Clipper 05-06 Round the World Race - Leg 2 Start
by Catherine Green 26 Oct 2005 10:22 BST
The Clipper 05-06 fleet set off on Leg 2 © Ingrid Abery /
www.hotcapers.com
LEG TWO: CLIPPER RACE TAKES ON THE CAPE
After a week of carpirinhas and Brazilian festivities, the ten yachts in the Clipper 05-06 Round-the-World Yacht Race left Salvador, Brazil today at 1930 hrs GMT in their quest for Durban, South Africa. The fleet left in bright sunshine and a brisk 12 knot breeze however, they about to face one of their toughest challenges of the race…the Cape of Good Hope.
During this leg, the yachts will have to carefully navigate their way around the high pressure system of the mid Atlantic where they will experience little wind. The second challenge is taking on the forceful Agulhus current which will hit them as they round the Cape. This current is formed by the Indian Ocean building up its might against the coast of Africa and is an area where ‘freak’ waves are often encountered.
The first three to cross the start line were the Jersey Clipper, followed by Durban, and in third place, leg one champions, westernaustralia.com. The yachts gave a good clean start, surging ahead and jostling for position at about 10 knots.
All eyes will be focused on the Durban Clipper as they head for their home port where preparations are already being made to welcome their arrival. Craig Miller, Skipper of Durban said: “We are delighted to be going home, and nothing would make us happier that being the first to cross the finish line. I have sailed in the waters around Durban all my life, but given the quality and skill of the other skippers in this race I am not counting on that as an advantage!”
The fleet is expected to arrive into Durban on 17th November, taking approximately 23 days and covering 4,650 nautical miles.
The ten identical yachts in the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race are each sponsored by an international city. The yachts will visit 12 international ports – including Fremantle (Western Australia), Singapore, Qingdao (China), Victoria (Canada) and New York (US) - before finally returning to Liverpool, UK in July 2006.