At 1941 EST (2341 GMT) on the 7th of June the Clipper fleet started race 12 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race from New York to Halifax. Gold Coast Australia started on the northern end of the line and sprang off the mark like a coiled spring.
Ten minutes after the start Gold Coast Australia hoisted their medium weight spinnaker along with most of the fleet, and after a short tussle with Singapore we began to lead the pack towards the first virtual mark on the south east corner of the Traffic Separation Scheme.
A beautiful sun set over the rest of the fleet as we watched them astern of us as we broke into watches and half the crew went below to try to get some sleep after the excitement of the start.
It is estimated that it will take us a little over 4 days to race to Halifax, our time expected to be some what determined by the light airs that are expected throughout tonight.
