9:11 PM Fri 5 Feb 2010 GMT
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'Uniquely Singapore at the start of Race 6 of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race from Singapore to Qingdao.'
Clipper Ventures PLC ©
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Clipper Round the World Yacht Race - Singapore to Qingdao Day 4.
After another 24 hours of close racing the fleet has now passed Natuna Besar, the main island of the Natuna Besar archipelago and the final island of the Indonesian group. Splitting the fleet once more the majority chose to keep west of the island whilst Hull & Humber, Cape Breton Island, Jamaica Lightning Bolt and California went for an
easterly route. However, current race leaders, Hull & Humber, kept their decision to the last minute as skipper Piers Dudin explains, 'We made it past Natuna Besar without too much interference although due to the constant wind shifts we were undecided as to which side to go until we were within 20 miles.
'We're pleased with our progress although we have finally tacked away from Cape Breton Island and I think our sparing has definitely raised both our games.'
The team on board the Cape Breton Island entry will miss the close racing they have had with Hull & Humber but, with the fleet aiming for the Scoring Gate in the Luzon Strait, there is every chance that they will meet again before this race is over.
'Sadly we have lost Hull & Humber and we are all looking forward to seeing where they are when we receive the 0600 position report,' says the skipper of the Canadian entry, Jan Ridd. 'The last we saw of them was behind us but, with the localised wind conditions we are experiencing it is very possible they have charged to the east and pulled out a substantial lead!'
Team Finland and Spirit of Australia's sparring has also continued overnight and this is all part of the new game plan according to the skipper of the Finnish entry, Rob McInally.
'Tack for tack seems to be the order of the race so far,' says Rob. 'Matching the Aussies, covering them and trying to stay between them and the finish is our goal. It's not something we've done much of in the past but a tactic we may employ more as the race for the overall win heats up.'
Meanwhile, the crew on board Spirit of Australia has had other concerns when yesterday a small fishing vessel approached the team. 'The driver was wearing a balaclava and a young boy on the bow was holding up some impressively large fish,' explains Australian skipper, Brendan Hall. 'The balaclava had us a bit spooked, but we soon realised that he was wearing it so as not to choke on the acrid, black engine exhaust the boat made when they throttled up. After a brief hand-gesture conversation, they saw we didn't want to buy any fish, so left us alone and went to see if Team Finland wanted some.'
It seems that each team has at least one other competitor in close proximity which has led to some exciting close quarter racing for all the crews. It is no different for the team on board Qingdao according to skipper Chris Stanmore-Major. 'A close battle is brewing between ourselves and California who are now on the windward horizon and
represent to us the gap between ourselves in sixth and the first of the podium steps. We have made our choices through the islands again last night but now, as the sun reaches midday, we are breaking out into open water. It will come down to who is the wiliest with their tacking strategy and which team wants it most.'
It has been fairly slow and frustrating progress for all the teams as the wind continues to be light and from exactly the direction in which they wish to head.
'There is, however, little opportunity for the crew to get bored,' explains Jamaica Lightning Bolt's skipper, Pete Stirling. 'We have had numerous islands and shoals to navigate around, along with a large amount of shipping and occasional squalls to avoid. The weather is still very hot but the night brings respite from the baking heat and with
bright moonlight illuminating our path it is a joy to be on deck.'
Edinburgh Inspiring Capital's skipper, Matt Pike, also commented on the slow progress in his report to the Race Office today. 'Tacking slowly north we were joined for a time by California at a distance of only five miles until a different set of tactics meant we parted company at dawn,' says Matt. 'So now alone again we try and harness what little wind there is to keep moving! The fleet is split and the variable wind favours first one group and then the next.'
The changeable wind has kept all the teams guessing and Uniquely Singapore's skipper Jim Dobie is waiting for a sign to help him make a decision on their next course of action.
'We're pretty much out of the islands for the time being,' says Jim. 'With boats to the east and to the west our decision now is whether to head north or go east. We are waiting for the wind to give us a clue on which will be more favourable as the weather charts are showing a consistent north easterly flow. But, with clouds billowing, the wind is
constantly shifting in direction and strength and keeping the helm and the crew occupied.'
Skipper Pete Rollason of California reports the same conditions as his crew concentrate on maximizing the boats speed and course with swift reactions to every wind shift. 'We are anxious to see the next position report as we have been on a poor tack for the last six hours and feel we may have lost miles to our competitors,' explains Pete. 'However, we feel that our position will set us up nicely to make gains as we once again try to track north east. The guys have been working fantastically and they are being driven by the hunger for our first podium finish in
Qingdao.'
Positions at 1200 UTC, Friday 5 February
Boat DTF* DTL*
1 Hull & Humber 2096nm
2 Cape Breton Island 2104nm 7nm
3 Uniquely Singapore 2128nm 31nm
4 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 2132nm 36nm
5 California 2142nm 46nm
6 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 2145nm 49nm
7 Qingdao 2153nm 56nm
8 Spirit of Australia 2162nm 65nm
9 Team Finland 2162nm 65nm
*DTF = Distance to Finish, *DTL = Distance to Leader)
Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found at
www.clipperroundtheworld.com
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