The best way to start the weekend is right here by my computer, looking back the past month of the salty and slippery world of Clipper Round the World Race 09-10. This is what happened last month:
Drama! Sea beasts! Wrecks! Life-threatening danger!
Soap at the Sea
Ouch ouch ouch. Team Finland skipper Eero Lehtinen has announced his resignation for family reasons. What a sad loss it is for the crew of Team Finland, Clipper Race and spectators at home, but naturally family comes first. Eero will be replaced by a Southampton-based skipper Rob McInally, who will take over the boat during the Xmas stopover in Australia. We will see how the new skipper will spank inspire his crew to reach podium places in the races around the other half of the globe.
The Curious Case of a Whale
Team Finland had a close encounter with a whale on South Indian Ocean a few days ago. It was recorded as a collision, but surely enough it hardly can be an accident as whales can detect objects through ultrasound. In a middle of a South Indian Ocean! It would be just as likely as Brian being saved by a flying saucer. My theory is that the whale was either curious, territorial or amorous and therefore decided to kick the boat. The strike did not stir up any reaction, and therefore the whale decided to find someone else to play with. There is no way a sail boat could crash into a whale just like that. Interestingly this incident also revealed that each clipper boat has a crew member assigned as a conservationist, who records sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises and sea monsters.
Kerfuffle between Irish and Englishmen
What’s new with this then? Instead of a pub quarrel over stout vs. ale, this is about boats clashing on the start of Race 4 from Cape Town, South Africa to Geraldton, Western Australia. The collision resulted in the two teams returning to harbour. Fortunately none of the crew were hurt but boats took some damage: Hull & Humber’s port aft quarter required a good week’s repair and Cork’s bow about 5 days. Now both of the boats are back in race, and catching up the leading fleet. However, it’s a long way to Australia – let’s keep fingers crossed that both boats will make it there by Xmas. (Main photo by Clipper Ventures PLC)
- Dramatic rescue at sea.
Man Overboard!
A man went overboard on Hull & Humber in South Atlantic already a month ago. It must have been daunting event for the whole crew, but they handled it professionally and fortunately nobody got hurt in this accident. This thing has resurfaced (geddit) through the most popular videos of the BBC news site. Fortunately digital media keeps important things floating (I’m cracking myself up), as this was a really big thing. See the video of a yachtsman overboard in South Atlantic in the BBC News. This is the SECOND EVER man-overboard incident in the whole history of Clipper Race Round the World events.
Good going, but stay clipped, folks!
