Clipper Yacht Race day 9 - Another shake up for the leaderboard

by Clipper Ventures on 21 Oct 2013 In the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the leaderboard has had another shake up, with Great Britain now leading the fleet from third position yesterday, and Invest Africa now in second position from fourth yesterday.

As the other more northerly yachts slow up, Invest Africa, Great Britain and Derry~Londonerry~Doire have kept going with stronger winds after trying a different strategy and heading further south.

They should do better in the 300-mile Ocean Sprint section of the course the fleet will start today in the hope of being the fastest through it and winning three extra points.

The fleet is also starting converge and get closer together again, so with 1250 miles to go and distances between many of the yachts very close, there is still everything to play for.

Gareth Glover, skipper of Qingdao, said: 'We closed up the north to south gap on the yachts, and our tactical plan is to sail the shorter route, but we are heading a little more south in the last 24 hours so we can get round this high blocking the way to Cape Town.

'There is still 1300 miles of racing left on this leg and the fleet will close back up as we get closer and the last 500 miles will see some very close racing. I still think that anyone is still in for a chance at winning this and coming in the top three finish which we are planning for.'