Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Cape Breton Island heads east

8:59 PM Sat 6 Feb 2010 GMT

'Cape Breton Island's crew preparing to leave Singapore' Clipper Ventures PLC &copy Click Here to view large photo

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Singapore to Qingdao Day 5 report.

With the wind continuing to blow from the direction in which the teams wish to head, the Race Viewer today clearly depicts the zigzagging course the teams have had to adopt to make their way north east. As is often the case, one heading has proved more favourable than the other and in sailing this is known as the 'making tack'. Presently the
northerly tack is delivering the greatest speeds and those that have chosen a more northerly course have therefore reported some good 12-hour runs.

'All the boats will have to go east at some point and it is the decision when to tack to the east that will probably decide who gets a podium in this race,' says Cape Breton Island's skipper, Jan Ridd. 'Both Hull & Humber and ourselves have headed east early and this is a tactic which seems to have paid off for us so far.'

Uniquely Singapore has also made the decision to head east and as the team makes their way through the South China Sea the crew is starting to get into a festive mood. Chinese New Year begins next weekend and as the
festival lasts for two weeks all the crews will be able to experience the festivities first hand upon arrival in Qingdao.

'There is a Chinese New Year spirit on board Uniquely Singapore with Chinese lanterns around the boat and little red pouches with gifts to bring luck and prosperity,' says skipper Jim Dobie.

And last night, as if in recognition of the approaching spring festival, the sea decided to put on an underwater fireworks display for the Asian team. 'We had the surreal experience of being surrounded by exploding white phosphorescence in the sea,' says Jim. 'The many explanations we came up with were agitated jellyfish, gas bubbles and, of course, visiting aliens.'

As Uniquely Singapore enjoyed their underwater light show, the other Asian team in the race reported a frustrating night of limited progress east. 'Correctly positioning Qingdao in preparation for the forecast ahead is a priority but it is costing us dearly right now,' says the Chinese team's skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major. 'Whilst it is tempting to go outright to the north, progress east may be near impossible later. If the forecast is correct we stand to gain, if it is incorrect our efforts have been in vain and we will fall further behind.'

The easterly forecast is something which Hull & Humber's skipper, Piers Dudin, is ready and waiting for.

'We are hoping for the mythical 'easterly shift' to appear so we can pull an advantage on the rest of the fleet due to being furthest east,' explains Piers. 'Until it arrives we keep working the right hand side of the course.

'Daytime is spent looking out for squall clouds to play their wind shifts and at night we pace along armed with the Southern Cross on one hip and the Pole Star sitting low on our portside.'

Unlike Hull & Humber, California is one of the five boats that have chosen a more northerly route and skipper Pete Rollason believes that patience is the key to winning this race.

'We are now making some good miles with a steady Force 4 and a calm sea but unfortunately, the rest of the fleet is doing the same, so miles gained are harder to come by,' says Pete. 'But, there is a long way to go and patience is the name of the game. Make no mistakes and slowly chip away at the leaders is our current strategy.'

His thoughts are echoed by skipper, Pete Stirling, who reports that 'concentration' is the watch word on board Jamaica Lightning Bolt. 'With the fleet still relatively close together every bit of ground gained over the competition is hard earned,' says Pete. 'All the yachts are trying to sail as hard on the wind as they possibly can without stalling and losing precious boat speed. A few seconds loss of concentration by the helmsman costs us speed which can take several minutes to regain.'

Conditions in the South China Sea remain moderate and the strong headwinds and sharp choppy seas that the leg from Singapore to Qingdao is renowned for have yet to materialise. Team Finland's skipper, Rob McInally, has a word of advice for the crews on all the boats, having already had first hand experience of this leg during the Clipper 07-08
Race.

'I hope that the other teams are enjoying this fantastic sailing and not harbouring a hundred and eighty separate thoughts of 'I wish there was more wind,' he says. 'It is at times like these that the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' springs to mind.'

Rival skipper, Brendan Hall of Spirit of Australia, is also enjoying the present conditions. However, he is also fully aware that at some point they too will have to begin the journey east.

'The sailing at the moment is absolutely glorious and we are revelling in it and making some excellent 12 hour runs north,' he says. 'The trouble will come for us when it's time to start heading east, where the wind angle is very unfavourable and we stand to lose miles. But, everyone knows this chess game is far from over... '

Similarly, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's skipper, Matt Pike, is also aware that a change in course is due. 'Light easterly winds are giving us the northerly we need but will it allow us to put some easterly heading before we hit the gas fields?' questions Matt. 'Is this a better position than those who have headed east? Only time will tell as the fleet moves north with everyone's eye on the scoring gate.'

Positions at 1200 UTC, Saturday 6 February

Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Hull & Humber 1967nm
2 Cape Breton Island 1976nm 8nm
3 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 2004nm 37nm
4 Uniquely Singapore 2008nm 41nm
5 California 2016nm 49nm
6 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 2019nm 52nm
7 Spirit of Australia 2034nm 67nm
8 Team Finland 2036nm 69nm
9 Qingdao 2039nm 72nm

*DTF = Distance to Finish, *DTL = Distance to Leader)

www.clipperroundtheworld.com .

by Clipper Ventures