Clipper fleet makes Costa Rican pit stop - Race News

Clipper fleet makes Costa Rican pit stop

13 May 2008

Followers of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race who are watching the fleet’s progress towards Panama on the race viewer will notice the ten yachts are making a beeline for the Costa Rican coast. They are making a pit stop in Banana Bay Marina, Golfito, Costa Rica, to take on more fuel in order to make best speed towards Panama for their transit through the Panama Canal.

In the last 48 hours they have encountered adverse currents which have slowed their progress and forced them to use a greater volume of fuel to maintain speed towards Panama where the Race Team has now established their headquarters to await the fleet’s arrival.

New York completed their refuelling pit stop this morning local time, skipper Duggie Gillespie reporting it took 90 minutes to fill up the yacht’s fuel tanks, which have a capacity of approximately 1,500 litres, complete Costa Rican immigration formalities and take on board a case of fresh fruit before slipping their moorings and continuing towards Panama.

The Clipper Race Team, working in conjunction with a local agent in Costa Rica, has been providing the ten-strong fleet of 68-foot yachts with invaluable local navigation information and images of the fuel berth to allow them to complete the refuelling in the shortest possible time.

Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper and Uniquely Singapore arrived in Banana Bay Marina a few hours later, with Jamaica and Qingdao close behind. En route Qingdao transferred two jerry cans of fuel to Jamaica.

The refuelling stop does mean that the yachts will not now need to take on fuel when they arrive in Flamenco Marina in Panama, where they will complete the necessary formalities to transit the Panama Canal.

New York is expected to arrive at first light on Wednesday 14 May, with seven other yachts, Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, Jamaica, Qingdao, Uniquely Singapore, Nova Scotia, Liverpool 08 and Hull & Humber due during the day. The two southern hemisphere teams, Durban 2010 and Beyond and westernaustralia2011.com, whose tactic of taking an inshore course found them wallowing in wind holes, are expected on the morning of Thursday 15 May.