Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Brothers

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race – Now in the Tasman sea

by The Clipper Race on 10 Dec 2015
Tight at the top for front teams - Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race Clipper Ventures
It’s tight at the top of the Clipper Race fleet as the leading boats have rounded Great Mewstone south of Tasmania, and entered the Tasman Sea in a quest to be one of the first three teams through the Scoring Gate and onwards to the Race four finish in Sydney.

LMAX Exchange continues to lead the way and has opened up a 28 nautical mile lead over its nearest rival. Having already recorded two wins in this year’s race edition, Skipper Olivier Cardin is ensuring his crew do not get complacent: “Yesterday, we began to ease the sheets. Two hours after, the first little surfs were here and since then they are coming in succession, longer and longer.

“At midday, we were alongside Tasmania; the wind blew 50 knots, the sun was shining and the sea was white. It was fantastic! The lead on our little friends had slightly increased but they are still dangerous! The Scoring Gate is 180 nautical miles away. The wind will decrease but we will put more sails up!”

The following three teams of Great Britain, Mission Performance and Garmin have just over five nautical miles between them. The short distance, and ability to physically each other on deck, and not just on the AIS (Automatic Identification System) has added extra spice to the competitive spirit on board. Peter Thornton, Skipper of Great Britain, which is currently less than a mile ahead of third placed Mission Performance says: “Garmin seemed to come out of nowhere yesterday evening, stomping along. There went my quiet night. We have traded positions a couple of times over the past 24 hours and now luckily, only because of her having to gybe away from Great Mewstone, we are ahead again but only marginally. Given the challenging conditions anything can happen.

“In fact, it was due to us battling all night that we converged on Mission Performance this morning. Now all three of us are within AIS range and cruising up the coast in a pleasant sightseeing group.”

With the teams covering up to 140 nautical miles in the last twelve hours Skipper Greg Miller emphasises how much Mission Performance is enjoying the exhilarating conditions: “So this has turned out to be a Southern Ocean race proper! We are currently gliding along at 12-13 knots with the wind just forward of our midships (Beam/Close reach) in 25-30 knots of wind. This is quite manageable even with no visual markers. It is an overcast night with no stars or moon to steer by, so it means staring at the compass or trying to pick out different shades of clouds and following them...remembering that they are moving pretty quickly!”

Other positional changes overnight have seen Visit Seattle sail a more northerly route and return to fifth place, closely followed by IchorCoal and Derry~Londonderry~Doire. The Northern Irish entry however is diverting to Hobart after a crew member on board sustained suspected broken ribs. Skipper Daniel Smith and his crew took the decision to divert as a precautionary measure and will resume racing once the crew member has been safely medevaced. More details are available here.

Unicef has dropped to eighth, but remains approximately 33 nautical miles back from fifth placed Visit Seattle in a closely fought mid-fleet battle. Skipper Martin Clough says: “Amazing waves have given the crew some of the most exhilarating downwind sailing of the race so far, with surfs in excess of 20 knots. A mind stunning panorama of ocean power!

“After an accidental gybe last night, we’ve sailed a higher course which after daybreak has given the opportunity to a few more confident helms to lay the first mark in some challenging downwind sailing. A few places lost, yet Unicef’s learning portfolio steadily grows and from what knowledge and quirks I have picked about the yacht, in the varied wind conditions of the current race, and how ready the team have been to commit, learn and have a go, I am confident we can step things up a level in the next two races.”

Don't miss: Your chance to win a limited edition watch as worn by the Clipper Race Skippers in their global endurance challenge in this race’s Elliot Brown Timekeeper Cup Competition.



Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangePantaenius Sail 2025 AUS FooterX-Yachts X4.3

Related Articles

Team Race World Championship returns
In a month's time when the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court The past decade for team racing has featured the emergence of a new, spectator-friendly format and the continued spread of the discipline around the globe.
Posted today at 1:38 pm
MS Amlin re-signs with Kiwi race team
Leading European insurer MS Amlin have renewed their sponorship of Aotearoa Ocean Racing, Leading European insurer MS Amlin have renewed their sponorship of Aotearoa Ocean Racing, enabling the newly formed team to take part in a series of races in Europe later this year. The team is still seeking sponsorship for The Ocean Race 2027.
Posted today at 12:53 pm
Matt Allen AM matches AOC funding
To support 2024 Olympic Podium Performing Sailors Matt Allen AM has once again demonstrated his unwavering support for sailing by generously matching the Australian Olympic Committee's Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) for Olympic champion Matt Wearn and Paris 2024 silver medallist Grae Morris.
Posted today at 4:45 am
60th Anniversary Congressional Day 2
Monnin in the hunt for semi-final spot Switzerland's Eric Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team delivered a faultless performance today, the second day of the 60th Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup.
Posted today at 4:26 am
Antigua Race Week Day 4
One-third of the classes started the penultimate day with boats tied on points at the top Racing at this year's Antigua Sailing Week is so close that one-third of the classes started the penultimate day with boats tied on points at the top of their respective leaderboards.
Posted today at 3:04 am
5.5m Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva Day 1
The Jean Genie makes strong start to title defence The Jean Genie (GBR 43, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Ruaridh Scott) took a commanding lead on a very tricky opening day of the 2025 5.5 Metre Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva, on Lake Garda, Italy.
Posted on 1 May
21st Sandberg PalmaVela Day 1
Magic Carpet E wins two from two on her debut The Maxi class officially opened racing today at the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela, completing two W/L races in which the newest elite 100-footer, Magic Carpet E, dominated with two clear victories in what was its first-ever races.
Posted on 1 May
52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup Day 2
Gladiator back on winning form Disappointed to miss out on winning the 2024 circuit title after coming into the last event of the season with a solid points lead, Tony Langley's world champions Gladiator crew started their assault on the 2025 title on the best possible footing.
Posted on 1 May
Life-Changing Experience in Melbourne Osaka Cup
The crew of White Spirit talk about their journey A resounding yes, they'd do it again for such an amazing life-changing experience, is how Cyrus Allen, skipper of the Beneteau 50, White Spirit, summed up the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka race, which he completed with co-skipper Lillian Stewart.
Posted on 1 May
Transat Paprec Day 12
Charlotte Yven & Hugo Dhallenne: "Now, it's all in the mind too!" He checked in mid-morning, and you could hear the joy in his voice — Hugo Dhallenne is doing what he loves most: racing at sea. He's at the front of the fleet in the Transat Paprec and fully enjoying this adventure alongside Charlotte Yven.
Posted on 1 May