Race 11 Course shortened for Clipper fleet
'Hull & Humber going no where! - Clipper 07-08'
Clipper
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Whilst the light airs and close racing have been keeping skippers and crew alike busy, the Race Committee has also been watching the forecasted weather very closely.
With the exceptionally light winds due to continue along the whole coastal region for some time and the projected ETA in New York at these speeds pushed out to another two weeks, the Race Committee has taken the decision to shorten the course, finishing Race 11 at 0000UTC 31 May (2000 30 May local time in New York).
The finishing order will be taken from the schedule positions that are recorded at that time and the distance to finish to Ambrose Light, as measured by the Race Committee. Once finished, the fleet may then make best speed to North Cove Marina and are expected to arrive late on Sunday or early on Monday morning (local time).
Now that the shortened course has been announced the crew will be channelling every effort into decreasing that distance to finish and staying or moving ahead of their competitors. On glassy seas and amongst flopping sails, any breath of wind can give that meagre advantage over your nearest boat and, with the clock ticking now, all eyes will be on look out for the ripple across the water that shows where that zephyr is coming from.
At the 1200UTC schedule, three boats showed the same distance to finish and a fourth was but one mile behind them. As the overall leaderboard is so close, the difference between a second and a sixth place could cause a move up, or down, the overall leaderboard.
Liverpool 08's skipper Ben Galloway says, 'These light airs keep you busy trying everything to pull an extra 0.1 knot out of the boat. Great tussle with Jamaica earlier. We thought we were on an elastic band but couldn't find the end to cut them away. Anyway, they've gone a bit more east and didn't get the kite up when we did which I think has just got us slightly ahead.'
Martin Silk says, 'westernaustralia2011.com has shown great determination over the past 24 hours, persevering with sail changes, constant tacking and trimming whilst dealing with Doldrums-style conditions. It's been a test of patience once again, something most of us are well adapted to, maybe even one our forte. Morale has remained high, nobody's complained, even with less than five knots of breeze for 20 hours. The weather files appear to favour the western side of the track, so we are now hunting Qingdao four miles ahead. But, as in all races, only time will tell; there will be winners and losers, but for us it's the teamwork and experience that are just as important.'
For Race 11's current pole position holder, New York, the pressure is even greater than points, although they will certainly be quietly calculating those, too, just three and a half points behind overall leader Hull & Humber. Skipper Duggie Gillespie reports, 'Wind is in short supply. Patience is the order of the day as we try to keep the boat moving nearby our usual neighbour Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper. It is all very close and will be until the finish.'
For the American entry, there is still a chance to beat the home port curse and win the race to their sponsor city, an achievement only made once before in the history of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race by Victoria Clipper, skippered by Ewan Hind, in Clipper 05-06 into Victoria, British Colombia.
The latest positions and full leaderboard can be viewed at www.clipperroundtheworld.com.
by Clipper Event media 
nedlands, WA
