LE MANS START KICKS OFF RACE 10: THE ULTIMATE TEST OF PERSEVERANCE
The race that will see the eleven-strong Clipper Race fleet cross the North Pacific Ocean has officially begun.
Due to very light winds and low visibility, the Le Mans start was postponed from 0800 Local Time / 0000 UTC to 1000 Local Time/ 0200 UTC, as decided by Lead Skipper Ineke Van Der Weijden, to ensure a safe and smooth start to the race.
A Le Mans Start differs from a classic line start and allow the fleet to commence a race offshore, without a Race Committee. A Lead Skipper is drawn to co-ordinate the start, and for Race 10 it was Perseverance Skipper Ineke Van Der Weijden selected to lead the start of Race 10.
Once the lead boat is decided it takes the most central position in the fleet as it lines up, and then the positioning of the remaining ten boats is purely down to luck with teams being drawn during the final Crew Brief in port and placed in order from the windward side to leeward.
Here’s what Ineke had to say about the Le Mans start:
“After a 2-hour delay due to light winds and bad visibility, Race 10 got on its way at 0200 UTC. Light wind starts are always challenging, add to that some reduced visibility and that makes for an interesting mix, certainly for my first time as Lead Skipper. But the fleet did a great effort on the line up and it all went according to plan. Now, 25 minutes into the race, the fleet has already shown vastly different strategies with regards to sail plan and course, although boat speeds remain very low across the fleet. All in all, a slow start to a long race. Next stop: Seattle.”
