With the Californian sun shining and ten knots of breeze from the north west, Race 9 of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race series began at 1300 local (2000 GMT). Uniquely Singapore was the first of the ten-internationally sponsored yachts across the line, closely followed by their Asian rivals, Qingdao.
With a start line positioned just half a mile due south of Santa Cruz Harbour, where the Clipper fleet has been berthed for the duration of the nine-day stopover, the beginning of the 3,116 nautical mile race to Panama provided a great spectacle for the crowds gathered along West Cliff Drive, Lighthouse Point and Santa Cruz Wharf. A small flotilla of yachts from the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, the host for the crews during their stay, was also in Monteray Bay to wave off the teams as they headed south.
As they jostled for position at the start, the majority of the teams chose to fly their Yankee One headsail, the largest of their compliment of headsails, with Liverpool 08, westernaustralia2011.com and Jamaica opting for their smaller Yankee Two as they crossed the line in third, fourth and fifth place respectively. Choosing an inshore course Hull & Humber were next across the line followed by Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, New York, Nova Scotia and Durban 2010 and Beyond. As the fleet rounded the windward mark and headed out of Monteray Bay, Qingdao had managed to move ahead of Uniquely Singapore and with the winds remaining constant Liverpool 08 and westernaustralia2011.com were preparing to change up to their larger headsails.
"It's great to see all ten boats racing again," says Joff Bailey, Race Director. ³The teams have a wild downwind ride for the first half of this race which will see them achieving some great speeds and they will make rapid progress south. They will all try to make as direct a route possible, parallel to the coast, but at the same time trying not to get too close as the effect of the land my reduce wind strength. The trick along this initial part of the race is to try not to damage too many of the downwind sails. Several boats have recently been penalised for damaging sails and once the Race Committee considers the repairs and replacements in Santa Cruz further penalty points may be awarded. Joff continues, "As the fleet approaches the southern tip of Baja, California, the winds will start to reduce and become much less stable in direction. At this point the direct route along the coast is heavily favoured in terms of the least miles. However, fickle and inconsistent winds closer in may see some teams opting to sail further offshore in order to benefit from better wind speeds and direction." During the Californian stopover the crews of the ten teams, representing 26 different nationalities, were able to take some time out to enjoy what the region has to offer. Those who stayed in the local area took in local attractions such as the Santa Cruz Boardwalk amusement park where they swapped the roller coaster ride of the Pacific Ocean for one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the US, The Big Dipper. Others headed to the city of San Francisco to take in the historic sites of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and Fisherman¹s Wharf.
The first of the Clipper teams, Uniquely Singapore, arrived in Santa Cruz on 16 April, achieving their first win of the Clipper 07-08 series in Race 8 from Hawaii. The final two yachts, Durban 2010 and Beyond and westernaustralia2011.com, arrived a week later following a delayed departure from Honolulu due to essential work on their new rigs, after both yachts were dismasted in the previous race from Qingdao, China. The fleet's arrival in Santa Cruz marked the first time the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has stopped on the west coast of the US in its 12-year history.
Commodore of the Santa Cruz Yacht Club Brett Grippenstraw said, "We've really enjoyed having you guys here, the Clipper crews and the Race Team, and we¹ve had a great time and made a lot of new friends. Hopefully we can find a sponsor for the next race and get you back here in two years time, we¹d love to see you again."
The Californian stopover of Clipper 07-08 coincided with the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show, in Oakland, California, where Crew Recruitment Manager David Cusworth gave several presentations to Californians interested in taking part in the next edition of the Clipper Race.
