Betreff: Clipper 2002 Race Report
Absender: "Clipper _blanks" 
Empfänger: 
Datum: 14. Jan 2003 11:33

Clipper 2002 Race Report
14 January 2003

CLOUDY SKIES AND COLD CURRENTS

Tactics throughout the Clipper fleet are virtually identical at the moment
as the boats zigzag between north and west, each trying to get one up on
their nearest competitor.

Hong Kong has made the most dramatic move swinging hard to the north and has
lost out on the distance to finish as a result. However skipper Justin
Taylor will be playing a longer game and there is a certain logic in doing
something different to the rest of the pack. As Bristol skipper Richard
Butler says, "What really matters now though is the strength of the wind and
the Equatorial current where each of the boats is." There is little to be
gained by just following in another's wake.

At the moment it is certainly Jersey Clipper's wake that leads tantalisingly
into the distance. With the highest day's run yet again Simon Rowell and his
crew really have that boat in the groove. A few miles behind things reindex
close, with London, Bristol and _blank York almost parallel to each other and
Glasgow and Liverpool reindexing very close friends.

The wind direction has been pretty constant from the south southeast and
varying in strength from force 2 to 4. It has apparently been mostly
overcast but with a few sunny intervals. In fact it is often a surprise to
people with visions of swaying palm trees and bright blue skies that this
part of the Pacific can be fairly dull at this time of year. Clouds and
associated showers are common and it is surprisingly cool for the Equator,
due partly to the band of low pressure associated with the ITCZ and the
Equatorial current.

Ocean currents are funny things, pushing large volumes of water from one
part of the world to another. The current that surrounds the warm Galapagos
is therefore cold water from the Antarctic and, as this then swings to the
west driven by the trade winds and the earth's rotation, it forms the
Equatorial current that the boats are feeling now.

Running at up to a knot and a half in their favour, this is of great benefit
to the Clipper fleet, but its strength does vary and each team will be
hoping to benefit more than the rest. There is a certain degree of luck
involved in this as it can be quite patchy, but as it is a cold water
current, regular readings of the seawater temperature can give a good
indication when combined with the speed over the ground reading from the
GPS. If the water is cold and the boat is moving faster than its speed
through the water would indicate, you have hit the jackpot!

LATEST POSITIONS
04:00, 13 January 2003

Pos    Yacht       Distance to Finish
1    Jersey       3462.85 (nautical miles)
2    London       3481.70
3    Bristol       3486.35
4    _blank York    3489.28
5    Glasgow    3492.45
6    Liverpool    3494.75
7    Cape Town    3527.69
8    Hong Kong    3557.35

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

Race 5 Galapagos to Hawaii - THE KO OLINA CUP
Clipper 2002 visit to Hawaii will be hosted by Ko Olina Marina and Resort
www.koolinamarina.com