Countdown Begins – 24 Hours to go

by Catherine Green on 8 Apr 2006 With less than 24 hours to go until Dame Ellen MacArthur starts Race Seven by leading the fleet out aboard her famous trimaran B&Q, crew and skippers are frantically getting together final provisions before they embark on the epic sail from Qingdao, China to Victoria, Canada.

Victualing is well under way and food supplies are being stowed in each of the ships interiors. The teams are well aware that this next race will see them encounter big waves and great storms as they battle the cold weather heading north into the Pacific Ocean.

The Race re-start is set to achieve its largest global audience of all time tomorrow, when CCTV, China’s national television station will beam footage from the Olympic City of Qingdao to around half a billion people throughout China. With so many people watching the re-start with anticipation and excitement, all of the teams will be hoping it is they who make the best possible start.

Joining his ‘home team’, Victoria Clipper, for Race Seven across the Pacific Ocean, Peter A. Robson, editor of Pacific Yachting magazine, is preparing for his latest adventure – aboard the Clipper Race.

'There is obviously lots of preparation still to be done before the race starts, and gear, clothing, sails and provisions are strewn everywhere. This is a racing yacht, and there is clearly no resemblance between it and the luxury yachts we write about in Pacific Yachting.

'Aboard the Victoria, I find the only empty bunk. Half its length is a mere foot from the fibreglass overhead. I heave up my duffle and claim it as my own, wondering what I don’t know about it and why no one else has claimed it. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.'



Race Six Finishing Positions:

Team Finish Time Distance from Leader
1. Liverpool 08 0557 (Local time) -
2. Victoria 0618 + 21 minutes
3. Durban 0624 + 27
4. Uniquely Singapore 0641 + 44
5. Cardiff 0926 + 3hrs 29
6. New York 1040 + 4hrs 43
7. Qingdao 1319 + 7hrs 22
8. Glasgow 1425 + 8hrs 28
9. westernaustralia.com 1457 + 9hrs
10. Jersey 1501 + 9hrs 4


Projected Overall Leader Board:

Team Overall Points
1. westernaustralia.com 43.5
2. Liverpool 08 40.5
3. Durban 40
4. New York 35.5
5. Victoria 31.5
6. Cardiff 28*
7. Uniquely Singapore 28*
8. Qingdao 26
9. Jersey 16
10. Glasgow 8.5

Subject to change by Race Committee

* When teams are tied on points the Race Team take into consideration the greater number of 1st, 2nd or 3rd places to decide who holds the higher position.