Race Director's Report
Race 10: Seattle, USA to Panama

After a fantastic stopover in Seattle the yachts motor-sailed north up the glorious Puget Sound to where the Le Mans start would be conducted. The start was delayed to allow ClipperTelemed+ to effect repairs to its mainsail track which was damaged on the motor-sail out. Unfortunately the team was unable to do this before darkness, so I made the call to start the race without them. They would just have to catch up.

Right off the bat the fleet experienced 20 to 25 knots of wind from the west. This allowed for fast reaching conditions with all the yachts registering double digit speeds. As the wind veered into the north-west and then the north, ClipperTelemed+, who started eight hours after the rest of the fleet, was propelled down the course and started to make in-roads of their deficit. Could it continue though?

It was fantastic stuff with all the yachts reporting great conditions and champagne sailing. The kites were up, the boats were flat and there were super-fast speeds.

At this point, Ichorcoal decided to go offshore to the rest of the fleet as it quite rightly predicted the wind would start to go light and fickle as the fleet progressed to the south. It found some good wind pressure and cut back east across the fleet and momentarily held first place. But it was undone by a couple of wind holes which kills off its challenge, most cruel.

However, there was no stopping ClipperTelemed+ who carved through the fleet and took up residence at the front. As the wind continued to die the inshore boats didn’t do so well but ClipperTelemed+ and LMAX Exchange started to slug it out.

As they approached the finish line they were neck and neck. The approach of a squall pushed LMAX Exchange ahead and it just pipped ClipperTelemed+ by a matter of a few metres. An outstandingly good tactical race by it, especially with the deficit that it began with. Unicef claimed another well-deserved podium finish in third.