Betreff: Clipper 2002 Race Preview
Absender: "Clipper _blanks" 
Empfänger: "Irvin Krumnacker" 
Datum: 12. Mar 2003 11:20


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>From Clipper Ventures
To: Dr Irvin Krumnacker
E-mail: Dr.Krumnacker@t-online.de


Dear Dr Irvin

Clipper 2002 Race Preview
12 March 2003

FLEET SET SAIL FOR SHANGHAI

Race seven of the Clipper 2002 series gets underway this Thursday, 13 March
2003, on a 925 nautical mile race from Yokohama to Shanghai. The eight
international yachts will motor from the Bayside Marina in Yokohama to the
start line in the south of Tokyo Bay and racing will start at 14:00 local
time (05:00 GMT).

The stretch from Yokohama onto Shanghai will see crews contend with the
notorious Kuroshio Current, which can reach a speed of 4 knots, as they
embark on a south westerly course as far as the southern tip of Kyushu
Island, some 500 miles away.

The tactical interest is heightened by the index current having counter
currents close inshore. Additionally the yachts will be influenced by the
strong tidal streams that can be powerful around the five index headlands
they will pass. To avoid an adverse currents a sailor might nip into the
bays between these headlands, but this is not always an option for the
Clipper fleet in Japan. Many of the bays have fish farms and nets, some
supported by strong chains which can snag a yacht.

The Clipper yachts could go further out to sea, but this will add to the
distance and they will have to cross the 30-mile wide adverse current. This
could still be a good option especially if those inshore suffer from another
racing hazard, namely calms. All eyes will be on the fleet to see which
yachts beat along the coast, or head out to sea where they will be clear of
the current, the coastal shipping and the fish traps.

The first boat to reach the southern end of Kyushu could well be the winner
of this race, as the final 400 miles are almost due west to the mouth of the
Yangtze River and there will be little a chasing team can do tactically to
gain on the leader. Even so, these matched yachts have been known to cause
many an upset in the closing stages of racing and the Clipper 2002 event, in
particular, is proving to be especially close.

After six races and four different winners so far, Jersey currently lead the
overall Clipper 2002 standings on 39 points, with Bristol chasing hard on 34
and London not much further behind on 31 points.

The fleet is now moving out of oceans, back into seas, and crews will wave
farewell to the Pacific as they pass Kyushu and enter the China Sea.

Once over the finish line the yachts have a 110-mile passage to Shanghai.
The frontrunners will initially proceed to an anchorage to await the other
yachts and the Chinese pilots who will escort the fleet as a whole up the
Yangtze River. Race seven's winning yacht is expected into Shanghai on
Saturday, 22 March, with a high-profile stopover to be hosted by the
Metropolitan Marina Club of Shanghai, the _blankest yacht marina in Shanghai
and the only marina club in the region.

The latest stopover in Yokohama has been a welcome break for the Clipper
crews and with many arriving a day earlier than expected, this has enabled
them to fully enjoy the exceedingly warm hospitality of their Japanese hosts
despite the colder climate. One truly popular feature of the Bayside
Marina, the heated lavatory seats, has once again proved to be a big hit
with the crews. However, those Clipper 60s who have submitted stores
requisitions for a much larger inverter so they could run one aboard, have
found their request declined!

CLIPPER 2002 OVERALL ORDER AFTER RACE 6:
Place Yacht      Cumulative Points
1    Jersey       39
2    Bristol       34
3    London       31
4    Liverpool    28.5
5    Hong Kong    28
6    Glasgow    23
7    _blank York    22
8    Cape Town    9

Loretta Spridgeon
Clipper 2002 Media & PR Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 2380 237088
Fax: +44 (0) 2380 237081
Mobile: +44 (0) 7773 818586
Website: www.clipper-ventures.com



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