Clipper fleet approaches Cape Agulhas

by Clipper event media on 10 Nov 2007 With the fleet fast approaching the South African coast the skippers and navigators will be considering how they will handle the infamous Agulhas Current. As Sir Robin has mentioned in his blog (posted on the Clipper Race website www.clipperroundtheworld.com) this is a north to south flowing current between 50 and 100 nautical miles wide that rushes down the east coast of South Africa at speeds up to five knots and is now the main obstacle between the fleet and the finish line in Durban.

There are two tactics that can be used to handle this vicious current. The first is to sail approximately 100 nautical miles offshore all the way around the coast until making landfall in Durban. This keeps you away from the current and the dangerous waves that can be experienced but adds significantly to the distance travelled. The second option, which is the shortest, is to hug the coast and stay inside the 100 metre contour often sailing as close as the 10 metre line. This tactic was followed by the entire fleet in the last race but as the ocean floor changes along the east coast this can mean staying less than 1nm from the coast, day and night, and if the wind swings around to the north very little progress is made as you try and tack your way up this narrow corridor of water.

Following the temporary loss of their ‘Woodruff key’ yesterday Nova Scotia have relocated the missing item and managed to put their steering system back together. This acts as a reminder of the constant work the crew have to do each day to check and repair systems onboard.

Joff Bailey, Race Director: 'It is very important to undertake regular checks on the various systems and chafe points during a marathon race like this. When we see the pictures and the video that come back we only see the excitement of the sailing, but in the background there is a nonstop series of checks and double checks being carried out by the crew to ensure things keep working. Something like the steering should be checked at least twice a day, I am sure Nova Scotia will now be doing it more often.'

Despite the issues with the steering and the growing realisation that it is unlikely the Canadian team will be able to pull off a podium position into Durban the mood onboard remains high. Rob McInally, skipper of Nova Scotia, commented this morning: 'All the crew believe that we have been very unlucky with the weather and it has just been out of our control. They have loved the fact that they are doing all the driving and that I have spent a lot of time spent with them explaining the theory behind yachting. We have learned so much on this race that it will be very beneficial for the coming legs.'

All the teams will now be looking forward to turning the corner and heading north to get into warmer weather. Many of the daily reports coming back form the boats include comments regarding the cold conditions of their current positions as the fleet skirt the northern limits of the southern ocean. Mark Preedy, skipper of Uniquely Singapore, reports 'We have been sailing with the wind on the beam for most of the night and the temperature difference was huge. The crew have had a real challenge to stay warm. Porridge is proving popular again.'

Martin Silk, skipper of westernaustralia2011.com, made a simple remark: 'It’ s been a cold quiet night in the South Atlantic.' This comment came following some mast top theatricals yesterday evening when they damaged the mid-weight spinnaker. 'Getting the head of the kite down last night was fun,' explained Martin. 'I got up there and it suddenly wrapped around the wind stalk! So I had the kite in one hand and had to remove the stalk with the other. I then had to untangle everything at the same time hoping the helm wasn’t relying on the wind instruments whilst I was up there! Fortunately we were able to recover the situation without breaking anything.'

Not so fortunate were Hull & Humber who have had a difficult 36 hours of racing as Fiona Wright, a crew member on Hull & Humber, reports. 'Since overtaking Qingdao we’ve had a minor tear in our medium weight, dropped that and got our heavy weight up, a few broaches when it got lively followed by a show-stopping wrap. Repairs have been made to the spinnakers and anti-wrap and there have been mast climbs by four different people to sort out the mess with halyards. There were more broaches last night when we got the heavy weight spinnaker back up and the sheet came off. The guy slipped bending the pole round the forestay and for what felt like hours the spinnaker was out like a flag with only the halyards under tension!'

With a broken pole and damage to the spinnakers it will be interesting to see whether this has an effect on Hull & Humber’s impressive run to date and their position amongst the fleet.

The full leader board and current race positions for the Clipper 07-08 fleet can be viewed at www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Team Distance to finish
1 New York - 1031
2 Hull & Humber - 1062
3 Qingdao - 1093
4 Liverpool 08 - 1151
5 Glasgow:Scotland with style - 1189
6 Durban 2010 and Beyond - 1206
7 Uniquely Singapore - 1260
8 westernaustralia2011.com - 1278
9 Jamaica - 1461
10 Nova Scotia - 1550