started Race 3 today off the Brazilian coast, in a 3,390 mile South Atlantic challenge to Cape Town, South Africa. Old Pulteney, crossed the line first ahead of Derry~Londonderry~Doire, closely followed by PSP Logistics, in freshening wind conditions.

However it was Henri Lloyd that progressed from fifth across the line, to pass first round the windward mark with Derry~Londonderry~Doire and Old Pulteney in hot pursuit.

The fleet departed in climbing temperatures today from the Rio 2016 Olympic sailing venue, Marina da Gloria. They headed out past the stunning backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain, before parading past the picturesque beachfronts at Copacabana and Ipanema. As they reached Leblon, the fleet turned South East where they will continue for several days before moving East under the South Atlantic high.

Commenting on the Race Start conditions, Race Director Justin Taylor said: 'The fleet experienced perfect conditions as the wind direction moved from a South Westerly to a South Easterly direction, just ahead of the Race Start. The fleet raced out of Guanabara Bay, in freshening South Easterly winds with close to 20knots on the South side as they approached the first rounding mark, on Copacabana beach.'

Right before the race started, Old Pulteney skipper, Patrick van der Zijden, said: 'We need to improve our race standings so have to set our bar higher and sail faster in this race. More concentration is needed if we want to finish in the top half in Cape Town.'

The fleet are due into Cape Town towards the end of the month and will be berthed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Following a brief stopover, the fleet will then continue on via Albany in Western Australia, Sydney (including the world famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Race), Brisbane, Singapore, China, San Francisco, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Derry Londonderry and Dan Helder in the Netherlands before returning to London’s St Katharine Docks for Race Finish in July 2014.

The Clipper Race will return to the UK in July 2014 after a total of 670 crew race 40,000 miles and visit 15 ports on six continents.

Designed to provide everyone - regardless of sailing experience - the chance to race across oceans and taste the exhilaration of completing a circumnavigation, the Clipper Race has turned over 3,500 novices into ocean racers since its inception in 1995.

The overall Race leaderboard going into Race 3 is as follows:

1. PSP Logistics (20)
2. Qingdao (19)
3. Henri Lloyd (19)
4. GREAT Britain (17)
5. OneDLL (15)
6. Derry~Londonderry~Doire (15)
7. Jamaica Get All Right (14)
8. Team Garmin (13)
9. Invest Africa (13)
10. Switzerland (9)
11. Old Pulteney (7)
12. Mission Performance Clipper Round the World