Clipper 2002 - 4th Clipper round the world race zurück Datum: 26. Oct 2002 22:05 UNDER STARTER’S ORDERS CLIPPER 2002 ROUND THE WORLD YACHT RACE Saturday 26 October, LIVERPOOL, UK: The Clipper 2002 Round The World Yacht Race, the world’s longest circumnavigation, starts tomorrow, Sunday, 27 October from Liverpool. Liverpool's River Mersey and Albert Dock are alive with a festival of music, street theatre and air displays for the start of the highly popular Clipper 2002 Race. The gruelling 35,000-mile race will get underway at 14:00 GMT, with a 10-minute countdown leading up to the big event, which will be started by 14-year-old Francesca D'arcy, a city council competition winner. The city council organised festivities will begin at 10am as thousands are expected to line the river for the all day celebrations. Crowds will be wowed by acts such as scurvy pirates, ancient mariners and the Giant Beatles, a tribute band to the fab four on stilts! The eight Clipper racing yachts, representing Liverpool, London, _blank York, Bristol, Glasgow, Jersey, Cape Town and Hong Kong, have been on public display since their arrival on Saturday, October 19. They will be the star attractions at the Albert Dock, before they make their way into the Canning Dock from 11am. Hundreds of children from Merseyside will also perform a specially recorded farewell song to the Clipper 2002 Round the World fleet. Five choirs from across Merseyside will take part in a mass performance of the _blank song ''Liverpool Bids Farewell'' before the start of the world's longest yacht race tomorrow. And at 12.10pm all eyes will turn from the seas to the skies, as the crowds will be treated to a 20-minute spectacular aerobatics display by Yakelov aircraft. The Russian military training aircraft, which date back to the 1940's, will be swooping over the Pier head and Albert Dock and will make a second fly past less than an hour later at 1.25pm during the flotilla’s pre-race procession. Once the air display ends the river will then come alive as the Clippers, led by defending race champions Bristol, slip into the Mersey from 12.30 to 1pm, to be joined by a 100 strong flotilla headed by HMS Sheffield, the race ’s guard ship. The broad sword Class Frigate will lead a flotilla formation flanked by HMS Biter and Charger, training vessels for Liverpool and Manchester University. The spectacular sail past and gun salute will take place within a stone’s throw of the Royal Liver Building. And as a treat to those lining the Mersey, the yachts will race up and down the river three times before heading out into the Irish Sea for the Cascais Stopover in Portugal and eventually Cuba on the first of the six race legs. Councillor Warren Bradley, Executive Member for Leisure and Culture, said: ''The Clipper Race will be one of the biggest sporting occasions this city has seen for some time. A lot of hard work has gone into making the day one to remember and the programme of events looks fantastic. Hosting events such as the Clipper Race are a major part of our strategy to expand River based activities. As a city bidding to be European Capital of Culture in 2008 our river is a major asset and to be the first port outside the south coast to host this race is a big coup.'' Race Director, Colin de Mowbray, said vessels of all sizes are welcome to join the flotilla. He added: ''We already have HMS Sheffield, Charger and Biter, The Royal Marines, the Mersey ferries and 100 other vessels so it's going to be a spectacular sight on the waterfront, but the more the merrier. The River Mersey has a huge capacity to have hundreds of vessels to wave the Clippers off, so anyone with a vessel is welcome to join in the fun.'' Those who join the flotilla will follow the yachts to Brazil! No, not the South American country but the Brazil Buoy, out in the Mersey estuary. The vessels involved will be presented with a commemorative flag, saying ''We sailed to Brazil.'' ENDS KEY RACE EVENTS: 10.55am - Liverpool Clipper laps Albert Basin before slipping in to Canning Half Tide Dock 12.30 - 12.40pm - Bristol Clipper slips and passes into River Mersey 1.01pm - Liverpool Clipper sails on to Mersey. 1.15pm - Formation sail past from Liverpool Marina to Princes Dock. 1.40 - 1.55pm - River Display by Royal Marines 1.50pm - 10 minute gun 2pm - Official Race Start Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE