CLIPPER 2002 RACE REPORT
Virgin Islands but not virgin sailors!
2, December 2002

As the Clipper fleet pass to the north of the Virgin Islands, it is worth
reflecting on the background and experience of the crews on board. Men and
women of different ages from all walks of life, many of whom were sailing
novices prior to their Clipper training. All have one thing in common
though - the desire to do something different, to take part in an event that
they will look back on for the rest of their lives. As they approach the
Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos, the Clipper crews can justly
feel proud to have passed a major milestone and completed their first ocean
crossing.

The racing reindexs tight. The wind has freshened somewhat throughout the
fleet and the weather has cleared. There is a steady force 4 with fewer
squalls and all the teams have been making respectable speeds.

_blank York's lead reindexs good, whilst further to the south east London and
Bristol reindex close. Bristol Clipper has retained the edge after a weekend
of battling with Chris Hazeldene's London crew, with duty skipper Richard
Butler reporting good downwind sailing in truly tropical heat.

Race one winner, Hong Kong Clipper, is also now well placed to join the
fray. Although nearly 100 miles to the north, their distance to go is just
2.6 miles more than London. As they are out on a wing, experiencing
potentially different conditions, they could well be a strong contender to
overtake both London and Bristol.

Jersey Clipper's position in 5th seems reasonably static at the moment, but
behind them Liverpool and Glasgow continue to joust with just 3 miles in
Liverpool's favour and both still have Cape Town persistently snapping at
their heels.

Sadly over the next few days the wind is forecast to go very light in deed,
initially staying in the south east before swinging round to the north east
off the Cuban coast. In these light winds the boats that have to sail dead
down wind will be at a distinct disadvantage whilst _blank York and Hong Kong
will at least have the breeze slightly off to one side so giving them some
power, though eventually they too will have no choice but to turn north west
to avoid making an unscheduled stop on a Caribbean beach!


LATEST POSITIONS
04:00, 2 December 2002

Pos    Yacht       Distance to Finish
1    _blank York    884.5
2    Bristol    1025.6
3    London    1040.9
4    Hong Kong    1043.5
5    Jersey    1076.4
6    Liverpool    1118
7    Glasgow    1122
8    Cape Town    1151.5

Clipper _blanks Distribution
Clipper Ventures Plc
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