NEW YORK WINS RACE 13 TO CORK

The winning yacht crossed the finish line at Crosshaven, County Cork,
Ireland at 1159 local time (1059 GMT) today at the end of the 2,080-mile
race across the North Atlantic from Nova Scotia, Canada, followed by Qingdao
in second place at 1301 local time (1201 GMT) and Hull & Humber 15 minutes
later.

Hull & Humber skipper Danny Watson said, “We have to beat them by a few
places now, I guess. That whole thing was just a great race. We had some
close quarters stuff in the fog at the beginning then heavy winds, some
downwind sailing which was great, then back into heavy winds and then some
downwind close quarters sailing again at the end. It was close with Qingdao
at the end but we had eight days alongside Jamaica which just shows that the
whole fleet is fairly evenly matched and it’s only small differences which
mean you can get away. There was only one day that we weren’t alongside
another Clipper. It’s like match racing across an ocean, which is fabulous,
that’s what it’s all about.”

New York skipper, Duggie Gillespie admitted his team had pushed their boat
harder than they ever had before. Danny says his team also went all out for
a win. “It’s always a balance of trying to make the boat go fast without
breaking it. That’s the challenge of trying to get a boat around the world.
We raced hard as usual. We had good fun, we’re still very upbeat and
enjoying it and we said it’s very important that we enjoy it. We want to run
a safe, fast, fun Hull & Humber and I think we did all of that.”

Reflecting on his team’s win, Duggie said, “We were aware of the situation
between us and Hull & Humber at the start and it’s all part of a plan. The
guys have focused, worked really hard out there, shown lots of teamwork and
executed well. The team produced the goods. They’re all really happy.”
Skipper Duggie Gillespie said, “We were aware of the situation between us
and Hull & Humber at the start and it’s all part of a plan. The guys have
focused, worked really hard out there, shown lots of teamwork and executed
well. The team produced the goods. They’re all really happy.”

New York round the world crew member Nate Thompson, 19, from Palm Beach,
Florida, said, “I am stoked. We’re not being over confident though. The
feeling on the boat is general excitement, we’re just really proud about
this last race. Qingdao’s finished second, Hull & Humber’s finished third
but the difference is just three and a half points and one race to go. I
mean we finished first and they were eighth on the leg to New York, we
finished sixth and fourth on the leg to Halifax, so anything could happen.
It’s going to come down to the wire and everybody knows that.”

Joff Bailey, Race Director, said, “Both Hull & Humber and New York have
demonstrated once again that they deserve their positions in the overall
table. It’s not over yet for either of them; the result here sets up a very
exciting finale to Clipper 07-08 when the final positions will be decided.”

Qingdao's second place finish means they move into fourth place overall,
leapfrogging Durban 2010 and Beyond who finished eighth and drop down to
sixth overall, and Liverpool 08, who maintain fifth place overall and trail
the Chinese team by just one point.

Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper finished in seventh place which was
enough to secure at least third place overall. Mathematically they could
still overtake Hull & Humber.

Following the 13-day race from Nova Scotia, during which the yachts faced a
variety of conditions including fog, light winds and gales, the crews will
enjoy some time to relax in Crosshaven and the wider environs of County Cork
ahead of the final sprint to Liverpool, where the arrival on Saturday 5 July
will form part of the city’s European Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations.
The Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world, welcomed the
crews with burgers and kegs of Heineken, which will also be flowing freely
at the official welcome party and prize giving ceremony on Tuesday 1 July.

Founder of the Clipper Race and legendary solo sailor, Sir Robin
Knox-Johnston, a regular visitor to Crosshaven, says, “I think the crews of
the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race will discover something I
learned in 1970 in the Round Britain Race and have re-learned on a number of
occasions: that the Royal Cork Yacht Club provides and atmosphere and
friendliness second to none.”

This is the first time the Clipper Race, now in its sixth edition, has
visited Ireland. Fiona Buckley, General Manager of Fáilte Ireland South
West, says, “Fáilte Ireland South West is delighted to support the Clipper
arrival into Cork, and welcomes the support of Cork County Council and the
Royal Cork Yacht Club. Sailing is central to the development of tourism in
the South West and particularly in Cork and is central to the Fáilte Ireland
South West Regional Development Strategy 2008-2010.

“Cork has an enviable sailing and maritime reputation worldwide, stemming
from its unique natural harbour, yacht clubs and maritime history. What
makes it so special is the vibrancy of the people and culture, the
unsurpassed beauty of its landscape and the array of quality local food.
Sailing along the East and West Cork coastline is a magical experience. I am
confident that this week’s pit stop in Cork, which brings with it worldwide
media, officials and crew and Ministerial parties form the Department of
Tourism in both Nova Scotia and Jamaica, will impress the importance of the
Cork region upon the event organisers and hopefully lead to the return of
the race in a formal capacity.”