CLIPPER RACE – LEG 1: RACE 1: – PORTSMOUTH TO PUERTO SHERRY – 14 SEPT 2025

Direct from our Marlow Ambassador: JT onboard Team Warrant

Leg 1

Leg 1: The Atlantic Trade Winds is a long transit to Punta del Este in Uruguay, and for the second time the Clipper Race management team have broken it up with a stopover here in this pretty marina on the Southern coast of Spain. 

The pro and race crew sometimes refer to this stage as Level 5 of our training and it is easy to understand why. 

Our 10 day journey, which should have been 6-8 days under typical prevailing weather conditions has been a bit of a shakedown for the boats and the crew, some of whom may also have completed their Level 4 training several months ago.

The Battle over Biscay in this Race Edition was undeniably tough for everyone. In that period we encountered not one, but three depressions coming through the North Atlantic, and what could have been a shorter and more comfortable downwind trip became a much more challenging, and tactical, upwind beat for most of the time.

Scoring Points

Each Clipper stage or race features opportunities to score points in addition to those that are awarded for our arrival positions. 

We have Scoring Gates which sit off the rhumb line offering up to an additional 3 points for the first 3 boats through plus an Ocean Sprint (which in reality was a 180 NM distance across three latitudes) with a further potential 3 points for the fastest boats through. In total this means a maximum possible score of 16 on the race. 

The stage results are in and some of the 10 race teams have a healthy start on the scoreboard already.
Team Scotland (Skipper Heather Thomas and First Mate Millie Apperley) placed first having led for much of the stage and collected the full 10 points, while Team Power of Seattle Sports, (Skipper Angela Brandsma and First Mate Amy Smith) placed third but also picked up 3 points at the scoring gate giving them a total of 11 points. Team GOSH / Great Ormond Street Hospital (Skipper Oli Irvine and First Mate Otto Kulow) finished second at the line but secured 2 points at the scoring gate and 3 in the sprint, putting them in the lead on the overall standings with a score of 14.

Different Strategies

Watching back on the race tracker, we can see some of the different tactical strategies chosen by the teams, and whether they paid off. Leaving the English Channel and approaching the first front, some of the teams chose to push further west while others ducked deeper in to the Bay of Biscay ahead of the weather and towards the scoring gate.

My own boat, Team Warrant (Skipper Dylan Kotze and First Mate Jade Golder), was beset with technical issues, principally a broken mast track which caused a minor tear in our main sail and left us on reef 3 from Day 3, was the last to arrive in Puerto Sherry. Despite the setback, the crew have bonded well and demonstrated a high level of competence teamwork and support for each other and morale remains high. 

We have spent the past 4 days undertaking repairs, up and down the mast on our halyards, as well as deep cleaning and re-stocking our boats. 

We are now preparing for Stage 2, the Yacht Club Punta del Este Cup, which will start later this afternoon and take us some 5,300 NM across to Uruguay.

It is an exciting, long leg that should present a significant amount of downwind sailing, but we will also encounter the doldrums (where we have an allocation of 60 hours motoring at 6 knots within a preset geographical window) and an equator crossing. Crew are excited about the prospect of turning from pollywogs to shell backs, if a little nervous about what the crossing ceremonies might entail.

Exploring Puerto Sherry and onwards

Puerto Sherry has been a fabulous and supportive host, with prizegivings and events at the excellent hotel terrace overlooking the marina, as well as local activities and events to explore the region and its history. Teams have had the opportunity to explore the old town of Cadiz and enjoy its rich heritage as well as sampling much of the local tapas! It has been a welcome break, a chance for the crew to connect and get to know each other better off the boat, as well as to reset and prepare for the next stage. 

  
On the morning of race day, the final jobs are being finished off, and we will have a short parade of sail along the waterfront, before making our turn back out in to the Atlantic Ocean for our next adventure!

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