Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - De Lage Landen in pole position

by Heather Ewing on 10 Feb 2012 Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet are on day seven of race eight, from Singapore to Qingdao. The sprint to the Scoring Gate has quickly become a three horse race as Dutch entry De Lage Landen look to pip rival entries Geraldton Western Australia and Gold Coast Australia to the gate securing a valuable three extra points in the process.

Currently in pole position, De Lage Landen’s skipper, Stuart Jackson, is relishing the closely matched racing.

'In a large ocean it is always a wonder to see our nearest rivals cross our path within a mile of us. Geraldton Western Australia did just that in the darkness last night as our alternative tactics took us nearer to the Scoring Gate and a wonderful duel in the sun, with them and Gold Coast Australia is making our day.

'It’s been another night of glorious sailing, yet every evening seems to herald an extra degree of heel on the boat and a slighter lower temperature. Shorts are very slowly disappearing as the new deck attire of red foulies has taken over,' continues Stuart.

'The winds have been kind to the fleet allowing us to make east in our tracks to Taiwan, however future weather predictions are likely to see us having a heavy beat up to the East China Sea. Crew morale is high and they are working hard to maintain our first place at present. Beating is never an easy job, but one that we are currently enjoying!'

With all of the three front runners currently around 50 miles from the Scoring Gate the deciding factor could be which team decides to tack north first in a bid to secure the maximum points.

On board Gold Coast Australia, Richard Hewson, is ruing his team’s progress as the last 24 hours has seen the Australian entry slip down the leader board, occupying third place.

'A poor 24 hours for Gold Coast Australia with a poor performance loosing over 30 miles overnight. After a decision to prioritise making the Scoring Gate we unfortunately lost sight of the overall picture of the race,' reveals the Australian skipper.

'As a result stayed on a tack that would lead us to the closer western end of the gate rather than focusing on our race plan which is to head east. This poor decision has cost us a lot of miles, however the good news is that we still have a long way to go and a lot of tactical decisions to be made before the end of the race which will allow us to win back the miles.

Just two miles behind their Australian rivals and three miles behind current leaders De Lage Landen, Richard is concerned the boat’s speed is being impeded.

'Given we had such good boat speed at the start of the race I am unsure why we are not on the pace at the moment. With the wind forecasted to lighten off over the coming few days I will most likely take a dive to check the keel and rudder for fishing nets as there is a high chance that we may have run over a line or some nets which are often lost or discarded by fishermen in the area.'

With the current progress of the leading three boats, the first team to cross the Scoring Gate will do so at approximately 1400 UTC, securing the three points. followed by two points for second place and one for third across.

However due to their current position and boat speed, Gold Coast Australia’s skipper has taken a bold decision.

'It is unlikely we will make the Scoring Gate in first place and so during happy hour today another crew vote took place and we decided to discard the gate and focus on the remainder of the race. With some luck we may squeeze through the gate before the other yachts who are fast catching us up.'

Well and truly in the mix for extra points and the bragging rights for first to the Scoring Gate, is Geraldton Western Australia, skippered by Juan Coetzer.

'Sailing through the night we came across De Lage Landen, they passed ahead of us by about a mile. An hour later we tacked to cover them, hoping to try secure two points through the Scoring Gate.

'This morning we heard De Lage Landen and Gold Coast Australia on the VHF - to our amazement. Gold Coast Australia has just appeared on the AIS, and they are ten miles to the south of us. The crew are over the moon with this result. The only question at this time is, 'where is De Lage Landen?' We really would like three points,' continues the South African yachtsman.

'I guess we will have to wait until 0600 UTC to find out. This will then affect our decision on whether to go north or hold our course.'

The Clipper Race is a unique event and offers everyday people from all walks of life the chance to take on some of the world’s most extreme conditions. Derry-Londonderry’s skipper Mark Light; offers a real insight to the conditions expected on board in the coming weeks during his daily report.

'Imagine the feeling of going out into the depths of winter in the UK, with minus temperatures and as many clothes as you can stand up in. Then take off a few degrees, just for wind chill, next, angle the floor to about 30 degrees of heel and make it nice and slippy underfoot.

'Now get somebody to consistently throw icy cold, salt water in your face and all over you. Add the tremendous noise of the wind so that you can hardly hear yourself think. Now imagine one of the most physically demanding jobs that you personally could undertake.

'Have somebody barge into you a few times during the process, just to try and knock you off your feet. Then think about the bone jarring bangs as the boat crashes off yet another wave and finally add a very healthy dose of anxiety and apprehension to the whole proceedings. You have just imagined what it may be like to complete yet another headsail change on a Clipper 68 in the South China Sea!' explains Mark.

'This is what all the crews have to look forward to in less than a week’s time. For now, I'm enjoying the temperatures we have.'

Currently in fourth position the Northern Ireland entry is making good progress towards the Scoring Gate as well as climbing their way up through the fleet in the race to Qingdao.

'Sailing a boat to windward can be a long, tough, drawn out process where distances made are not immediately obvious to all. We have done well choosing some good tacks with regard to wind directions and also maximising effects of current so that our SOG (Speed Over Ground) has been consistently high. Right now, we are making a very healthy 10 knots with a decent heading (albeit not on the favourable tack),' continues Mark.

Meanwhile just two miles behind Derry-Londonderry, Singapore have experienced a testing 24 hours.

'A combination of small errors have led to some equipment damage, slow sailing and even a little pillow screaming,' reveals the Singapore entry’s skipper, Ben Bowley.

'Tiredness is starting to take its toll and there are certainly less smiling faces aboard today, continually slamming to windward is really no fun after 72 hours, I shudder when I look at how much further there is to go!

'Yesterday evening saw us increasing sail up to one reef but as reefing drills were not exactly common during the last race, some of the crew were a little rusty. This meant that the main ended up flogging for quite some time and by the time the reef was completed we had a broken batten,' says Ben.

'We were also unlucky enough to have a chaffed Yankee sheet that cost us some time whilst it was being replaced. Sailing in a one design fleet means that the smallest of errors can make a big difference to overall performance. Our hopes for some points at the Scoring Gate are slipping away with each bone jarring crash off the top of a wave.'

Meanwhile currently not ruling out sneaking across the Scoring Gate within the top three teams is New York’s skipper Gareth Glover.

'After looking at the other yacht’s positions and our own, there is a slim chance of getting a point from the Scoring Gate if we head north but then we will put ourselves way over to the west and east is the way we need to go to Qingdao.

'So we are now heading east as far as we can until we have to go north again into the South China Sea which we hope after we tack back will get us into a better position for the rest of the race,' continues the American entry’s skipper.

'It’s still very hot below, 32 degrees, and the team are working on keeping us racing and the yacht clean below. We have seen a few old fishing nets and logs in the water which we have had to avoid and to add to that ships coming from all angles are keeping the crew on their toes,' signs off Gareth.

Jostling for position in the middle of the fleet is the Scottish entry, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, skippered by Gordon Reid.

'Yesterday was a real roller coaster ride as we headed north into the building swell, under a generous sail plan at full power, the enforced trim reviews making sure the focus is maintained driving the Purple Beastie fast and on course. A few simple measures rigidly enforced seem to the answer in helping the crew stay focussed.

'We have continued to close the gap on the lead three boats and have taken another place as we strive hard to maximise our VMG (Velocity Made Good) towards the Scoring Gate and beyond.

With the weather set to change and the wind veer, then back and ease we are setting ourselves up to take advantage and be in the right location when it fills in again for the push towards the waypoint south of Taiwan still some 800 miles away,' says Gordon.

'Tactically this race is proving to be a beauty, with many different approaches coming into play, it will be interesting to see who has it right as we continue on in the fantastic race to Qingdao.'

Guaranteed a hero’s welcome after completing Race 8 are the crew and skipper of Chinese entry, Qingdao. Currently racing on the way to their homeport crew and skipper are intent on a podium position finish.

'We continue to slog our way towards Taiwan, unfortunately for us and the whole fleet the wind is not cooperating; making it hard work. We have switched down to the Yankee 3 as the wind has picked up to 25 knots and the sea state has picked up as well making it wet on deck and very hot below decks,' reports skipper, Ian Conchie.

'This is great sailing but we are starting to dream of having a flat boat again!

'The crew are almost looking forward to the air temperature to drop now, but not the water temp! In the mean time the normal conversations have started about favourite meals and what people are looking forward to seeing in Qingdao.'

Over on Visit Finland, Olly Osborne, too reports of changing conditions as the race continues to test the team’s tactical nous.

'The sea state continues to build as the breeze remains constantly in the high twenties from the north east, but with a fairly moderate sail plan, it is still a fairly pleasant ride.

'The helms are enjoying a bit of a workout and it is good to blow away the cobwebs of the Equatorial Doldrums. The question now is how to tackle the next phase of this race as we enter the wider part of the South China Sea,' comments Olly.

'There will be more scope for a wider spread in the fleet and it will be interesting to see who opts for the rhumb line route, and who ventures further afield in search of more favourable current. We are slowly making inroads toward the leading pack but a sound tactical plan is going to be essential if we are to close the gap, and as always with upwind racing things are likely to re-shuffle quickly.'

Hoping to make their way up the fleet in the coming days is Welcome to Yorkshire, skippered by Rupert Dean.

'Since tacking near the Dai Hung oilfield yesterday lunchtime, Welcome to Yorkshire has been heading east, mercifully out of the adverse current we found ourselves in for the previous 36 hours.

'As we progress further east on port tack, this has enabled us to be lifted onto more of an east-north-easterly heading which has improved our VMG (Velocity Made Good) significantly. Miles are starting to be clawed back on our nearest competitors, which has been good for morale. We don't give up on Welcome to Yorkshire and there is still a long way to go to Qingdao,' reports Rupert.

It's been very interesting to read the daily reports of the skippers in the boats ahead. It appears that, local current anomalies aside, all the boats are experiencing much the same conditions. We on Welcome to Yorkshire have been working our way down through the sail wardrobe too and are currently sailing under a double reefed main, staysail and Yankee 3 in apparent wind speeds of 27 to 31 knots.

'This seems to be working well, although at times it would be good to have the bigger Yankee 2 up front, to help punch through those short steep seas. Considering, however, the extra leeway, slamming and loading stresses on the Yankee 2 that would occur; our current conservative set-up is the sensible way to go.'

With over 1,700-miles to go of this 2,600-mile race to Qingdao all is to play for as the ten teams look forward to a spectacular welcome into the Chinese port.

The Clipper 11-12 Race fleet is expected to begin arriving in Qingdao between 22 and 25 February.

Positions at 0900 UTC, Friday 10 February
Boat DTF*
1 De Lage Landen 1661nm* (+0nm**)
2 Geraldton Western Australia 1662nm (+1nm)
3 Gold Coast Australia 1664nm (+3nm)
4 Derry-Londonderry 1704nm (+43nm)
5 Singapore 1707nm (+45nm)
6 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 1714nm (+53nm)
7 New York 1728nm (+67nm)
8 Visit Finland 1740nm (+79nm)
9 Qingdao 1782nm (+120nm)
10 Welcome to Yorkshire 1818nm (+157nm)

*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