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In a scorching race from Fremantle to Singapore – both in terms of extremely close racing and the temperatures the crews have had to deal with – westernaustralia2011.com’s third place result keeps the heat on their competitors and maintains their chances of retaining the Clipper Trophy.

Clipper 07-08 is rapidly turning into an incredibly tight contest keeping race followers on the edge of their seats. westernaustralia2011.com finished just 55 minutes behind second placed Liverpool 08 crossing the finish line off Singapore at 1917 GMT (0217 Tuesday 15 January local time.)

Beating off fierce competition from Liverpool 08, winners New York maintained their narrow lead over the English entry to finish at 2112 local time (1412 GMT). Liverpool 08 finished four hours and ten minutes later at 1822 GMT (0122 Tuesday 15 January local time).

The lead in the 2430-mile race, which started in Fremantle on New Year’s Day, changed numerous times as the skippers and crews of the ten internationally-backed yachts battled it out on arguably the most tactically challenging of the 14 individual contests that make up Clipper 07-08 Race. Several of the yachts have been within sight of each other during the race in which they have weaved their way through islands, dodged floating hazards and fishing nets, adding to the tension and forcing the crews to maintain their concentration.

Following a traditional Indonesian welcome, skipper of the Western Australian yacht, Martin Silk, said it proved their performance on Leg 3 was no fluke. “Definitely not, we’ve worked very hard for this and we’re focussing on our aim of finishing in a top five position in every race.”

The result will keep alive their chances of retaining their title. “I don’t know whether we’ll keep the Clipper Trophy,” said Martin, “But I am confident we’re going to maintain this standard and finish well in July.”

Coping with the soaring heat and wringing as much boat speed as they could from the light winds that have dogged them for the last half of the race has been exhausting for those on board. Race Director Joff Bailey said, “This is perhaps the most difficult race for the Clipper crews. The weather conditions mean there are lots of tactical decisions to be made, particularly transiting the Monsoon trough where, like the Doldrums, very light airs combine with tropical squalls. The number of sail changes this entails in temperatures in the forties and high levels of humidity is physically exhausting and the rate of progress mentally draining for everyone.”

The westernaustralia2011.com crew will have plenty of time to get on with the task of deep cleaning their yacht, beginning their routine maintenance and enjoying some well-earned rest while they wait for their competitors to join them in Nongsa Point Marina. The marina on Batam, one of the Riau Islands of Indonesia, is where the whole Clipper fleet will muster ahead of the coordinated arrival in Singapore on Saturday 19 January.

The fleet’s arrival in Singapore will be part of the glittering opening ceremony for the new Marina at Keppel Bay. During the stopover in Singapore they will be berthed at the new multi-million dollar facility, the centre-piece of Keppel Bay’s premier waterfront precinct – the only residential development in Singapore to have its own world-class marina on its own private five-hectare island. It is owned by Keppel Corporation which sponsors Uniquely Singapore with Singapore Tourism Board as Race Partner.

Keppel Corporation’s Group Corporate Communications General Manager, Ms Look Fung Wang said, “When the Clippers make their Singapore stopover they will be hosted at the spanking new Marina at Keppel Bay.

“The Clipper yachts will add colour and vibrance to this new premier waterfront lifestyle hub, fast taking shape in Singapore’s southern coast of which Keppel Bay is an integral part. We believe this will help showcase Singapore as the Asian destination in which to live, work and play and promote Singapore as a leading boating destination in Asia.”

New York’s victory, which is subject to confirmation once all the skippers have made their declarations, is likely to push them up the leaderboard and open up the competition. With another nine races to contest in Clipper 07-08 there is no runaway leader at this stage. Followers of the Clipper Races will remember the final podium positions of Clipper 05-06 were only settled on the very last sprint into Liverpool after 35,000 miles of ocean racing.

Berths for the next race, Clipper 09-10, are now available. For more information on applying to become a crew member, contact Clipper Ventures on +44 (0)2392 526000 or email oceanracer@clipperroundtheworld.com.