Southern Ocean and the Clipper fleet
by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 20 Nov 2015
Race 3, Day 18 - 2015-16 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Clipper Ventures
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As of this writing, the fleet is roughly 615 miles from the finishing line, with Garmin currently sitting in first place, followed by Great Britain and Ichorcoal, however four boats are currently operating in stealth mode, including LMAX Exchange, who had been leading the leg until just recently. A distance of some 746 miles separates Garmin’s stern from UNICEF’s’s bow sections (again, excluding the boats that are in stealth mode), the later of whom is currently the farthest off the pace. I caught up with the skippers of three boats via email to learn more about their experiences since leaving docks in Cape Town and how their real-world teambuilding experiments have been going. Here’s a look at the leg to date, in their words.
“The strongest wind we had during this leg came 18 hours after the start, around the Cape of Good Hope,” reported Olivier Cardin, skipper of LMAX Exchange, who is currently in stealth mode. “We were beating against a storm for eight hours in a very bad sea. We took very good advantage of this storm being in the east of the fleet. After this it was a week [of] easy [reaching] in medium wind, following a high-pressure system.”
“The real Roaring Forties conditions began after the Scoring Gate (by 43S 055E) as we began to sail downwind in the lows with a wind between 25 and 55 knots,” continued Cardin. “It was then a succession of cold fronts, [and]… we had to tactically deal with wind shifts. We helmed in uncomfortable crossed seas and lived altogether in a cold wet environment on deck and down below.”
Meanwhile, aboard Mission Performance, who is also currently in stealth mode:
“On Day Two out of Cape Town we hit a squall and the wind was gusting at over 60 knots,” said Greg Miller, Mission Performance’s skipper. “We weren’t ready for this and were caught with our trousers down and far too much canvas up. It was a struggle to get reefs in the main and get our Yankee down, but with clear and concise instructions everyone knew what had to be done and got on with it, no questions.”
“Reflecting back on it after the event was very useful and some of the crew did feel scared, but they knew what was at stake if it didn’t happen, so it happened,” continued Miller. “Now when there is a blow forecast, they shrug it off knowing that not many blows will be as bad as their first one!”
And aboard Visit Seattle, who is currently sitting in sixth place:
“I have six of my 18 crew as new joiners this leg, although one of [these new crewmembers] sailed with us from London to Rio in Leg 1,” said Huw Fernie, Visit Seattle’s skipper. “It's a tough challenge to settle everyone down into life on board; the atmosphere changes each leg with the new personalities so the challenge goes to the new and old crew alike.”
“As my core crew get more settled into life on the boat my job as Skipper does get easier; anyone can answer 1 of 100 questions that crop up at random times,” continued Fernie. “This gives me more time to spend on the new crew and then time for the more experienced crew can be devoted to really honing specific skills. We are in the Southern Ocean though, safety is always on my mind, you can never be too safe; that's where the stress is coming from this leg.”
After 20-plus days at sea, individual crewmembers have gelled into capable crews, and the skippers are enjoying their returns on the investments that they made with each individual sailor, somewhere since leaving London astern, as experienced aboard Mission Performance:
“One of the biggest challenges is getting people to helm in the big waves that the Southern Ocean provides, it’s hard enough getting people to helm with the kite up let alone with a seaway on,” said Miller. “So coaching those helms becomes very important, I have had to take baby steps with some of the crew and do it a little at a time.”
“Now it is hard to keep some people off the wheel, surfing down the front of 20ft waves with the kite up!” continued Miller. “They are self-improving as well which is amazing to watch. I am a very happy skipper!”
With just 615 miles separating Garmin from the Albany, Western Australia finishing line (and possibly less distance for the boats that are operating in stealth mode), coupled with the groupings of boats within the peloton, the weekend should present the twelve newly forged teams with some nail-biting moments—especially as boats exit stealth mode—while furnishing virtual fans with some great stories. According to the latest new from the Clipper Race, the first bots are expected to arrive in Australia on Sunday, local time.
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