Race 2 Day 10: A game of cat and mouse

It’s been a game of cat and mouse over the past 24 hours as the 12 strong fleet of racing yachts competing in the Clipper 13-14 Race, battle it out for valuable extra points as the Scoring Gate approaches.

The Northern Irish entry, Derry~Londonderry~Doire  is now just 20 miles from the optional Scoring Gate which it is expected to reach within the next few hours. Both Henri Lloyd and Mission Performance are expected to cross the gate later this afternoon with 3, 2, 1 points being awarded retrospectively.

The fight for second place rumbled on during the night as Henri Lloyd overtook Mission Performance in a nail biting game of cat and mouse. As Henri Lloyd continues its descent on the leader of the pack the fleet deliberate the uncertain conditions of the looming dreaded Doldrums.

Simon Talbot skipper of GREAT Britain explains how the Doldrums could shake up the leader board, “Today will be a big strategy day for most of the fleet as decisions about which route through the Doldrums to take need to be made, decisions that could really jumble up the race order if the front runners get it wrong, so the next few days should make for very interesting viewing for all those addicted to the race viewer at home.”

What are the Doldrums?

The Doldrums are a large-scale weather system located on and around the Equator. They are best known as an area of very light winds which can slow sailing boats to a virtual stop, but the Doldrums can often also produce violent thunderstorms and sudden fierce squalls.

Transient in nature, the Doldrums can quickly change shape and location and are therefore difficult to predict. The Doldrums are sometimes called the Intertropical Convergence Zone or the Equatorial Convergence Zone.

To catch up with all of our skippers, you can read the daily skipper reports here