The fourteenth and final race of the epic 40,000nm Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race got underway at 1500 LT, from Oban, Scotland today, 21 July.
White sails were hoisted as the fleet jostled for positions on the start line in Ardmucknish Bay. The forecasted 12-14 knot southwesterly wind, initially gusting up to 20 knots, led some of the teams to choose to reef down the mainsail and choose mid-sized headsails. But in the final half hour, sail changes were swiftly made to ensure the yachts were fully powered up as the winds eased.
Amongst a bay full of spectator craft, crammed with supporters and well-wishers, the Perseverance team powered across the line first, mid headsail change, just ahead of PSP Logistics with Our Isles and Oceans hot on its heels. On the opposite end of the start area, Washington, DC, flew in to cross in fourth and to challenge the frontrunners as they headed south through the Firth of Lorn.
A promising start for Dutch Skipper, Ineke van der Weijden and her Perseverance team that currently sits second overall, three points off the top spot. On the back of a win in the previous race across the North Atlantic, from Oban, Ineke reported: “We have everything to still play for, and that pressure is very real.”
With just seven points between the first and third placed yachts, this last race will decide which of the top three teams, Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, Perseverance or Zhuhai, will lift the coveted Clipper Race trophy at the Grand Finale in Portsmouth on 27 July 2024.
This final stage sees the matched fleet of eleven Clipper 70s race from first-time Host Port Oban, on the West Coast of Scotland, back to Portsmouth. 920 nautical miles, around six days, is all that is left of the mammoth eleven month circumnavigation. The route will see the fleet head out of Oban and then down the west of Ireland, heading south until it rounds Lands' End and arrives back in the home waters and fleet's training ground of the English Channel.
Speaking about the expected conditions, Dale Smyth, Deputy Race Director said: “The conditions for the fleet look really good. There's a low-pressure system approaching the west of Ireland over the next couple days, which will give the crews a couple of days of upwind sailing. But as they get round the western side of Ireland, they'll be able to bear away and actually have a really fast run down to the South Coast.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, it looks like a high-pressure ridge will overtake the fleet as they get near the finish, but that is still a while away so we will hope for the best there.”
The Clipper Race is an adventure of the unknown, taking non-professional sailors and training them to become ocean racers as they take on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world. Crew members from many different walks of life can sign up to take on one, a combination or all of the eight stages that forms the circumnavigation.
The 2023-24 edition of the global yacht race has seen over 700 Race Crew from 55 nations take part. They have shown courage, skill, and spirit as they have crossed five oceans, visited six continents and spent weeks at a time at sea battling it out against mother nature and their other competitors.
Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam went into Race 14 top of the overall leaderboard with 119 points.
British Skipper, Bob Beggs, said: “It's very close but both determination and self belief as a team that you can win, is very important.”
But upset could still come from Zhuhai, having already secured a top three finish overall, the only way is up for the team in third. British Skipper, James Finney explains: “The pressure is more on the other two teams, we just need to spoil the party.”
Which team will be victorious in Race 14? Will the result affect the overall leaderboard as the Clipper 2023-24 Race comes to its thrilling conclusion? Track the fleet to find out.
Foto: Martin Shields
