Leg 4 - Race 5
Fremantle, Western Australia > Nongsa Bay, Batam, Indonesia > Keppel Marina, Singapore
Durban 2010 and Beyond capitalises on mistake to take fifth place in Race 5
15 January 2008
Durban 2010 and Beyond took advantage of a costly mistake by Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper in the closing stages of Race 5 from Fremantle to Singapore and overtook them to deny them fifth place by just two minutes and four seconds.
The Scottish team passed on the wrong side of one of the marks, forcing them to double back to round it correctly and avoid a penalty. The slip up allowed Durban 2010 and Beyond to sneak in and claim fifth place, crossing the line 20 miles off the coast of Singapore at 2332 GMT on Monday 14 January (0632 local time, Tuesday 15 January); Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper finished at 2334 GMT on 14 January (0634 local time, 15 January).
A visibly disappointed Hannah Jenner, skipper of Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper said, “It’s really annoying.”
Arriving to a traditional Indonesian welcome, her opposite number on Durban 2010 and Beyond, Ricky Chalmers, said, “I really feel for Hannah. If they’d managed to turn around just before us and get in in front of us, we would never have caught them.”
If there are no protests and the result stands Durban 2010 and Beyond will maintain their position as overall race leaders, one point clear of Hull & Humber on 32 points, with Liverpool 08 third on 31.5 points
In a scorching race from Fremantle to Singapore – both in terms of extremely close racing and the heat the crews have had to deal with – New York scored their second victory of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. Their first was on the race from Salvador, Brazil, to Durban, South Africa in November 2007. Beating off fierce competition from the rest of the fleet, the team, led by Scottish skipper Duggie Gillespie, maintained their narrow lead over Liverpool 08 to cross the finish line off Singapore at 2112 local time (1412 GMT). Liverpool 08 finished four hours and ten minutes later at 1822 GMT (0122 Tuesday 15 January local time) to secure their third podium position of the Clipper 07-08 Race.
The lead in the 2430-mile race, which started in Fremantle on New Year’s Day, changed numerous times as the skippers and crews of the ten internationally-backed yachts battled it out on arguably the most tactically challenging of the 14 individual contests that make up Clipper 07-08 Race. Durban 2010 and Beyond was pushing Nova Scotia for the lead at one point. Several of the yachts have been within sight of each other during the race, adding to the tension and forcing the crews to maintain their concentration.
Coping with the soaring heat and wringing as much boat speed as they could from the light winds that have dogged them for the last half of the race has been exhausting for those on board.
Race Director Joff Bailey said, “This is perhaps the most difficult race for the Clipper crews. The weather conditions mean there are lots of tactical decisions to be made, particularly transiting the Monsoon trough where, like the Doldrums, very light airs combine with tropical squalls. The number of sail changes this entails in temperatures in the forties and high levels of humidity is physically exhausting and the rate of progress mentally draining for everyone.”
With six yachts now moored in Nongsa Point Marina and Uniquely Singapore and Nova Scotia due to arrive this afternoon, the crews have begun the task of deep cleaning their yacht, beginning routine maintenance and enjoying some well-earned rest. The marina on Batam, one of the Riau Islands of Indonesia, is where the whole Clipper fleet will muster ahead of the coordinated arrival in Singapore on Saturday 19 January.
The fleet’s arrival in Singapore will be part of the glittering opening ceremony for the new Marina at Keppel Bay. During the stopover in Singapore they will be berthed at the new multi-million dollar facility, the centre-piece of Keppel Bay’s premier waterfront precinct – the only residential development in Singapore to have its own world-class marina on its own private five-hectare island. It is owned by Keppel Corporation which sponsors Uniquely Singapore with Singapore Tourism Board as Race Partner.
Keppel Corporation’s Group Corporate Communications General Manager, Ms Look Fung Wang said, “When the Clippers make their Singapore stopover they will be hosted at the spanking new Marina at Keppel Bay.
“The Clipper yachts will add colour and vibrance to this new premier waterfront lifestyle hub, fast taking shape in Singapore’s southern coast of which Keppel Bay is an integral part. We believe this will help showcase Singapore as the Asian destination in which to live, work and play and promote Singapore as a leading boating destination in Asia.”
New York’s victory, which is subject to confirmation once all the skippers have made their declarations, will push them up the leaderboard and open up the competition. With another nine races to contest in Clipper 07-08 there is no runaway leader at this stage. Followers of the Clipper Races will remember the final podium positions of Clipper 05-06 were only settled on the very last sprint into Liverpool after 35,000 miles of ocean racing.