Clipper Round the World Yacht Race – Qingdao crew member injured

by Heather Ewing on 14 Nov 2011 Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race is on the ninth day of leg four, from Geraldton, Western Australia to Tauranga, New Zealand.

Qingdao is diverting to Hobart, Tasmania, to allow an injured crew member to seek medical attention ashore.

Jo Sandford, 56, sustained a shoulder injury and bruising around the coccyx after falling on deck and has been confined to her bunk. However, as she is in acute pain, the on board medic, Joan Clancy, has recommended hospital treatment.

Skipper, Ian Conchie, has taken the prudent decision, one supported by the Race Management Team, to divert to Hobart and the yacht is expected to arrive there in the next 36 hours.

Ian reports, 'Our plan is to stop in Hobart briefly to allow Jo to go to the hospital. The Race Team is arranging for a representative to meet them when we arrive. We will then quickly turn the boat around and resume racing to Tauranga in New Zealand.

'We have to be careful to note our position when we drop the sails and return to the same position afterwards to stay in the race. Looking at the weather we are hoping that we can make it in and out of Hobart before the high pressure establishes itself over the area.'

Another team which has temporarily left the race course is Singapore. Following problems with their primary steering system, Ben Bowley and his team have diverted towards Queenscliff at the mouth of Port Philip Bay where they will be able to pick up the specialist tools required to undertake a repair.

'After last night's front passed over with very little fuss, we have been enjoying the warmer weather and several of the crew have peeled to their shorts,' Ben reports.

'Our gybe south should allow us a better approach to Melbourne and keeps us well clear of lee shores,' he said.

As he makes his way back to Australia, Ben said he had received 'a lovely quote' in an email from his grandma, who has owned a number of boats with character.

'’Be to her virtues ever kind, and to her faults, a little blind’ which seems rather apt at the moment!' he said.

New York is hanging onto second place although Gold Coast Australia has pulled ahead almost doubling their lead over Gareth Glover and his team since yesterday.

'Over the past 24 hours the wind has dropped and as we can only pole-out the Yankee 3 going downwind after fixing the mast track, we have lost some miles to the fleet,' Gareth explained.

'This is disappointing after how much hard work has to be put in to just get a mile ahead with the fleet being so close,' he added.

Gareth said the stronger winds forecast over the next 48 hours present the conditions in which his team thrives.

'We will see the wind increase over the next week as a very deep low is heading our way with the centre passing right over the Great Circle course to New Zealand. It looks like we will have to re-think our tactics to stay away from the winds of more than 50 knots forecast to the south,' he said.

Richard Hewson on Gold Coast Australia reports that his team has enjoyed a 'thrilling' 24 hours whilst extending their lead. A number of sail evolutions included a hasty heavyweight spinnaker drop as a large black cloud approached 'like a racehorse'.

'Our spinnaker halyard cover ripped apart in the drop and got stuck in the jammer, resulting in the halyard becoming stuck. With the spinnaker neither up nor down, there was no option but to cut the jammed halyard and recover the spinnaker,' he said, adding that the new sail was safely recovered undamaged.

Meanwhile, a dramatic wind shift dashed Richard’s hopes of sailing close to his homeland of Tasmania.

'It’s unfortunate that the wind changed before we reached the Tasmanian Gate, as it would have been nice to see my homeland and to share it with the crew. Unfortunately the wind has decided on our new course, and we are now heading straight towards Stewart Island in New Zealand,' he said.

Currently in third position and enjoying what skipper, Stuart Jackson, describes as 'Champagne sailing', the De Lage Landen team is making the most of the calm before the storm and contemplating the heavy weather ahead.

'Tomorrow we are due to have another low pass over us. It looks to be our strongest yet and we should have gusts well into the 50s [knots] so we’re getting the boat prepared and hopefully we’ll come through it unscathed,' he said.

There are currently only four miles between De Lage Landen and Derry-Londonderry. The skipper of the Northern Irish entry reports that one front has already caught up with his team.

'On board Derry-Londonderry we had a front pass over us last night which brought strong winds, lots of torrential rain, very gusty conditions and dark menacing clouds but also allowed us very good boat speeds. We went from the Yankee 1 to the Yankee 2 and put a reef in the main and were able to surf consistently at speeds of between 12 and 20 knots. As soon as the front passed the wind shifted and we changed to a more downwind set-up of full main and poled-out number 2 Yankee,' he said.

With the team hot on the heels of De Lage Landen, thoughts have turned to tactics and the battle for podium position.

'Only hours from the mandatory Tasmania Gate, we’re seeing the fleet beginning to bunch up. We’ve been sailing with Welcome to Yorkshire for the past two days and we’ve now been joined on our AIS [Automatic Identification System] by De Lage Landen.

'It is great to have all these other Clippers around to race against visually and on AIS as this also focuses our racing minds. The race is most definitely on for the podium positions and will take a few twists and turns yet as we carry on with this very fast downwind sleigh ride,' Mark added.

After grappling for position with Derry-Londonderry yesterday, Rupert Dean and his team on board Welcome to Yorkshire have seen their hard work and careful helming pay off as they currently share fourth place.

'With Derry-Londonderry visible on the horizon only four miles ahead, we were pushing Welcome to Yorkshire hard and we probably had a bit too much sail up for the conditions at the time. However, we pushed on, knowing that the winds were due to back round behind us and decrease in strength.

'This happened radically as the cold front passed over us and, before we knew it, we were setting the boat up on port gybe with full main and a poled-out Yankee 2,' Rupert said.

With the Tasmanian Gate in their sights, Rupert is proud of his team’s progress so far in this race as they race confidently towards New Zealand.

'After passing Cape Leeuwin, the southern tip of Tasmania will be another key milestone for the crew on their Southern Ocean odyssey and they should be proud of what they have achieved so far. In the meantime, our focus is to make as much distance as possible towards New Zealand before the next low hits us and, of course, work our way up the fleet in the process,' he added.

Olly Osborne reports that his team on Visit Finland has been experiencing some 'really exciting surfing' with a fast following swell and brilliant sunshine between passing rain squalls. 'It’s great to see the miles whizzing by in true Southern Ocean style,' he said.

Olly has been the latest skipper to celebrate his birthday at sea, following Mark Light’s 40th last week, and the Visit Finland crew didn’t let it slip by unnoticed.

'I was surprised to find the crew waiting with presents, bunting and party hooters outside my cabin when I woke up. We also enjoyed a fine selection of cheeses in the evening that my wife, Lucy, had arranged to be brought from Geraldton, so all in all it was a fantastic day, and I am sure I will not have a birthday like it again,' he said.

Olly said he plans to shape a more southerly course through the last deep ocean leg of this race after passing through the Tasmanian Gate.

'The weather forecast looks like it will not be giving us such a battering over the next few days after all, as the depressions look set to track further south, and with a good following sea the surfing conditions look set to last,' he said.

As the crews approach New Zealand, they will be looking forward to the next milestone on their 40,000-mile circumnavigation: reaching the most southerly point of their year-long race around the globe.

Geraldton Western Australia’s skipper, Juan Coetzer, said the day brought wet and windy weather and that his team was enjoying the increased breeze.

'The crew enjoy the windy conditions and has become really slick at reefing the main, and we’ve been reefing all night long,' he said.

'Overnight we managed to regain some lost mileage on the boats ahead. Currently we're in eighth place, and the crew is totally inspired to capitalise on the new breeze in order to catch the next boat…Edinburgh Inspiring Capital!' he added.

On board Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, the team has been revelling in the exhilarating conditions the Southern Ocean is throwing up. Skipper, Gordon Reid, reports that his team has experienced another 'epic day’s sailing' as they were hit by harsh weather conditions.

'We had 30 degree wind shifts and gusts over 40 knots, and all that together with building and confused ocean swell of up to 40-feet, makes driving the Purple Beastie both challenging and exhilarating all at the same time.

'The challenge for Clipper skippers as we race around the world is to find a balance between teaching and getting the job done as this is a race after all. Teaching sail trim is easy but teaching helming in such extreme conditions is no mean feat, and ultimately there is no substitute for experience. However, with that said the team on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital is getting on with it, learning fast and looking out for each other. It's a team game,' he added.

With the low pressure system set to deepen, Gordon said his team is prepared for the next 'onslaught'.

'All deck equipment has been checked, all potential chafe arrested in its tracks, crew briefed on potential sail plan adjustments and ready for squall watch. The skipper has a fresh pot of coffee and we’re ready for another night of fun and frolics on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital,' he said.

Positions at 0900 UTC, Monday 14 November
Boat - DTF*
1 Gold Coast Australia - 1789nm
2 New York - 1875nm (+86nm DTL**)
3 De Lage Landen - 1877nm (+89nm)
4 Derry-Londonderry - 1882nm (+93nm)
5 Welcome to Yorkshire - 1882nm (+93nm)
6 Visit Finland - 1885nm (+97nm)
7 Geraldton Western Australia - 1965nm (+177nm)
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital - 1971nm (+182nm)
9 Qingdao - 2011nm (+222nm)
10 Singapore - 2294nm (+505nm position at 0600)

DTF* = Distance to Finish, DTL** = Distance to Leader Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found online.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com" target="_blank">Clipper Round the World Yacht Race website