The 12-strong Clipper Round the World Yacht Race squad has started the third leg of its fourteen-race worldwide series in an industrious beginning from Cape Town in 4845 nautical mile Southern Ocean sweeping to Western Australia, called by host port Albany the ‘Wardan Whip’ – cheered by the conventional Noongar language that means ocean of southern winds.
Race Director Justin Taylor told that several sailors see this leg as one of the biggest challenges of the race. The conditions are hugely testing and people who get it right would see exactly what the Clipper Race yachts are made of, surfing at more than twenty-five knots on swells bigger than buildings.
The fleet swanked into Table Bay after a colorful departure ceremony from V&A Waterfront. There was a stiff twenty knots of breeze from south out on the start line with stronger gusts over thirty-five knots. Over the line, the first was Qingdao followed by LMAX Exchange as well as Visit Seattle in hot pursuit.
They went for inshore towards the very first mark at the Paarden Eiland before turning north towards the bay to Milnerton mark. From there, it was back out to sea as well as the decisive tactical decision on how far out to go to stave off becoming becalmed in the lee of Table Mountain.
IchorCoal captain Darren Ladd told a Yacht chartering company in Manchester that Cape Town has been really amazing. It is effectively their home port and they have loved every minute of it. It has a shame to leave really. He believes that the last race was very good preparation for Southern Ocean. They did go a long way south and they deliberately did that for the stronger winds and they got them.