Jamaica first off the line in race to home port

Following their headsail hoists the fleet was hit by a sudden squall causing the winds to shift temporarily to a southerly direction. As the fleet headed north towards the Caribbean island of Jamaica, overall race leaders Hull & Humber had moved into pole position with Durban 2010 and Beyond close on their heels, as both teams sacrificed direction in favour of speed by choosing to sail higher than best course.

The last four yachts to transit the Panama Canal sailed out into the Caribbean last night to join the six who had completed their passage during Friday and Saturday for the Le Mans start at a prearranged rendezvous point. In a Le Mans start the yachts line up with only their mainsails hoisted. On the starting signal they must raise their headsails as quickly as they can to gain as much advantage as possible over their competition.

The 590-mile race is one of the shortest of the 14 individual races in Clipper 07-08 and will be an upwind sprint to the Caribbean island and the finish line before the fleet arrives in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

Current leaders Hull & Humber are confident they can maintain their current form and make another appearance on the podium. Round the world crew member Nigel Rose says, “The race is going to be manic because it’s a sprint so there’s not going to be any weather routing issues or anything. It’s just going to be side by side for four days so it’s going to be tough and demanding. We seem to be able to push the boat harder than most. It’s challenging but we’re very good at it.”

James Douglas is a member of the ONE HULL Tag Team, a group of young people from Hull who are sailing a leg each in the 35,000-mile race around the world. He says, “I reckon this race is going to be a lot more difficult than the last one, definitely. It’s another different experience, beating all the way. We’re confident of getting another first place. We’ve got a good crew on here, so I reckon we can do it again.”

Skipper Danny Watson agrees. “We’ve got very good crew morale at the moment,” he says. “We’ve had two firsts out of the last three races and we all enjoy each other’s company. Everyone’s up for giving it a real good blast for four days up to Jamaica.”

The Panama Canal transit was completed in just four days from the arrival of the first yachts on Wednesday 14 May. Clipper 07-08 Race Director, Joff Bailey, says, “Our sincere thanks go to the Panama Canal Authority who ensured we transited with the minimum delay. It means we have managed to make up more of the time we lost in Hawaii last month and are on schedule to start Race 11 from Jamaica as planned next Saturday.”

Hull & Humber was in the second group of Clipper yachts to transit the Panama Canal. Brendan Decordova, another of the ONE HULL Tag Team, says, “Going through the canal was impressive – the locks are huge. When you see the gates close behind you, you get quite emotional about leaving the Pacific behind. When you get to the Atlantic you do feel like you’ve travelled across a continent.”

With approximately 8,000 miles left of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation and just five races to go, the Hull & Humber crew know they will have to maintain their momentum if they want to stay ahead of New York, Durban 2010 and Beyond and Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper who are all nipping at their heels.

The yachts are expected to arrive in Errol Flynn Marina, Port Antonio, late on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.