Race 1 Penalty Points Awarded

The Clipper Race Committee has finalised the list of penalty points to be given to the teams following the assessment of damages and repairs that were needed after the fleet’s race from London to Rio in the Atlantic Trade Winds leg.

These penalty points are awarded for damage incurred while the boats are racing. They do not affect podium positions but they could make a difference to the overall race standings.

Race Director Justin Taylor explains: “Like all yacht racing there are a series of penalties for infringing the rules. Experience has shown that teams who are successful in the Clipper Race are those that are best able to combine the three elements of boat speed, preservation of equipment and effective repair of breakages.

“The Clipper Race Committee’s normal method of penalising a yacht for an infringement of the race rules, or for being found guilty after a protest, is for a time or points penalty to be added to the result of that race. We also go beyond that and apply it to sail and equipment damage. Thus, a penalty point system has been developed to encourage these elements of good seamanship and safety.”

The Clipper Race Committee keeps a running total of the costs of lost and damaged equipment and will impose one penalty point to the relevant team when the running total reaches £500 and an additional penalty point for every subsequent £500. The following is a list of typical examples:

• -loss of winch handles
• -loss of any running rigging, snatch blocks or handy billy
• -serious damage to equipment, including winch drums and sewing machines

Examples of specific pieces of equipment that needed replacing on Race 1 were Harken 125 kite sheet blocks, stanchion bases and a wind wand and repairs to a bowsprit.

A full explanation of penalty points can be found in our FAQ section.

The Race 1 penalty points are set out below. They do not affect the placings for Race 1 but do impact the overall standings table when applied. This has been updated and can be viewed here.

RACE 1 PENALTY POINTS:

-2 POINTS: Garmin; Qingdao; Unicef

-1 POINT: IchorCoal; PSP Logistics; LMAX Exchange; GREAT Britain

There are no current penalty points for sail damage due to any of the teams.