After a massive high pressure system and the associated light winds held five of the yachts captive in the Southern Ocean, the Race Committee reluctantly issued a 'shorten course' instruction to the teams at the back of the fleet and finished the race for Derry-Londonderry, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Qingdao, Welcome to Yorkshire and Singapore at 1800 UTC on Sunday 30 October.
Irish supporters follow Derry into port at Geraldton
Derry-Londonderry arrived in port shortly after 1515 local time this afternoon (0715 UTC).
Describing conditions in the Southern Ocean, Mark Light, skipper of the yacht representing the UK City of Culture 2013, said, "It was very big, cold, wet and everything we thought it would be and it was such a challenge; it was incredible to cross it for the first time. We're standing here after such a long time at sea and so many challenges and that is pretty special.
"We had quite a lot of damage on this trip including a spinnaker pole that ripped a little bit of track off the mast and punctured the mainsail, which was the biggest thing for us. We had to have one reef in our main, so we were underpowered for much of the race. It was dangerous at the time – it happened at three o'clock in the morning and took more than an hour to solve, but we got over it."
Paying tribute to his crew, the Isle of Wight-based yachtsman, said, "The crew did fantastically well. Some of the conditions on deck were pretty harsh at times and we had some pretty severe sail changes. They did very well, stuck at it and I'm proud of them."
On board the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts, each sponsored by a city, state, country or corporation around the world, are people like you – crew members from all walks of life, aged between 18 and 72 who between them represent more than 40 nationalities. Each one of them has put their everyday life on hold to take part in a unique challenge of a lifetime: racing across the world's oceans.
Michelle McCann, from Greencastle, Co Donegal, is putting her life as a teacher on hold to take part in the event as a round the world crew member.
Arriving in Geraldton she said, "It was a really enjoyable experience. The weather was really bad at the start and it was frightening but it was an exhilarating and thrilling experience and it was a highlight in a strange way!
"The worst thing that happened was when the spinnaker track came off the mast and tore into a rip about six feet (two metres) long into the mainsail. We were limping along really for most of the race and it's hard to work around that.
"We're pretty pleased though. Eighth doesn't really sound much but it was good considering what happened, so we're pleased enough."
Race 4 was won by Gold Coast Australia who scored their fourth consecutive victory of the competition and De Lage Landen also notched up their best result to date, finishing in second place. Earlier in the day, in a race to the line befitting Melbourne Cup Day in Australia, New York beat Visit Finland to third place by just 21 minutes.
The arrival of Derry-Londonderry in Geraldton marks the end of a gruelling, four-week, 4,800-mile (7,680-kilometre) race across one of the planet's most feared and forbidding expanses of ocean during which they had to dodge icebergs and had to deal with mountainous waves whipped up by winds of up to 70 knots, as well as combat the frustrations of being becalmed for long periods.
As soon as the crews had completed the customs and immigration formalities they were treated to cold beers and a good Aussie barbecue at Geraldton Yacht Club.
The entire community has come together to make the stopover possible and on Monday evening at an awards ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, the City of Greater Geraldton won first prize for Community Participation and Empowerment at the United Nations-backed Liveable Communities Awards as well as a Silver Award in the Whole City category.
Councillor Bob Hall, deputising for the Mayor, who is returning from Seoul after collecting the city's award, commented, "The Clipper Race puts us on the world map for a place of sailing and waterborne activities as well as opening up the world's eyes to what a beautiful place we've got here. We're very privileged to get our boat in this race and to show our hallmark right across the world.
"It also gives businesses here some new markets and some new dollars into the community, so it's a big boost on our economy. As to measuring the tangible dollars and cents, I don't think you can do that; I think it's the human capital, the well-being, the messages that leave here with the people who crew the boats – that's what sells the place abroad and makes people want to come here and see it."
The yachts will spend the rest of the week in Geraldton before setting sail for Tauranga in New Zealand. It is a much anticipated return visit to the West Australian port that became an instant hit with the crews when the city hosted its inaugural stopover during the last edition of the event, Clipper 09-10.
During the stopover the crews will visit the beautiful Abrolhos Islands and pay their respects in a wreath laying ceremony at the HMAS Sydney Memorial where the new reflection pool is due to be officially dedicated next month. This afternoon the teams paraded along the Foreshore ahead of the official welcome and, during a weekend of public entertainment, music and international food stalls, just before the start of the next stage of the race, on Sunday 6 November, there will be a stunning Parade of Sail which will featuring all ten yachts in formation.
In addition to the packed programme for the crew, team sponsors will be travelling to Geraldton to host events for their clients and partners. The delegation will be part of a larger international trade opportunity created by the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race which will make a significant economic impact, not just by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the City of Greater Geraldton and but also by introducing its destination and trade sponsors to Australia's Mid West region with longer term business building potential for local companies. The Clipper Race provides its sponsors with access to 15 markets on six continents during the 12 months of the 40,000-mile race.
Race 5 from Geraldton to Tauranga, New Zealand, will begin on Sunday 6 November.
