www.Sail-Search.com: The penultimate race of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race series got underway yesterday with the fleet of ten internationally-backed yachts setting off on their final ocean crossing from Sydney, Nova Scotia, at 1300 local time (1600 GMT).

It was an anxious start to the morning for the Race Team as the Clipper crews woke to a light breeze but, as the morning progressed, the wind filled in and by the time the yachts slipped their moorings at the Sydney Marine Terminal at midday it had strengthened to ten knots to allow a spectacular start in beautiful conditions in the harbour.

Ricky Chalmers, skipper of Durban 2010 and Beyond, the first boat over the Race 13 start line, says, “What a fantastic, exhilarating start to the race, It has really pumped up the crew for the race across the Atlantic to Cork, and was hopefully as spectacular and exciting for those watching as it was for us on the water.”

The exciting race start was followed by some close tactical racing as the teams headed out to sea, not least between Hull & Humber and Jamaica who have both made a beeline for the safety turning mark at the bottom of Newfoundland.

Skipper of Jmaica, Simon Bradley, says, “An exciting duel with Hull & Humber has been unfolding as the two of us slowly pulled ahead of the other eight teams. At one point we were close enough to have a conversation without raising our voices, not that we spoke to each other as we concentrated on trimming our spinnakers. This close quarters action has continued into the night illuminated by an almost full moon and a sky full of stars.”

The tactical moves made by the teams in the next day or so will affect the final outcome of this race. The big question, as in most ocean racing, is do you go for the shortest number of miles, or do you sail more miles to try and get into better winds?

Opting for the latter tactic and searching for a better wind angle by heading south is westernaustralia2011.com whose recent return to form makes them a team to watch over the course of this final Atlantic crossing. Skipper of the WA team, Martin Silk, says, “As we strike out on a limb to the south, spinnaker flying by moonlight, this race is feeling good; crossing the start line we initially led the fleet until the wind eased, then lost a little before changing sails. Then we managed to snag a lobster pot and Clive (Frost) had to go for a swim and clear it from the rudder stock. This put us a good mile behind the fleet but somehow we managed to get everything trimmed right and soared up to the front again. As the last navigation light vanishes to port, we hope our bad luck is over for this race and the Grand Banks will be kind tomorrow.”

With a low pressure system due to come off of the North American coast in the next couple of days the skippers and tacticians onboard will be looking over their shoulders and trying to position themselves in the best place to get most advantage out of whatever it brings.

Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, “Any teams that move south early should get a better wind angle when the low pressure system arrives but at what cost in the short term? Going for the direct route will give some short term gains but when the low pressure system arrives you may find yourself with strong headwinds. In the short term the teams are having a great sail in moderate conditions but the forecast for later today is for fog and very light winds.”

POSITIONS AT 1200 GMT, 17 MARCH 2008

1. Uniquely Singapore: Distance to Finish (DTF) 1952
2. Liverpool 08: DTF 1952
3. Nova Scotia: DTF 1952
4. New York: DTF 1954
5. Durban 2010 and Beyond: DTF 1955
6. westernaustralia2011.com: DTF 1955
7. Hull & Humber: DTF 1955
8. Jamaica: DTF 1955
9. Qingdao: DTF 1955
10. Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper: DTF 1957