FULL FLEET IN FREMANTLE

All the Clipper Race teams are once again in the same place, after HotelPlanner.com completed the arrivals for Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race to Fremantle, Australia.

HotelPlanner.com crossed the line in eleventh place but will be officially place ninth in the results ladder, thanks to a redress for collecting six Greenings crew members in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Skipper Conall Morrison says: “This race was full of good times and bad times, but plenty of fun times too.

“Having the Greenings crew on board has added a bit of freshness and just added to the fun. You know, there was no pressure for the race really because we were behind from so early on, but even that just made it more fun.”

As well as points for finishing ninth, HotelPlanner.com will also add three bonus points to their overall tally after winning the Elliot Brown Ocean Sprint.

Jeremy Hill, one of the Greenings crew said: “For six of us to be able to continue the race is such a privilege. HotelPlanner.com absolutely took us in with open arms and were willing to let us contribute. We took on the way they ran their boat but we were also able to combine forces and do something a little different. Maybe a touch of HotelGreenings.com!”

IMAGE: Nasdaq team after arriving in Fremantle, Australia.

Nasdaq crossed the finish line shortly before HotelPlanner.com and round the world crew member Damien Egan says the race was quite hard, explaining: “We were bashing into big winds, big seas was tough and we also had a few broken sails that needed to be fixed which kind of slowed us down.

“And we got hit by the tough conditions at the start, and we pretty much had a new Watch, so it took us a while to get used to each other again after having a pretty constant crew for Legs 1 and 2. But by the end of the race we worked well as a team.”

Fellow round the world crew member Alexandra Weaver said: “My partner did the Southern Ocean Leg a few years ago and he warned me that on their race that they had a fair amount of upwind beating in tough conditions. So I was mentally prepared for that but it’s just brutal. Living at that angle, pounding upwind, you don’t sleep well, it’s an effort to cook. It’s great when it ends, that’s all I can say. And the last week was fantastic with beautiful champagne sailing which was great.”

Garmin went across the finish line at 13:57:24 local time (05:57:24 UTC), to finish in eighth place. The team started their campaign strongly, and were in second place on Day 4 though did drop back six places on Day 5 and found it tough to claw back up the leader board.

On Tuesday 21 November, round the world crew member Erik Hellstrom was medevac’d from the yacht due to a serious abdominal condition, and was safely transferred to hospital in Fremantle where he is now getting medical attention.

Fellow round the world crew member Nell Wyatt, a GP from Wiltshire, provided on board medical care round the clock for Erik while he was unwell. On arrival to port she said: “It was very stressful both medically and professionally. But I felt very well supported by the Skipper and the crew.

“I think we are a very united team anyway and everyone was amazingly supportive. What was realised from the entire incident was how much our Clipper Race training had become second nature. The medevac went very well and everyone knew what they had to do thanks to all the work we had put in whilst training for the race.”

Liverpool 2018 bought the colour into Fremantle this morning as the first team into port in daylight, after crossing the line at 05:18:52UTC (12:18:52 local) in seventh position. The team’s best performance of the race came on Day 5 when it jumped three positions overnight to put itself third.

In contrast, Liverpool 2018’s low point came on Day 15 when a shackle at the bottom of the forestay broke. Everyone on board was fine and worked quickly to make a temporary fix but as a result the team reduced its sail plan for the remainder of the race, but still managed a respectable race position.

Eric Miglin, from Canada, competed on board ClipperTelemed+ on the last edition, and was taking to the Southern Ocean for the second time. He said: “It was a different experience, a lot of pounding into the waves and it was harder deciding what to do because we hit wind holes and changing conditions and things like that. But it was a good trip, good crew, nice bunch of people to be sailing with."

Skipper Lance Shepherd said: “We didn’t get the downwind sleigh ride that we wanted, you know, the really, really big seas. We got a bit of a taste for it and we were doing swimmingly until the forestay broke and that set us back a bit.

“Everybody bonded together though, we had lots of good group time. We prepared for Fremantle by having our own little Australia day where everyone had to call each other Sheila and Bruce and that was a bit of good fun.”

With all teams in, Clipper Race Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston said: “This has undoubtedly been the toughest leg in Clipper Race history. Ocean racing is an extreme sport and the training our crew go through is intense for this purpose, designed to prepare crew for the many eventualities that occur, even in the professional races.

“Whilst these are situations we aim never to encounter, it is always impressive to witness how strong the human spirit is when faced with adversity.”

Prize Giving for Race 3: The Dell Latitude Rugged Race takes place tomorrow at the Fremantle Sailing Club, and teams will be based here until Saturday 2 Dec when Race 4 to Sydney sets sail.