Clipper 09-10: Cape Breton Island emerges from Stealth Mode in lead

This is the tail end of the monsoon season in south east Asia and the reports from the Clipper 09-10 fleet this morning paint a vivid picture of the dramatic and often violently changing conditions the teams are facing in the race to Singapore - one of the most challenging and technical stages of the entire 35,000-mile race around the world.

Jamaica Lightning Bolt's skipper, Peter Stirling, says, 'Our worst squall to date hit us in pitch darkness at 4am this morning (local time). The wind rose rapidly from 20 knots up to 50 knots with very heavy rain. As we struggled to put the second reef in the mainsail three of the luff sliders (holding the sail to the mast) ripped off and we had no choice but to drop the whole sail. We then hove to and dropped the Yankee 3 to ride out the storm under staysail only.

'Typically rain squalls don't last very long and this one was no exception. After half an hour it all passed through and we were left wallowing in lumpy seas and no wind. With no wind we took the opportunity to repair the broken luff slides before rehoisting the full mainsail. As I write we are beating upwind towards the next mark making more than nine knots boat speed. We are however keeping a wary eye out for the next incoming squall.'

Jamaica Lightning Bolt has been involved in a nip and tuck battle for the lead with Cape Breton Island and Spirit of Australia and Brendan Hall, skipper of the Australian team, reports much the same squally conditions overnight.

'Last night was a night of tropical squalls and endless manoeuvres to get through them,' he says. 'Every time one appeared on the radar we set about reducing sail. Then the squall would hit us, giving winds of up to 45 knots for a few minutes, then pass over us, leaving us with little wind, meaning we need to put all that sail back up... until the next one. The crew handled the conditions valiantly, fired on adrenaline, but now the fatigue has set in and we can only look forward to another night of squalls tonight.'

Cape Breton Island has emerged from their 24 hours in Stealth Mode; only the race office knew their position for safety's sake - to the other nine yachts and those watching the race they remained invisible and their tactics under cover. They clearly worked as the eagle has soared into the lead.

Skipper Jan Ridd says, 'After the incident with Cork and the shock loss of a hugely competitive team from Race 5 our focus has firmly returned to taking line honours as the last 24 hours has produced some of the most exciting and competitive racing so far. We have seen ten miles gained and lost as the wind shifts 90 degrees and back again, with squalls of more than 40 knots testing each of the three leading crews. There has been an endless number of headsail changes as we fight to fly the best sails for the changing conditions, paddling the Big Blue Canoe as fast as possible. The result? All the boats are within a few miles of each other having spent most of the time in line of sight - a true testament to edge that each of these racing teams has developed. You can barely get a sheet of spinnaker cloth between us - it's anyone's game!'

Work continues today to plan the next steps for Cork. Clipper Race Director, Joff Bailey, has been meeting with the appointed marine surveyor in Singapore to discuss options for Cork's recovery.

Team Finland, Qingdao and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital are still standing by and today are attempting to remove personal belongings of the crew. Eight of Cork's crew are on board Team Finland and morale remains high.

Eight of Cork's crew who transferred to California have been settling in to their new surroundings. Skipper, Pete Rollason, says, 'The last 24 hours on board California has been one of reflection, integration and general camaraderie. The reflection has been on what might have been and brought the reality of ocean racing flooding into the minds of all on board. The positive side is that seafarers the world over always look after their own, as was proved in this situation. I would like to pass on my grateful thanks to Team Finland who very professionally acted as on scene coordinator during the rescue operation.

'We have been integrating the new crew into the watch system as well as making them comfortable with the simple things in life, like dry clothes, a toothbrush, a warm meal and above all some sleep. We are approximately 48 hours from Batam so anticipate arriving on Sunday morning, however, the minds of all at this moment are not focused on the hardened ocean racers that they have become but are somewhat serene with reflection and building up for some rest in Batam and Singapore before being fired up for Race 6.'

Meanwhile, preparations for the fleet's arrival at Marina at Keppel Bay in Singapore are well underway and Uniquely Singapore is chasing down the leading pack, determined to get a podium finish in the race to their home port. They offered their assistance yesterday during the operation to ensure Cork's crew were safe.

Jim Dobie, the Singapore-born skipper, explains, 'It was a horrible sight as we approached the Karatong mark and saw Cork lying on her side. As we arrived we stood by Team Finland and California to see if we could offer any assistance but they did an absolutely superb job retrieving the Cork crew and very quickly had them on board. It was a very sad moment as we all know the Cork guys very well and they must have gone through a traumatic experience - all of us on board send our well wishes to Richie and his crew.

'Once we were released by Rob (McInally, Team Finland's skipper), the on-scene commander, we carried on racing and have managed to do very well and even close in on the front of the fleet. With only 40 miles between us this race is far from over. During the night we once again experienced a storm cell giving us winds of 35 knots plus driving rain which kept the crew on their toes with numerous sail changes. Meanwhile a radar watch was kept down below as visibility was down to zero and we had seen plenty of shipping before the storm hit us.'

Hull & Humber also offered their assistance during yesterday's incident and skipper, Piers Dudin, offers his commiserations to the crew of Cork, saying, 'We're thinking of you guys. We arrived on scene about six hours after the fact and California and Team Finland were already in the process of receiving the crew from the island using life rafts. We stood by to assist along with Qingdao and Uniquely Singapore.

'The previous night had been the usual battle with the squalls, wind varying up and down, left and right, visibility dropping due to the sheet rain, and so it has been again last night. This time we were going up wind into it so whereas before we were able to run with it, this time we would bash head on into the oncoming rain, wind and waves. Last night's squalls stayed with us until the early hours and have again died down to a more civilised close reach towards Singapore. We are still in the company of Uniquely Singapore and California. With only two days to run until we reach Batam, as per usual our thoughts turn to the stopover work list and preparations for the next leg.

'It's been a disappointing leg for us in terms of position although we have developed our skills hugely along the way and this is making up for any lack of points at the end of the day.'

The fleet will rally in Batam, Indonesia, ahead of the grand arrival at Marina at Keppel Bay in Singapore on Saturday 23 January. There they can expect a colourful welcome and the uniquely Singaporean hospitality that the Republic has to offer. If there is one thing close to every Singaporean's heart it is food - and it is clearly high on the priority list on board Uniquely Singapore. Jim says, 'As we beat toward Singapore the excitement on board is getting contagious as we start to think about chilli crab, satay and Singapore slings!'

POSITIONS AT 1200 UTC, FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2010

1 Cape Breton Island DTF 223
2 Spirit of Australia DTF 229 DTL +7
3 Jamaica Lightning Bolt DTF 240 DTL +17
4 California DTF 276 DTL +54
5 Uniquely Singapore DTF 283 DTL +61
6 Hull & Humber DTF 289 DTL +66
7 Qingdao DTF 412 DTL +189
8 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital DTF 412 DTL +189
9 Qingdao DTF 412 DTL +189
10 Cork Not racing

(DTF = Distance to Finish, DTL = Distance to Leader)
Full positions are updated every three hours and can be found at www.clipperroundtheworld.com .

by Clipper Ventures

12:02 AM Sat 16 Jan 2010 GMT