California – Panama – Caribbean
The 24-hour speed record for the Clipper Race was set by New York in Clipper 05-06
Thermal layers give way to sunscreen on this highly tactical leg. The big question facing the crews is whether to hug the coast or go further offshore. The California Current flows south but the helping hand this gives you if you opt to follow it can be counteracted by the heating effects of the North American land mass which may make the winds unfavourable.
The race to Panama will be a fast one. The 24-hour speed record for the Clipper Race was set by New York in Clipper 05-06 when they clocked up 287 miles in 24 hours. Changeable conditions in the final stages of the race can shake up the fleet so there is no place for complacency until you cross the finish line.
The Panama Canal is an incredible feat of modern engineering linking the Pacific and Atlantic. As well as a fascinating transit during which the yachts will pass through three enormous locks raising them 18 metres and taking them 51 miles through the wildlife-filled heart of central America, the experience is an emotional one. As the huge lock gates close behind you on the Pacific, you begin to realise you are homeward-bound, even though many thousands of miles still separate you and the Clipper 09-10 finish line in the Humber.
In the Caribbean the yachts will set off on an upwind race. There will be little opportunity to fly the spinnaker; instead sail changes and razor-sharp helming will be the order of the day.