Clipper Race Sails out of Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor
SANTA CRUZ, California - A bright California sun was shining on the yachts from the Clipper Round the World Race today as the fleet set sail from Santa Cruz. Race 9 of the Clipper Race series began at 1300 local time(2000 GMT), where Uniquely Singapore was the first yacht across the line, closely followed by their Asian rivals, Qingdao.
With a start line positioned just half a mile due south of Santa Cruz Harbor, where the Clipper fleet has been berthed for the duration of the nine-day stopover, the beginning of the 3,116 nautical mile race to Panama provided a great spectacle for the crowds gathered along West Cliff Drive, Lighthouse Point and Santa Cruz Wharf. A small flotilla of yachts from the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, the host for the crews during their stay, was also in Monterey Bay to wave off the teams as they headed south.
As they jostled for position at the start, the majority of the teams chose to fly their Yankee One headsail, the largest of their compliment of headsails, with Liverpool 08, westernaustralia2011.com and Jamaica opting for their smaller Yankee Two as they crossed the line in third, fourth and fifth place respectively. Choosing an inshore course Hull & Humber were next across the line followed by Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, New York, Nova Scotia and Durban 2010 and Beyond. As the fleet rounded the windward mark and headed out of Monteray Bay, Qingdao had managed to move ahead of Uniquely Singapore and with the winds remaining constant Liverpool 08 and westernaustralia2011.com were preparing to change up to their larger headsails.
“It’s great to see all ten boats racing again,” says Joff Bailey, Race Director. “The teams have a wild downwind ride for the first half of this race which will see them achieving some great speeds and they will make rapid progress south. They will all try to make as direct a route possible, parallel to the coast, but at the same time trying not to get too close as the effect of the land my reduce wind strength. The trick along this initial part of the race is to try not to damage too many of the downwind sails. Several boats have recently been penalised for damaging sails and once the Race Committee considers the repairs and replacements in Santa Cruz further penalty points may be awarded."
Joff continues, “As the fleet approaches the southern tip of Baja, California, the winds will start to reduce and become much less stable in direction. At this point the direct route along the coast is heavily favoured in terms of the least miles. However, fickle and inconsistent winds closer in may see some teams opting to sail further offshore in order to benefit from better wind speeds and direction.”
During the Californian stopover the crews of the ten teams, representing 26 different nationalities, were able to take some time out to enjoy what the region has to offer. Those who stayed in the local area took in local attractions such as the Santa Cruz Boardwalk amusement park where they swapped the roller coaster ride of the Pacific Ocean for one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the US, The Big Dipper. Others headed to the city of San Francisco to take in the historic sites of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf.
The first of the Clipper teams, Uniquely Singapore, arrived in Santa Cruz on 16 April, achieving their first win of the Clipper 07-08 series in Race 8 from Hawaii. The final two yachts, Durban 2010 and Beyond and westernaustralia2011.com, arrived a week later following a delayed departure from Honolulu due to essential work on their new rigs, after both yachts were dismasted in the previous race from Qingdao, China. The fleet’s arrival in Santa Cruz marked the first time the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has stopped on the west coast of the US in its 12-year history.
Commodore of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club Brett Grippenstraw said, “We’ve really enjoyed having you guys here, the Clipper crews and the Race Team, and we’ve had a great time and made a lot of new friends. Hopefully we can find a sponsor for the next race and get you back here in two years time, we’d love to see you again.”
- Story photo of the Clipper Race yachts in Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor sent in by YachtPal Kris Larson, thanks Kris.
- Photos below by Terry Way/onEdition
- Video: Hull & Humber sail into Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor
Submitted By YachtPals on 25 Apr
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Clipper Race Update
Skipper of Liverpool 08, Ben Galloway, who was third across the start line, said this about the start of leg 9 in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, “One of the best starts yet I think with most of the fleet hitting the line together. Anyway, we’re straight back in at the deep end with 40-knot gusts and heavy broach action. The new crew were a little terrified at first but much more comfortable now the kites down and in one piece.”
Those that did opt for spinnakers last night were soon dropping them again and in the case of Uniquely Singapore the drop happened a lot faster than they anticipated. Skipper Mark Preedy said, “We were just about to drop the spinnaker when the halyard broke and made the drop a little lively. Unfortunately it forced us to harden up and loose the inshore ground that we had worked hard to gain!”
Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, “With the strong favourable winds set to continue for the next few days the temperature will soon be hotting up as the teams make their way south. Many of the new crew who joined in Santa Cruz will still be feeling a bit green but that should pass in the next day or so and they will be able to enjoy some of the most exhilarating sailing available anywhere in the world.”
The early tactics being shown by the teams is to follow the crowd and not go too far offshore with nine out of ten boats within close proximity of each other as they head south. The exception is Nova Scotia who has taken an offshore route in order to benefit from the more consistent winds further west. Only time will tell whether this tactic pays off for them.
With the Clipper fleet on their way south the Race Team spent yesterday packing up the container and making ready to return to the UK before flying out to Panama for the next stopover. Joff Bailey says, “Santa Cruz Harbour was very quiet yesterday afternoon following the departure of the Clipper fleet. The stopover has been enjoyed enormously by the skippers, crews and Race Team and the hospitality shown by the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, Santa Cruz Port Authority and everybody we’ve met was second to none. We would like to thank everybody in Santa Cruz who helped and supported our stopover and made everybody feel welcome.”
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