Clipper 09-10: Last day in the Southern Ocean for Hull & Humber

9:44 AM Thu 17 Dec 2009 GMT

'Spirit of Australia skippered by Brendan Hall arrive in 2nd place at the end of race 4 from Cape Town to Geraldton, Western Australia.' Clipper Ventures PLC &copy

Clipper 09-10 - Geraldton, Western Australia stopover

Eight of the ten boats have now arrived in Geraldton at the end of the 4,700-mile Southern Ocean leg from Cape Town. California was the eighth boat to cross the line yesterday, just seven hours behind Race 4 winners, Team Finland. It is a rarity in a round the world yacht race to have so many boats finish so close together and provided the people of Geraldton with a real spectacle as they all arrived in daylight hours.

The strong winds that turned yesterday's finish into a sprint for the line have eased to a pleasant sea breeze today - keeping the crews cool as they set to work today cleaning their yachts and carrying out routine maintenance.

The general consensus amongst the crews is that the Geraldton welcome they received has been one of the warmest of the race so far. Certainly the barbeque and cold beers provided by Geraldton Yacht Club as each boat arrived, were just what the doctor ordered as the crews enjoyed their first night on land after 24 days at sea. The support from the city has been overwhelming and a team of local volunteers are constantly on hand to offer their assistance.

Dutch crew member Frank Gerritsen, on board Team Finland, voiced what all the crew were thinking. 'This is the best' he told the Clipper team this morning. 'The welcome we received yesterday was just so warm and generous. I went to the information marquee with one question and had ten people helping me with an answer. Amazing!'

Meanwhile, out on the water Cork and Hull & Humber are still racing towards Geraldton with the Irish team focused on arriving before the Prize Giving ceremony on Sunday 20 December and Hull & Humber before Christmas Day.

Irish skipper, Richie Fearon, is confident that his team will arrive before then. Cork has had a relatively pain free crossing of the high pressure system which trapped the first eight boats for days and the team is making good progress.

'We have found some steady breeze now,' says Richie. 'The sea state has a nice motion. Everyone on board is enjoying moving at a constant pace and the mood is good and spirits are high, maybe too high as there is singing from the deck which isn't pleasant on the ears!'

'Last day of Southern Ocean for us today, so a mixed mood I guess,' says Hull & Humber's skipper, Piers Dudin. 'It's certainly been a special privilege to come here and even just visit the outskirts of this amazing place. We'll miss the companionship of the petrels, prions, and albatross, and the different shades of grey, and the changing moods of the swell. But we'll look forward to coming here again some day.

'Despite being 800 miles ahead, it's still good to be sailing in the company of Cork. We've had different weather patterns but have maintained similar pace to the rest of the fleet and have experienced similar conditions. Hopefully their heads are sore this morning, but congratulations on an epic finish!

'See y'all soon, we'll keep you posted!'

Positions at 0900 UTC, Thursday 17 December

Boat DTF*
1 Team Finland Finished 16/12/2009 04:10
2 Spirit of Australia Finished 16/12/2009 04:43
3 Jamaica Lightning Bolt Finished 16/12/2009 07:05
4 Cape Breton Island Finished 16/12/2009 07:43
5 Qingdao Finished 16/12/2009 08:32
6 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital Finished 16/12/2009 08:55
7 Uniquely Singapore Finished 16/12/2009 09:15
8 California Finished 16/12/2009 11:16
9 Cork 494nm
10 Hull & Humber 1365nm

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by Clipper Ventures

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Clipper 09-10: Last day in the Southern Ocean for Hull & Humber

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