After being dismasted in the Pacific during the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Race, westernaustralia2011.com, one of the 10 yachts competing in the event, is under jury rig and engine power, heading for the repairs at the island of Midway. The accident happened on leg seven, from Qingdao, China, to Hawaii.
One crew member reported: ‘We may be out of the race, but this is no cruise and we’re racing against the clock to get repaired in time for the next leg.’
The Aussie boat continues to make great progress under jury rig, managing an 86 nautical mile run in 12 hours. Spirits remain high and those with an engineering bent are enjoying the challenge of finding additional ways to improve on their reduced rig! ‘Every day new sail configurations are tried and tested we have a sail area barely large enough to power a windsurfer, let alone our 35-tonne yacht!’ reported a crew member.
In his last report on Monday, Skipper Martin Silk said: ‘The chart plotter shows 99 hours to Midway.’
The crew are determined to get to Hawaii in time to start the leg to Santa Cruz, California. Otherwise they’ll miss out on up to 30 points and their chances in the overall race could be over.
Constantly monitoring VMG, fuel consumption, heading and speed has become an obsession for the crew.
The Clipper fleet is passing a milestone with the start of the Hawaiian island chain, which begins just over the International Date Line. The yachts will most likely stay to the north of the chain to experience the better winds and the reputed small but positive current on that side.
The rest of the fleet will be berthed in Ala Wai harbour, Honolulu, where they will be hosted by the Waikiki Yacht Club, Hawaii Yacht Club and Magic Island Petroleum during the stopover in Hawaii, www.clipperroundtheworld.com