The first of the ten internationally-backed Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race teams has arrived in Flamenco Marina, Panama. New York arrived alongside at shortly after 0500 this morning (1100 GMT) at the end of Race 9 from Santa Cruz, California in which the US team finished in third place.
The race was dominated by light winds virtually from the outset and New York was one of a leading group that enjoyed some close quarter racing, matching their opponents move for move, all of them refusing to give any quarter to the competition.
As the yachts' speed dropped off in the dying winds, the Race Committee took the decision to shorten the course to the second of four predetermined gates in order to allow the fleet to motor sail to Panama and claw back some of the time lost following the two dismastings during Race 7 across the Pacific.
