Following the arrival of Seattle into Fremantle overnight, just three Clipper Race teams remain at sea, navigating their way towards Western Australia. Unicef, Punta del Este and Visit Sanya, China remain on the racecourse and Race Viewer addicts are in for some addictive tracking as the teams are set to converge in the coming days for one final match race into port.
Punta del Este and Visit Sanya, China are competing against each other for the Roaring Forties Match Race trophy whilst Unicef is looking to pip its remaining competitors to the post in an effort to get as many race points as possible following an earlier diversion.
Punta del Este Skipper Jeronimo Santos Gonzalez was brimming with pride in his blog today, as he paid homage to his crew and the progress made so far. He commented: “During Leg 3, crossing the Southern Ocean for the first time in a big storm with 80 knots of wind and 12 meters waves with twenty crew to keep safe and motivated and a boat to maintained to top condition has been an amazing experience.
“I am normally a pretty cheerful individual but sometimes I don't stop to take in the moment I am living and how much I am enjoying the Clipper Race.”
Indeed this sense of positivity is resounding amongst remaining teams, with Visit Sanya, China Skipper Seumas Kellock saying: “Now this is what I call sailing! Finally, we have 23 knots of breeze, Code 3 (heavyweight spinnaker) flying and making eleven knots of VMG. Plus the sun is shining!”
All teams are making fantastic progress to Fremantle and, at the time of writing, only 288nm separates the front runners Unicef from Visit Sanya, China. In this race, the Marlow Ropes Southern Ocean Sleigh Ride, such distance can be quickly narrowed through a winning combination of well-played tactics and favourable weather conditions.
The Clipper Race presents the opportunity for the bold intrepid adventurer to step out of their comfort zone and achieve something remarkable: to race around the world. An elite group, more people have climbed Mount Everest than circumnavigated the globe.
No previous sailing experience is necessary, the Clipper Race is open to anyone over the age of 18 with a thirst for adventure. Crew spaces for the Clipper 2021-22 Race are open, find out more and join the race.
And don’t forget to keep up to date with all the latest position updates and progress of the remaining three teams via the Race Viewer.
