Race 1 Scoring Gate results

The Scoring Gate results are in for Race 1 – Portsmouth to Puerto Sherry.

A unique feature of the Clipper Race, Scoring Gates are virtual marks where the first yacht to pass through secures three valuable bonus points, the second receives two and the third team through is awarded one. Racing through a Scoring Gate is optional, but the gamble can pay off, with extra points potentially meaning teams can climb up the leaderboard.

For this race, the Scoring Gate was positioned around 65nm due east of the most direct track (rhumb line) and approximately half-way down across the Bay of Biscay. The Scoring Gate was approximately 20nm wide from east to west and as usual, gave the opportunity for teams to gain extra bonus points.

Clipper Race Director Mark Light sums up the recent race action: “The Scoring Gate was positioned right on the edge of the transition between strong and lighter breeze and provided a tantalising temptation for any team brave enough to go for it. Despite early signs of interest from a couple of teams (PSP Logistics and Yacht Club Punta del Este) it was the Uruguayan team entry that made the decisive move and crossed the extreme western end of the gate at 22:20:15 UTC on 05 September 2023. No other teams decided to go for the gate in the end, heading straight to the finish line, and continue to race closely toward Puerto Sherry.

“Whether the team will pay the price in the hunt for the podium positions for Race 1 remains to be seen, but for now the early leaders of the Clipper 2023-24 Race are Yacht Club Punta del Este with the first points on the leaderboard. I can now confirm the results of the Scoring Gate- congratulations to Nano, Angus and their team for scooping up the maximum (and only) Scoring Gate bonus points!” The next opportunity for teams to win bonus points is the upcoming Ocean Sprint. This is a time trial between two lines of longitude or two lines of latitude.

Image: From Clipper Race Viewer at 13:00 UTC

The fastest three teams gain extra race points (three for first, two for second and one for third) which could make all the difference to the final Race 1 standings once the teams cross the finish line.

In terms of the overall standings, Perseverance continues to lead the pack, with Our Isles and Oceans and Qingdao following closely- but with the Qingdao team in Stealth Mode for the next 24 hours, and plenty of tactical decisions for the teams to make, who knows what the standings will look like this time tomorrow.