Unicef remains in a small group of boats at the rear of the pack. It seems that the boats in the front are getting all the strong winds and there is nothing left by the time the rear of the fleet reaches the area. But maybe I am too biased to consider other reasons. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: September 2015
A week with squalls and motoring across the Doldrums
This week the fleet of Clipper yachts have crossed the half-way mark of their journey to Rio de Janeiro with Unicef approx. 700 miles behind the leader. It is also the week the teams can score extra points and skipper tactics and strategy are therefore becoming even more important.
A sad and emotional week for our crews.
This week started with the shocking news that “IchorCoal” had a terrible fatal accident to crew member Andrew Ashman on Saturday morning while the team were reefing the mainsail. The boat diverted to Oporto in Portugal and a team of Clipper including Sir Robin Knox-Johnson flew out to meet the team.
Disappointing first week of racing
Training as an individual to learn the basics of handling a 70 ft. ocean racing yacht, spinnaker trimming and race tactics is one thing, but to put it into practice with a new crew on day 1 of a race is quite another. Team Unicef has had a difficult week with errors handling the “kite” and going backwards near Ushant because of their late arrival when the tide turned against them.