Time Penalty For Conall Morrison’s Clipper Race Boat After Race 6 Exclusion Zone Breach

20th January 2018

Credit: Clipper Ventures

#ClipperRace - Conall Morrison’s HotelPlanner.com has retrospectively been given a six-hour time penalty for breaching the two-nautical-mile exclusion zone as stated in the Clipper Race course instructions for Race 6.

At 11.30am Irish time/UTC on Tuesday 16 January, HotelPlanner.com breached the exclusion zone by passing within 1.75nm of Snare Rocks off the coast of Mackay, south of the Whitsundays.

A full declaration of the breach was made by the skipper on the official Post-Race Declaration document and handed to the Race Office upon arrival in the Whitsundays. This information was subsequently put forward to the Clipper Race Committee, who was unanimous in its decision to retrospectively apply the six-hour time penalty.

Clipper Race director Mark Light says: “Full credit must go to the skipper and team of HotelPanner.com for acknowledging and declaring the breach, but in the interests of safety and fair play, the application of the time penalty is absolutely the correct decision.”

The net result of the time penalty means that HotelPlanner.com will now be recorded as finishing in 11th and last position at 15:06:16 local time (05:06:16 UTC) on Wednesday 17 January. The result also means Nasdaq changes to 10th position for Race 6 in the overall standings.

Earlier this week, Sanya Serenity Coast also received a six-hour penalty for crossing within 2nm of Waddy Point on Fraser Island, bumping it down to seventh place despite being the third boat to cross the line.

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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About the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is undoubtedly one of the greatest ocean adventures on the planet, also regarded as one of its toughest endurance challenges. Taking almost a year to complete, it consists of eleven teams competing against each other on the world’s largest matched fleet of 70-foot ocean racing yachts.

The Clipper Race was established in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in 1968-69. His aim was to allow anyone, regardless of previous sailing experience, the chance to embrace the thrill of ocean racing; it is the only event of its kind for amateur sailors. Around 40 per cent of crew are novices and have never sailed before starting a comprehensive training programme ahead of their adventure.

This unique challenge brings together everyone from chief executives to train drivers, nurses and firefighters, farmers, airline pilots and students, from age 18 upwards, to take on Mother Nature’s toughest and most remote conditions. There is no upper age limit, the oldest competitor to date is 76.

Now in its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race started from London, UK, on 02 September 2019.