Betreff: Clipper 2002 Race Report
Absender: "Clipper _blanks" 
Empfänger: 
Datum: 13. Jan 2003 11:55

Clipper 2002 Race Report
13 January 2003

HOW CLOSE?

Day three of the race to Hawaii and Jersey Clipper is already looking in a
strong position. After a good start, the Channel Islanders rapidly took the
lead and seem determined to hold it - but they are not being given an easy
ride!

_blank York Clipper seems intent on sticking to Jersey’s shadow and has moved
up into second place as a result. Skippers Simon Rowell and Sam Fuller may
be old friends, but this seems only to be heightening the rivalry between
the two teams.

Just a few miles to the south, the competition reindexs close with 5 boats
within a few miles of one another. London Clipper has Glasgow well covered,
but Bristol is another matter. Her position 3 miles to the south means that
in terms of distance to go she is only a fraction of a mile behind London,
with a clear view in front of her. Even a tiny differential in speed could
make a marked difference here and the slightest error aboard London Clipper
could well see the Bristolians move ahead.

The same can be said for Liverpool and Hong Kong, who seem to be treating
this like an inshore match race and are close enough to trade jokes. If this
keeps up, the crews are in for some very intense racing over the next few
weeks.

Less fortunate are those aboard Cape Town Clipper, who with the lowest days
run are paying dearly for the damage they did to their medium weight
spinnaker on the way to the Galapagos Islands.

The boats all carry three spinnakers; for light winds, medium winds and
strong winds and although there is a cross over, the All Purpose (AP)
Spinnaker, is the real workhorse and would be the sail of choice given the
current conditions. Cape Town’s crew will be working round the clock to try
and repair it. Hawaii is still a long way away!

The Clipper Race is a one-design fleet race. The boats are identically
matched and all carry the same equipment, sails etc. This means that results
are based on a team’s ability rather than their budget. indextaining the kit
is a major part of any ocean race, especially one that sees the boats
sailing over 35,000 miles. If the Cape Town crew are unable to repair their
spinnaker they can request a replacement but this will incur a points
penalty, something they will be keen to avoid. Hence their sewing machine
will be working overtime at the moment!

LATEST POSITIONS
04:00, 13 January 2003

Pos    Yacht       Distance to Finish
1    Jersey       3695.97 (nautical miles)
2    _blank York    3711.86
3    London       3714.62
4    Bristol       3714.96
5    Glasgow    3719.58
6    Liverpool    3720.83
7    Hong Kong    3721.74
8    Cape Town    3732.91

Clipper _blanks Distribution
Clipper Ventures Plc
Tel: +44 (0) 2380 237088
Fax: +44 (0) 2380 237081
Email: distribution@clipper-ventures.com
Website: www.clipper-ventures.com