Clipper Race - It's a wrap on Race 15
by Karla Graves 29 Jul 2022 02:18 PDT
Clipper Race 15 © Karla Graves
The final race of the Clipper 2019-20 Race is complete. Due to the slow progress of the fleet after it faced adverse race conditions, the Race 15 Course was shortened. The race was called to an end at 0000 UTC on 29 July so that the teams could arrive in London's Royal Docks in time for the final celebrations.
The teams departed Derry~Londonderry on Sunday 24 July, leaving the final stopover behind and embarking on the last push of the Clipper 2019-20 Race, which served up a whole host of conditions in a short period of time. The final sprint began with a thrilling line start, followed by very light winds, and then shifting up a gear to heavy upwind conditions for the first 24 hours.
The final race involved sailing around the top of Scotland, where the teams battled with ferocious currents in the notorious Pentland Firth. Time it right and it's a breezy passage with the tide, but if you pass on a foul tide, then it could be a case of not moving or even going backwards. The frontrunners, Unicef, Punta del Este, Qingdao and WTC Logistics enjoyed a perfectly timed Pentland Firth passage, with favourable tides meaning a swift journey past the north coast of Scotland, taking in the gorgeous scenery that so few get to experience from the sea. However, for those further back in the fleet, it was a case of battling against a fierce tidal stream, losing precious miles and hours as the leading pack pressed on.
Once the fleet rounded the top of Scotland, the North Sea served up some tricky conditions in the form of wind holes, where many of the yachts were left floating around, making for slow progress and frustration.
Race 15 Results:
Unicef - 11 points
WTC Logistics - 10 points
Qingdao - 9 points
Punta del Este - 8 points
GoToBermuda -7 points
Visit Sanya, China - 6 points
Zhuhai - 5 points
Seattle - 4 points
Dare To Lead - 3 points
Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam - 2 points
Imagine your Korea - 1 point