Leg 1 - Race 1
Liverpool UK > La Rochelle, France
Durban 2010 and Beyond finished fifth in Race 1 of Clipper 07-08 after very light winds forced the Race Committee to end the race at 0000 UTC. Skipper Ricky Chalmers and his team were 97.7nm from the finish line when the race was called.
Durbanite Ricky said, “It’s not what we wanted, but I’m happy with it. We sailed fast and safe, a little bit in the wrong direction, but that was my fault, and we had a good tussle with Danny [Hull & Humber] and Rob [Nova Scotia] on the way down. We’ve got no damage to sails or people, so as fast as our plan to sail safe, sail fast, sail happy goes, we’ve got ‘safe’ and ‘happy’ – we just need to get ‘fast’ a little bit better.”
Durban 2010 and Beyond was first across the start line when the race began in Liverpool on Sunday 16 September and led for part of the way at the beginning of the race. “We were very happy leading out of the Mersey,” Ricky said. “That was a great thrill.”
The first spoils of victory went to Hull & Humber, who crossed the finish line at 1756 UTC last night.Due to the short length of the stopover and the lack of wind, the Race Committee took the decision to end the race for the rest of the fleet at 0000 UTC, allowing the remaining boats to motor towards La Rochelle.
Race Director Joff Bailey said, “It’s frustrating to have to call the first race prematurely for the rest of the fleet but in the current conditions the crews would not have the chance to rest, refuel and victual their boats before the departure on Sunday for Salvador. It is never an easy decision, but we took it in the best interest of the crews.”
Liverpool 08 finished second, 41.2 nm from the finish line when the race was called, with Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper very close behind at 44.1 nm. They will officially receive their race pennants at a prize giving ceremony at a civic reception at the town hall in La Rochelle this evening.
Race 1 is a half-points race, with five points on offer for first place rather than the usual ten, down to half point for tenth place. After this short sprint, all the other races revert to full points with 10 points for first, nine for second and so on. Jamaica will receive half a point after retiring from Race 1, representing half of the normal one point awarded to boats that retire from a race.
The Race Committee has also decided to award the first penalties of Clipper 07-08 to yachts for infringing the race rules. During the start course in the River Mersey, Qingdao, New York and Jamaica left the Northern Mark (MV Gullmaren) to starboard rather than to port, infringing RRS rule 28.1. After considering various witness statements, video evidence taken from the helicopter and photographic evidence, the Race Committee has decided to apply a five-minute time penalty to New York and Qingdao reflecting that no advantage was gained. Jamaica will not be penalised due to her retirement.
This is the sixth edition of the Clipper Race and the stopover in La Rochelle marks the first ever time the fleet has visited France. Crews are looking forward to visiting the largest international floating boat show, Le Grand Pavois, which is on at the same time as the fleet visit.
The ten 68-foot yachts will be berthed in the Bassin des Chalutiers in the centre of La Rochelle where, with their vibrant forestay banners and battle flags, they are expected to prove a colourful attraction for the 100,000 people set to visit the French town over the next five days.
Joff Bailey added, “I would like to thank the team of volunteers from the Société des Régates Rochelaise who helped us set the finish line and escort all the yachts into port. We are all looking forward to the crew barbecue at the yacht club on Saturday night.”
Durban 2010 and Beyond is motoring towards La Rochelle and is due to arrive just before 1100 UTC today (Thursday 20 September).
Berths for the next race, Clipper 09-10 are now available. For more information on applying to become a crew member, contact Clipper Ventures on +44 (0)2392 526000 or email at David Cusworth, Clipper Crew Recruitment Manager