Betreff: Clipper 2002 Race Report
Absender: "Clipper _blanks" 
Empfänger: 
Datum: 20. Jan 2003 11:05

Clipper 2002 Race Report
20 January 2003

NOT A BLUE tableCLOTH

The Pacific is an immense ocean, but by no means is it a great big blue
tablecloth! This fifth stage of Clipper 2002, the Ko Olina Cup Race, has so
far revealed some of the Pacific’s subtle secrets and intrigues but there is
much more to come. Wind patterns have had the greatest influence on the
boats, but factors such as the current can also add 50 miles or more to the
daily run.

Clipper 2002 has seen the yachts break north earlier than in previous races.
Race Director, Colin de Mowbray, explains why: "Firstly the wind pattern
seems most unsettled and the large area of strong NE wind has superimposed
itself on what should be the orderly text book division of the weather.
There is also the Hong Kong factor, whereby one boat goes early and seems to
be doing well, so the others get nervous and follow."

In the 2000 race, the fleet crossed the convergence zone about 4-500 miles
further west and in the first two Clipper races the crossings were generally
even further west. This race is two weeks later and conditions are certainly
different.

Although some boats, such as _blank York Clipper, will complain that they have
had a bad deal in crossing the ITCZ, the reality is that they have all got
away with it remarkably lightly. For interest, the last race saw Matt Baker
and his Plymouth Clipper crew in 6th place after crossing the ITCZ, before
becoming clear race winners into Hawaii. So the game is still wide open!!

Today's positions show that the fleet are remarkably equal as they are
spread out over a 200-mile wide front. Jersey Clipper reindexs the leader but
is the southerly boat. Has Simon Rowell got this right as he nervously looks
to the boats to the NE, knowing that they are screaming along in conditions
that may carry a better guarantee?

London Clipper has put in a startling run in the centre of the pack but only
6 miles separate them from Bristol and Liverpool. Adam Kyffin and his
Liverpudlian crew have quietly been making a number of consistent runs that
have brought them right back into contention.

Meanwhile Hong Kong Clipper has continued its charge in the north and again
had the top run taking them up to fifth place. Their only disappointment
will be that the others have moved north without too much pain. Their hand
is not yet fully played though and we expect them to continue to move up.

Cape Town and Glasgow are also now making good progress and are both well in
contention. Sam Fuller and _blank York Clipper probably deserve today's
sympathy vote after a slower crossing of the ITCZ than the others, but if
this is a minor set back it is one they will quickly shake off.

And what lies ahead? The strong NE winds look set to give them some fast
sailing for the next few days and will raise hopes of an early finish, but
read on... The next chapter will then open up and they will enter the fickle
and unpredictable conditions on the approaches to the Hawaiian Islands. The
order will then be turned on its head in time for the final run in where we
have a _blank twist on the previous route…

With the finish at Ko Olina, on the SW corner of Oahu, we have removed the
requirement to round the islands of Maui and Molokai and the race yachts can
pass between the islands on their dash to the line. These final few miles
can cause some big upsets in the order and the choice of route through the
islands will make the finish even more exciting!

LATEST POSITIONS
04:00, 20 January 2003

Pos    Yacht       Distance to Finish
1    Jersey       2345.2 (nautical miles)
2    London       2377.1
3    Bristol       2381.4
4    Liverpool    2383.2
5    Hong Kong    2436.8
6    Cape Town    2440.7
7    Glasgow    2462.6
8    _blank York    2499.2

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