Clipper Leg 7: Huge winds test crews strength

Clipper media

Posted: 11  Mar. 2010

It's nasty in the Pacific

The Pacific is throwing her full weight at the Clipper 09-10 fleet and the last 24 hours have been tough, but now that winds have moved behind the fleet, it is making fast progress towards the common goal of San Francisco.

The huge forces exerted on the 68-foot yachts are powerful and the massive seas and high winds mean the helms and on-watch crews cannot lose focus for a second - but ask any of them and they'll tell you the thrill of riding the great ocean rollers is second to none.

Race Director, Jonathan Bailey, said, "It is clear from the forecasts and subsequent reports that the fleet has endured some of the toughest conditions so far.

“Lines that have breaking strain of many tonnes have been exposed to huge forces and in those conditions it is inevitable that things will break as the yachts battle against some of the most extreme seas in the world. Kit preservation and good seamanship when dealing with breakages is all part of the challenge and it is clear that the teams are coping magnificently."

Revelling in the conditions is the southern hemisphere entry, Spirit of Australia: "Surf's up on the green and gold missile," says Brisbane-based skipper, Brendan Hall.

"The last 12 hours have been some of the most exhilarating sailing of the race so far. Large waves and 40 knot winds are now behind us, pushing us along at terrific speeds. Helming in these conditions is a knife edge proposition. Steer too far one way and the headsail backs on itself, which can pop the hanks off; steer too far the other way and a crash-gybe awaits.

“Concentration and assertive wheel action is the key to keeping the boat on track. Still, the grin on the face of the helmsman after a 20-knot surf is worth the pain and struggle of getting here through the headwinds."

Cape Breton Island's eagle has soared up through the fleet to slip into second place this morning and, says skipper, Jan Ridd, "We are sailing very comfortably in a Force 9 gusting to Force 10 with some truly magnificent seas, the Pacific showing its awesome power."

However the Canadian team has negotiated some tricky conditions over a wet and windy 24 hours. "We were sailing comfortably yesterday afternoon with an economic sail plan when, in the early evening, the wind picked up," Ridd says.

"We set about reducing sail area with the on watch and once again my instincts were spot on. No sooner had we lashed the headsails securely, a gust hit us which topped 56 knots.

“We went about securing everything on deck and ensuring we were set for the night. I must admit it was very unpleasant on deck with the true wind steady at over 40 knots and a very confused sea as the wind backed.

"This morning, after a few hours sleep in my wet weather gear on the floor beside the nav station, Luke (Dampier, 19, a student), one of the watch leaders, woke me to tell me the wind had backed even more and wanted to know if we could pole out the storm jib.

“After a quick assessment we decided to change up to the bigger Yankee 3 headsail and shake out a reef, which meant a busy last hour to their watch. We held those sails till just before lunch when again I started to feel edgy so we hastily dropped the Number 3 and hoisted the storm jib again."

Jamaica Lightning Bolt's skipper, Pete Stirling, says the issue isn't the strong winds - it's their inconsistency. "It's been a couple of days of vicious weather conditions which has slowed down progress quite considerably," he says. "Though it is quite possible to sail fast in heavy weather conditions the problem is the weather is very changeable which makes it very difficult to choose the right sail plan.”

While the Scottish and Jamaican entries have made gains, California and Qingdao have seen their placings slip - in Qingdao's case - from third to eighth.

Says Qingdao’s Chris Stanmore-Major: "We found ourselves suddenly caught in the middle of a 50-knot squall last night with apparent winds bouncing higher than that initially. Luckily we were already pretty snugged down, but the initial blast was so strong it snapped the staysail halyard sending the sail half overboard and blew out the clew of the storm jib.

“I was asleep at the time, taking an hour as we had found our line, had good speed, a wind that was freeing up and open water ahead. In a Wallace and Gromit manoeuvre, I leapt clear of my bunk and seemingly straight into my drysuit and was on deck before I had both eyes open.

“Luckily the issue was not complex to deal with, but with the boat heading directly before the wind, we still had too much wind to re-hoist the staysail and we had to run the rest of the night on trysail alone meaning we were slow and could not hold a course.

“The outcome? Third to second last in the blink of an eye. This morning we started to piece things back together and we started to rebuild the storm jib."

Positions at 0900 UTC, Wednesday 10 March 2010
1 Spirit of Australia DTF 4291
2 Cape Breton Island DTF 4341 DTL +50
3 Hull & Humber DTF 4341 DTL +50
4 California DTF 4345 DTL +53
5 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 4391 DTL +99
6 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 4404 DTL +113
7 Uniquely Singapore DTF 4437 DTL +146
8 Qingdao DTF 4439 DTL +147
9 Team Finland DTF 5612 DTL +1321
10 Cork Did not start

Positions updated every three hours at: www.clipperroundtheworld.com

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