A spectacular welcome greeted the crews of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race as they arrived back in Hull at the end of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation. For the non-professional crew onboard the ten ocean racing yachts, the return to Hull Marina marks the end of a challenge of a lifetime as they battled the elements in search of victory and the title of Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race champions.

Tens of thousands of people lined the banks of the Humber and the quayside of Hull Marina to welcome home the crews after a gruelling ten-month challenge that has seen them take on the world's largest and most formidable oceans, endured violent storms and frustrating calms, extreme heat and bone-numbing cold, unstintingly come to the aid of their fellow competitors in times of need and, all the while, raced ferociously to win.

Steve Conlon (left) of the Irish Marine Federation welcomed the Irish entry Cork back to Hull at the weekend with Clipper Race organiser Robin Knox Johnston

Crossing the finish line overnight at the end of the 14th and final stage of the Clipper 09-10 Race, the Irish entry, Cork, claimed the maximum ten points for securing their second first place of their campaign. It is an achievement made all the more remarkable by the fact the team's original yacht ran aground on a reef in the Java Sea in January.

Cork's victory in Race 14 denied Hull & Humber their much coveted home port win but their second place finish did allow the 'big orange boat' to leapfrog Jamaica Lightning Bolt in the final standings to finish fourth overall. Again, a remarkable achievement for the team whose original skipper, Piers Dudin, was med-evac'd by the Japanese Coastguard in the North Pacific after his leg was broken when a huge wave washed him across the deck. Piers joined Justin Taylor, who took over as skipper, and the rest of the Hull & Humber crew on stage to great cheers and applause from the crowds.

Clipper 09-10 champions, Spirit of Australia, finished third in the final stage of the 14-race challenge, minutes ahead of Cape Breton Island, whose performance guaranteed them a place on the final podium. The Canadian team finish third overall, just 1.3 points behind Team Finland.

The ten yachts raced up the Humber in the presentational John Harrison Race, commemorating the man who, in the 18th Century, revolutionised the age of sail by inventing the marine chronometer, a device enabling sailors to accurately plot their longitudinal position. Hull & Humber wowed the crowds with a win while Spirit of Australia flew their spinnaker to the delight of the tens of thousands of spectators.

Brendan Hall, skipper of the victorious Spirit of Australia team, said, "Finishing in first place feels unbelievable. That was the seminal moment of my sailing career. All the hard work over the past two years and all the hard work of the team over the past ten months is finally recognised in public by everybody. A big thanks to our fantastic peers on the other boats, the people of the City of Hull and all our loved ones here on the pontoon. It's absolutely fantastic and one of the best moments of my life!"

The warmth of the welcome the home team received was overwhelming, according to Hull & Humber's skipper, Justin Taylor. "It's a great feeling. I can't believe it, all these people... it's phenomenal. I'm a little bit overcome with emotion; I don't really know what to make of it, to be honest," he said.

"The crew accepted me and they really pulled together and showed some real grit and I think that's reflected in the results that they achieved after I took over. It's down to them really – I gave them a bit of encouragement and they did the rest. The crew are elated. It's wonderful to be back and I think they're feeling the same way, a bit overcome by the reception we've received here."

The Parachute Regiment's Freefall Display Team, the Red Devils, dropped in as the yachts finished the John Harrison Race and once the yachts had entered the marina the Royal Navy's helicopter display team, the Black Cats, showed their flying prowess.

On stage the teams were called up one by one to be saluted by their supporters, California, in tenth were first up, followed by Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Cork, Qingdao, Uniquely Singapore and Jamaica Lightning Bolt in fifth place.

Each Clipper yacht is entered by a city, region or country and sponsors use the event to showcase themselves to the world.

Terry Hodgkinson Chairman of Yorkshire Forward which sponsors Hull & Humber and is responsible for bringing the Clipper Race to the Humber, said, "We're here to celebrate these crews' achievements and celebrate this wonderful city and the wider region. They've all done a fantastic job of getting the boats back safely. Clipper has done a wonderful job raising the profile of this area both nationally and internationally and bringing visitors to this fantastic region."

Clipper Race founder and chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo non-stop around the world, said, "We have had fantastic support from the people of this region for this race. I'd like to mention Yorkshire Forward, Welcome to Yorkshire and of course the people of the City of Hull. It's been fantastic, the way you've supported this race right from the start has been heart warming and we're very grateful to you."

Sir Robin had a message for the crews waiting next to the stage. He said, "You've achieved your ambition. You have sailed the oceans of the world, you have seen more of the sea than most people do and you have come through it all. You've come back very experienced sailors and you've achieved something very special in your lives and I'm very, very proud of you.

"I hope you go off now and continue sailing, take some of what you've learned the way you work as a team, back into your lives. Do you remember what I said at the beginning? I want to hear you say, 'That's the best thing I've done with my life' – and then I want to hear you say, 'So far,' because then I know we have widened your horizons."

Doctors, students, teachers, lawyers, engineers and a taxi driver are among the crew members who have succeeded in their challenge. On board each of the ten internationally-backed yachts is just one professional, the skipper, whose role it is to lead the team to victory. The crew members were all amateurs, nearly forty percent of whom had no sailing experience when they embarked on their Clipper Training, before setting off on this adventure ten months ago.

For every crew member this final race is a poignant moment. Sailing around the world is a considerable achievement – more people have climbed Mount Everest than have raced yachts around the world. The fleet's arrival in Hull Marina this afternoon is the climax of this once in a lifetime adventure.

To date more than 2,000 people have become ocean racers by taking part in the Clipper Race and, of these, more than 300 have achieved the rare accolade of becoming a circumnavigator by racing around the world under sail. Eighty-two new circumnavigators have joined the ranks of this exclusive club following the fleet's arrival in Hull today.

FINAL POSITIONS

The final result of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race is:

1 Spirit of Australia 128 points
2 Team Finland 105.3 points
3 Cape Breton Island 104 points
4 Hull & Humber 98 points
5 Jamaica Lightning Bolt 98 points
6 Uniquely Singapore 76 points
7 Qingdao 74 points
8 Cork 56.8 points
9 Edinburgh Inspiring Capital 53 points
10 California 42 points

With just 550-miles in which to prove themselves in the short sprintrace to Ijmuiden in The Netherlands, Race 13 promises to be an exciting edge of the seat battle between the ten Clipper teams. The Cork team is now back into the old routine of trying their best to keep their heavier Challenge 67 in touch with the rest of the fleet. Still in with achance of getting an overall podium position as they arrive back intheir home port on 17 July, Hull & Humber has taken one step closer totheir goal by managing to take an early lead. In his report to the race office this morning, the team's skipper, Justin Taylor, explains why hebelieves they have managed to edge ahead.

"We were going to be early for the start so I luffed the boat up head towind to slow right down and, although we managed to hold it for quiteawhile, we inadvertently tacked the yacht and had to start on port tack- heading straight for the rocks at Weaver's Point. Once at full speedwe tacked the yacht on to starboard and crossed the line, not too farbehind the first three yachts.  However, we did end up as the windwardyacht with all the advantages this brings and we soon found ourselves in the lead.
"After an early headsail change down to the Yankee 2, we reached thefirst mark of the course in fourth but there was only the width of acigarette paper between us all. All the other yachts were flying theirbig Yankee 1s and our smaller sail plan seemed to pay off as we pulledaway from the fleet. An early reef to the main only seemed to increaseour speed and pointing ability. The crew have been great at adding smallgains to small gains and we now find ourselves approximately three milesahead of the nearest yacht. 
"Unfortunately, we will be rounding Land's End on a foul tide and how wenegotiate that will either see our lead increase or diminish."  
Although the Irish coastline has now disappeared over the horizon, fondmemories of their recent stopover in Kinsale and Cork will remain with all the teams, none more so than with the crew of the local entry. 
"What an amazing reception we received in both Kinsale and the City of Cork, a huge thank you to all for making us feel so welcome andextending us such enjoyable hospitality," says Cork's skipper HannahJenner. "The crew are now getting back into life aboard - life at anangle, which is not something we have experienced in a while, at leastnot sober anyway!  We are making good speeds towards Lands End at themoment which we hope to round in the morning and back into the tacticalwaters of the English Channel."
Having enjoyed the pursuit race format across the Atlantic, the Cork team is now back into the old routine of trying their best to keep their heavier Challenge 67 in touch with the rest of the fleet. "Let's hopethe forecast for light winds along the south coast of the UK is wrong!"says Hannah, knowing full well from their recent Atlantic leg that Cork performs best in stronger conditions. 
The short race course through the English Channel means that all thecrews will have to keep on their toes - there will be no time to recoverfrom mistakes and sail damage is something they can ill afford. With somany boats in close proximity and the competition fierce it's easy tosee how mistakes could be made. 
California's skipper, Pete Rollason, says, "Since our departureyesterday evening, the racing has been very tight, as you would expect,and as we approach the Scilly Isles we have eight other boats in sightof us. The crew have been working incredibly hard in some lively weatherconditions to pull us up to third or fourth place which will set us upnicely for the entrance to the English Channel and hopefully a nicesunshine filled run down these familiar waters."
With Clipper's UK training base located in Gosport on the south coast,the waters of the English Channel are well-known to all the teams and itwon't be long before the familiar coastline comes into sight as theyround the southern tip of Cornwall.
"As dawn breaks now we find ourselves back in UK waters with theexciting prospect of glimpsing the green and pleasant land soon afterbreakfast," says Qingdao's skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major. "It is odd tobe back in an area that is so familiar to many of us after circling theglobe these past ten months - I could barely believe my ears when Iheard Falmouth Coastguard providing the weather update. Land's End andthe turn into the English Channel is our immediate goal and we feel wellplaced to make a good showing in this race. Can we beat our short racecurse?  I assure you there are 16 people out here trying very hard to."
Meanwhile, on board Uniquely Singapore there is also a crew tryingequally hard - especially as there are only two points separating theteam from their Asian rivals on the overall leaderboard. 
Skipper, Jim Dobie, says, "Straight into it and what a night with asteady Force 6 or so - good boat speed but a little unusual as its beena while since we have sailed upwind. It was with very sad hearts as weleft Cork and Kinsale as the crew had had such a fantastic time with thegreat food, the hospitality and of course the partying. But we are nowfirmly focussed on the rest of the race and gain as many points as wecan. We're currently in sixth place with Qingdao just behind us and Hull& Humber still beatable - it makes these last two races as important asever."

After a thrilling week of festivities the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Fleet has left Cork to begin the final leg of the race. The Clipper Fleet left Port of Cork City Marina in a Parade of Sail at 13.30 today with a Clipper Fleet Departure Ceremony with The Band of the 1st Southern Brigade and Lord Mayor Cllr Michael O'Connell presiding over the farewell proceedings.

At the ceremony he said "We would like to say thanks to our Cork Yacht and Skipper Hannah Jenner- they have given us enormous pride since they arrived here and over the last couple of months as well. We wish them very well now on their voyage over to Holland over the next few days. And I want to thank everybody for coming down here today for giving such a massive send off".

It has been a hugely successful week for the Cork Clipper Festival which saw official attendance figures reaching 25,000 on Wednesday and 20,000 visitors on Thursday. Friday's Festival Finale was an appropriate fanfare farewell which saw Cork's own global internet sensation Crystal Swing entertain a packed crowd at the main stage at the Race Village before The Walls closed the curtain on an amazing week of live music entertainment.

Listen to Cork Skipper Hannah Jenner on our special Cork Podcast HERE

Cork is edging closer to the Kinsale finish line tonight. Photos of Cork passing Cape Clear in West Cork below are courtesy of afloat.ie reader Richard O'Flynn. All being well it looks as though Cork will have the honour of leading the Clipper 09-10 round the world yacht race fleet into her home port.

With spinnakers flying and some competitive close quarters racing, the transatlantic chase began as the Clipper fleet set sail from Sydney, Cape Breton Island, to hunt down Cork, Ireland, in Race 12 of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race.

Under blue skies and in a breeze of five to ten knots from the south, the nine yachts crossed the start line at 1400 local time (1700 GMT). They were set on their way by race founder and chairman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who fired one of the Fortress of Louisbourg’s replica eight pound cannons to start the 2,080-mile race to Kinsale, Co Cork, Ireland.

Thousands of spectators lined Sydney’s boardwalk and the wharf at the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion to watch as California crossed the start line first, closely followed by Team Finland and Uniquely Singapore, all three flying their yankee 1 headsail. Spirit of Australia went straight for their lightweight spinnaker and immediately powered past the first three teams with Qingdao shortly behind them, changing up from their yankee 1 to their medium weight spinnaker as they crossed the start line just inches ahead of Hull & Humber who were already flying theirs. Jamaica Lightning Bolt was just ahead of Cape Breton Island who, keeping to the eastern side of the course hoisted their lightweight kite and immediately sped to the front of the pack to the delight of their supporters who were cheering loudly on shore. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital completed the order over the line and as they raced down the river towards the open ocean the racing was incredibly competitive, the lead changing hands a number of times.

Preparing for the departure, Cape Breton Island skipper, Jan Ridd, said, “I’m very sad to leave. It has been a really nice, relaxed stopover for most of the crews. I expected it to be very high key and busy for us but actually it’s been really relaxed for us and I really would like to stay here longer – I haven’t had time to see all that I want to!”

During the stopover Jan was presented with an eagle feather by Chief Terrence Paul of the Membertou first nation community. 

“At first I didn’t actually fully understand the full honour that it is but I have found out that Chief Terry Paul has been chief for over 30 years and has never given an eagle feather to anyone else. I am the first one he’s given it to which makes the honour even greater. Speaking to people who know about these things it is the highest honour, so I’m very, very touched by that.”

Following brunch at the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club the crews were led by children from the Cape Breton Island schools which have adopted the teams to the big fiddle at Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion for the official send off. 

Spectators packed the dock as the teams slipped their lines to the strains of their boat songs, heading out into the harbour to form up for a parade of sail. As the nine yachts passed by Sydney’s waterfront, the Canadian SkyHawks leapt from a plane overhead in a freefall parachute display.

The crews have been enjoying the fantastic hospitality, exquisite seafood including Atlantic lobster and stunning scenery Cape Breton Island has to offer. A packed stopover programme included a visit to the Fortress of Louisbourg and receptions at Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club and Dobson’s Yacht Club, which has three members competing in Clipper 09-10.

The fleet is now chasing Cork in a pursuit race across the Atlantic. The team led by Hannah Jenner left Sydney on Thursday. The Challenge 67 that the crew is now sailing is slightly shorter and also heavier than the Clipper 68s, so the fleet is racing under IRC handicap rules. For Race 12 that handicap is being applied up front, hence their departure from Cape Breton Island on Thursday rather than with the rest of the fleet today. For the first time in the Clipper Race’s history this is a pursuit race after the original Clipper 68 was lost when Cork hit a submerged reef in the Java Sea last January.

The Clipper fleet is due to arrive in Kinsale, Ireland, between 1 and 4 July for an eight day festival there and in Cork City. For more information on the festival programme, visit www.corkclipperfestival.com <http://www.corkclipperfestival.com> .

Kinsale is the first port of call in Europe for the final leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the fleet, including the Irish boat “Cork”, have now left Canada and are on their way to Kinsale. To celebrate the race’s arrival the town of Kinsale plans a party to remember. Kinsale Clipper Stopover Carnival will extend a fantastic welcome to all the participants. The Carnival will take place from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th July, with a whole host of free entertainment for all the family. The fleet of 10 Clipper Round the World yachts is expected to arrive during Friday/Saturday and the event, centred on Kinsale and, then on to Cork City, is estimated to be worth €10 million to the region.

The Carnival Weekend has something for everything and one of the centrepieces will be Live Music at the Square with local, national and international acts, featuring artists such as Ian Whitty and The Exchange; Aaron Dillon and Band; Novella Hermosa and Txutxukan.

Food and drink are key ingredients for a good carnival and there will be plenty of both at the fabulous Artisan Food Market on Long Quay where stallholders will participate in a market which will feature the finest artisan food to go, all from the locality. There will also be Tea Tents located at busking spots throughout the town offering the public a wide range of usual and unusual tea blends. The busking spots will feature performers such as The Invisible Men; Grant Goldie; The Fanzinis and their Cannonball Circus and Cork City String Quartet.

Highlights of the Carnival Weekend include “Ebb-Tide-Flow” an audio-guided walk on mp3 players. Designed by artist Fiona Hallinan and composer Alex Synge, the tour is accompanied by an original map and comprises a score and original text written for the Scilly walk. Kinsale Historical Walks with Dermot Ryan leaves daily at 10.30am and 3pm from the Tourist Office. Also, during the weekend, children and adults will be invited to come to the Methodist Church in the town to make a page for “The Clipper Adventure Book”.

Friday, July 2nd, will see the Kinsale Clipper Burrells. A Burrell is an evening of music in different venues, where, instead of the audience travelling to see different acts in different venues, the acts come to each venue in turn.

The Finale of what promises to a fun-filled weekend with free entertainment for everyone, on Sunday 4th July, will be the Kinsale Clipper Parade where the streets of Kinsale will be transformed into the mighty trade routes. 

On Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th July come and see the Clipper Yachts at the Kinsale Yacht Club marina then, on Wednesday 7th July, 11am gather on Pier Road to wish farewell to the Clipper Fleet as they parade to Cork city for a three-day festival there.

There will be PARK & RIDE system in operation for the weekend, for information, pick up a traffic information leaflet at Kinsale Tourist Office or visit www.corkcoco.ie <http://www.corkcoco.ie> 

At 1615 local time (1915 GMT) Cork, Ireland, crossed the start line at Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club to begin the 2,075 mile race to Kinsale. The team, led by Hannah Jenner, has 48 hours to build the biggest possible lead before the fleet of nine Clipper 68s starts to hunt them down. For the first time in the Clipper round the world yacht  Race’s history this will be a pursuit race after the original Clipper 68 was lost when Cork hit a submerged reef in the Java Sea last January.

Race start for Cork followed the usual procedure and crews from the nine remaining boats lined the rails of their yachts to cheer their friends out to sea. A team from the Fortress of Louisbourg primed their 8lb replica cannon and, after the ten and four and one-minute preparation signals, fired it to unleash the yacht towards the waiting ocean.

The Challenge 67 that the team is now sailing is slightly shorter and also heavier, so the fleet is racing under IRC handicap rules. For Race 12 that handicap is being applied up front, hence their departure from Cape Breton Island today, rather than with the rest of the fleet on Saturday afternoon.

Irish crew member Kevin Austen shared his thoughts prior to the boat departing, saying, “This Atlantic crossing is a nice big carrot at the end of the stick and we are looking forward to pushing her hard and bringing her home. The concept of the pursuit race is really interesting; the next 48 hours will be pedal to the metal, keep her moving to get as much space between us and the pursuers. The weather gods have not been on our side in the last couple of races but we have already shown that we can be competitive. We are hoping to show that properly now and push fast and hard across the last great ocean crossing of this race.”

The others are really looking forward to the moment the team makes landfall on the other side of the Atlantic, including County Kerry resident, Jacqui Browne. 

“When I see Ireland for the first time, you will probably never see such a big smile, ever, on a person’s face,” she says. “I’ll have the biggest grin I have ever worn! Even this morning, seeing the routing chart and seeing the straight line across the Atlantic, it makes home feel very close.”

Before they slipped their mooring lines, the team was invited to a send-off reception at which Burton MacIntyre, a local step dance teacher who will be coming to the stopover in Kinsale and Cork with the Cape Breton Island delegation, put the crew through their paces. For many of the team arriving in Ireland will mark their return home after almost a year away and a quick brush up on their dancing skills in readiness for a huge party in Kinsale was deemed essential. Burton promised to be on the quay side to greet the team when they arrive after the final major ocean crossing of the Clipper 09-10 Race. 

He won’t be alone – the Cork crew members already have big plans for celebrating their homecoming and supporters will be there in large numbers. 

Kevin says, “My mother has a few plans for Cork but it’s easier getting a line up for a music festival early on as it is to get the plans out of my Mum! I have heard talk of a big barbecue. They will all be in Kinsale; my friends – the two Tims, Luke and Neil and all of my mates will be down. They’ve rented a house in Kinsale and it should be a massive big party.”

Jacqui will also have a sizeable group of supporters waiting to cheer her in as she arrives home. “It will be really emotional but for now it’s excitement at the anticipation of seeing friends and family that I know will be waiting at the quayside and I’m really looking forward to seeing them and hearing them screaming and roaring out my name. I would expect at least 50 to 60 people that I know will be there – people from Cork and Kerry plus many of the Cork crew who have sailed on previous legs. It’s going to be one big happy party.

“I am particularly proud of this boat because I went out to Antigua to collect her and work on her and now I’m bringing her home to Cork. That has always been our huge ambition, as the Cork team, to bring her in to Cork – hopefully in first place.”

Skipper Hannah Jenner knows she has the team that can do that, and that starting ahead of the rest of the pack could give them a slight psychological edge. 

“It really depends on what happens with the weather because the first 24 hours are going to be quite difficult,” she explains. “It looks like potentially there’s going to be light winds from a lot of different directions so it’ll either be good for us going out there, getting into reasonable wind and knowing we’re getting ahead or its going to be a really stressful night as we go slowly and nervously look at the clock as it counts down to the time when the others start. So, fingers crossed for the good wind and good boat speed and we’ve just got to keep it. 

“The boat’s fine in heavy airs and we’re competitive under the handicap in heavy airs but if the wind drops under 15 knots it becomes a nervous time for us. So we’re hoping for that breeze that keeps us ahead and that we can get far enough ahead and into new breeze that’s due to fill in around the time the rest of the guys start so that we can keep moving when they’re moving.”

The other nine yachts of the Clipper fleet will leave Sydney, Cape Breton Island, on Saturday 19 June and they and Cork are due to arrive in Kinsale between 1 and 4 July for an eight day festival there and in Cork City. For more information on the festival programme, visit www.corkclipperfestival.com.

Aerial footage of Cork Harbour below.

To celebrate the arrival of the Clipper Round the World Race to Ireland, Kinsale Arts Week has invited each of the countries participating in the Yacht Race to select an artist to represent them at an exhibition. The Clipper Round the World Race is expected to arrive in Kinsale, Co. Cork from 2nd - 7th July, when the town will host the Kinsale Clipper Carnival.

The selected works will be showcased as part of an exhibition titled “Stopover” at the Art Hub at the Mill, opposite St. Multose Church. This is the first Exhibition at the building, which has been beautifully, and sensitively, renovated by Kinsale Town Council and Cork County Council, and will be a permanent legacy of the Carnival.

“Stopover” is intended to create a cultural dialogue between the participating countries as well as promoting the diverse cultures in an event that reflects the global scale of the Clipper Race itself. The exhibition is free and is open daily, from Saturday 3rd to Sunday 18th July, from 10am to 6pm.

Other highlights of the Carnival Weekend include “Ebb-Tide-Flow” an audio-guided walk on mp3 players. Designed by artist Fiona Hallinan and composer Alex Synge, the tour is accompanied by an original map and comprises a score and original text written for the Scilly walk. Also during the weekend children and adults will be invited to come to the Methodist Church in the town to make a page for “The Clipper Adventure Book”. The book will follow the journey of the Clippers around the world and will then be exhibited for the year at the local library.

One of the centrepieces of the Carnival Weekend will be Live Music at the Square with local, national and international acts throughout Saturday and Sunday featuring artists such as Ian Whitty and The Exchange; Aaron Dillon and Band; Novella Hermosa and Txutxukan.

Friday, July 2nd, will see the Kinsale Clipper Burrells. A Burrell is an evening of music in different venues, where instead of the audience travelling to see different acts in different venues, the acts come to each venue in turn. There will also be Kinsale Historical Walks with Dermot Ryan daily at 10.30am and 3pm from the Tourist Office.

The culmination of the weekend, on Sunday 4th July, will be the Kinsale Clipper Parade where the streets of Kinsale will be transformed into the mighty trade routes - from Asia to Europe - that the Clippers of old sailed along. The Kinsale Clipper Carnival is sponsored by Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Fáilte Ireland.

For more details on the exhibition or the Clipper race visit www.kinsaleartsweek.com or www.corkclipperfestival.com 

Photographer Bob Bateman has added new images to the Afloat gallery from the Round Britain and Ireland race that departed Kinsale this week. The images are here.

Race 10 is already over for Cork. Concerned that they would not reach New York in time to be ready for the next race to Cape Breton Island, yesterday evening the Race Committee offered the Irish team tenth place. Skipper Hannah Jenner and her crew have accepted it and are now motoring towards North Cove Marina on Manhattan Island.

 

"Spirits are as high as they can be and that is testament to a bloody good team.  I think if we all had the choice we would turn right now and head straight for Cork," she says.

Cork, a steel-hulled Challenge 67, is a much heavier boat than the Clipper 68s and will do well in tougher, upwind conditions as we saw on the race to Jamaica where, on corrected time under the IRC rating system, the team finished in a creditable eighth place in their first

race back together on their new boat.

However, the very light conditions the crew has been experiencing over the last few days have pinned them frustratingly just to the north of the Bahamas, much as California was held prisoner in the Doldrums during Race 2. The Race Committee made their offer in order to allow Cork's resilient crew to reach New York in time to prepare themselves for Race 11.

Hannah says, "I think all of us are gonna need quite a few beers when we get in! I am very lucky to have a crew with such a good attitude or this would be a very difficult situation."

Meanwhile, the race goes on for the team that knows only too well from the early stages of Clipper 09-10 round the world yacht race what if feels like to be frustrated at every turn by the lightest of airs.

California, along with Jamaica Lightning Bolt and Team Finland, is now making good speed towards the Big Apple and skipper Pete Rollason says, "The crew on board California have realised for some while that we are battling for the minor places in Race 10 but battle we will.

Congratulations to Cape Breton Island, Uniquely Singapore and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital for getting the Scoring Gate points. It has been a great race to watch from our position as the leaders fight it out in some very close racing so I am sure everyone watching the race viewer on the website will be on the edge of their seats with chewed nails wondering who will take the honours into New York.

The Clipper Round the World yacht Race will arrive in Kinsale and Cork City for an 8 day festival from 02-09 July 2010. 

In Kinsale, an exciting array of entertainment is planned including local and national circus acts and musicians, food and craft markets and live music at Kinsale Square which will feature Aaron Dillon and Band, Ian Whitty and The Exchange and a Cork and Cape Breton outdoor Ceili! 

On Wednesday 07 July the fleet will make its way in a parade of sail to Cork City. To celebrate the Cork Clipper’s homecoming in style Albert Quay beside the Custom House will be transformed into a Race Village for three days from 10am to 10pm daily with food, drinks and crafts stalls and a large stage for musical acts such as Cork favourites John Spillane and Fred.