Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Race 5 Start
by Marina Thomas 3 Dec 2013 09:19 GMT
3 December 2013
Sydney next stop for the fleet as race 5 starts from Albany, Western Australia
The 270 amateur crew on the current leg of the 2013-14 edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race have started the 2150 mile fifth stage to Sydney from Albany, Western Australia. There is a series of 16 races spanning six continents over 11 months including some of the toughest conditions on the planet. Race 5 is the fleet's second dip into the Southern Ocean which will provide a final shakedown for the amateur crews before the 12-strong fleet debuts in the classic Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race – Race 6 of the series.
Following a Parade of Sail in King George Sound, GREAT Britain was first over the start line, followed by Derry~Londonderry~Doire and Qingdao in third position.
However, following the start, a racing incident was reported between PSP Logistics and GREAT Britain. Both yachts have returned to port for full damage assessment. There were no injuries on either yacht.
Eric Holden, skipper of Henri Lloyd, at the top of the leaderboard, said ahead of Race Start: "It is a shorter leg than what we are used to so we feel we can push the boat harder and faster, and keep up the pace all the time.
"It will be good warm up training ahead of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race which will be good. We have new crew so it will be a good chance for them to gel ahead of the race. The forecast is not the same as the nasty storms we had in Leg 3 and the conditions are more suitable so we are hoping we won't have to worry so much about things we did in the last race.
"It looks like there will be high pressure fronts for most of the race, but it will be cold as we go south of Tasmania. We won't be changing anything about what we have done already, but we certainly won't be relaxing as we are only four points ahead of GREAT Britain in second place."
After a relentless Leg 3 from Cape Town, South Africa to Albany, Western Australia, the crews are heading into the notorious Southern Ocean again for Leg 4, racing to Sydney, followed by Hobart as part of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race fleet, and then onto Brisbane. The fleet is due into Sydney between 12 and 14 December and will berth at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Rushcutter's Bay.
Following a stopover, the fleet will then compete in the world famous Rolex Sydney
Hobart Race, followed by racing to Brisbane, Singapore, China, San Francisco,
Panama, Jamaica, New York, Derry Londonderry and Dan Helder in the Netherlands
before returning to London's St Katharine Docks for Race Finish in July 2014.
The Clipper Race will return to the UK in July 2014 after a total of 670 crew race
40,000 miles and visit 15 ports on six continents.
Designed to provide everyone - regardless of sailing experience - the chance to race
across oceans and taste the exhilaration of completing a circumnavigation, the
Clipper Race has turned over 3,500 novices into ocean racers since its inception in
1995.
Overall Race Leaderboard: (going into Race 5)
1. Henri Lloyd, 45 points
2. GREAT Britain, 41 points
3. OneDLL, 35 points
4. Qingdao, 34 points
5. PSP Logistics, 33 points
6. Jamaica Get All Right, 27 points
7. Invest Africa, 25 points
8. Derry~Londonderry~Doire, 25 points
9. Switzerland, 24 points
10. Old Pulteney, 19 points
11. Team Garmin, 18 points
12. Mission Performance, 9 points
For more information please see www.clipperroundtheworld.com