Betreff: Clipper 2002 Race Report
Absender: "Clipper _blanks" 
Empfänger: 
Datum: 28. Apr 2003 11:49


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Clipper 2002 Race Report
28 April 2003

FOLLOW MY LEAD

Following the surprise of Race 10 finishing at the first gate, which of
course was wonderful _blanks for Justin Taylor and the crew of Hong Kong
Clipper who clinched their third race win, the Clipper fleet are making
their way two-by-two towards Pulau Batam.

Instead of eking every last knot of boat speed out of the Clippers, the
latest task for the skippers is to monitor their fuel consumption carefully
as they continue to motor toward their final destination.

One of the best ways of doing this is to take it in turns to tow each other,
as this saves almost 40% of the fuel consumption. So onwards they go,
playing 'follow my lead' rather than 'catch me if you can' through the calm
waters that surround them.

Race 10’s result was a great victory for Hong Kong Clipper as they will
receive the Silver Junk Trophy, presented by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
It also puts them up two places in the overall standings as they replace
Liverpool in third place.

Glasgow Clipper had another great race and their second place has moved them
up above London into fifth place. Only 5 points now separate Hong Kong in
third with London in sixth place, whilst at the top of the table both Jersey
and Bristol are still showing great consistency and indextaining a healthy
cushion. They can certainly still be caught though.

The one aspect of the race from Hong Kong to Batam, probably more
significant that the final places, was just how close the racing was. After
10 days and just over a thousand miles, the first four boats finished within
an hour of each other. In the conditions this represented four miles. A
mere 7 minutes then separated _blank York, Liverpool and Cape Town in a
demonstration of tremendous racing and great sportsmanship from the
competitors.

The boats then went to Kota Kinablalu after finishing and topped up with
fuel and some extra jerry cans of fuel to transit down the coast towards the
Riau Islands just to the south of Singapore. With conditions so very calm,
the boats have split into pairs and are towing each other to save fuel.

Competitiveness has therefore taken on _blank meaning in the fleet and this
morning it appears that instead of the fleet jostling for position, the aim
is to see who can invent the most ingenious form of wind funnel and sun
shade.

The most inventive so far are Jersey Clipper who apparently have their Storm
Staysail rigged over the cockpit somehow, and their Yankee 3 attached to
their baby stay which is shooting wind down the central hatch.

Hong Kong Clipper, whilst basking in the glory of another first position are
busy trying not to bask in the baking sun and have also rigged up many wind
funnels and umbrellas to create shade. Always wanting to be different,
Glasgow Clipper are accommodating those who want some R&R in the sun by
rigging a hammock on the foredeck!

The fleet fishermen are also hard at work. Motoring provides a near perfect
speed to attract a big bite and some have been successful already. Heavy
negotiations went on last night as Cape Town Clipper managed to catch a
rather large Barracuda… Liverpool Clipper's shrewd negotiators on board
managed to close the deal with the swapping of two lemons, a bargain we
think. It seems the crew have fitted into the non-racing side of life very
well!

It is not all relaxing, fishing and evening swims however. The aim for the
fleet now is not only to get to Batam Island on time, but also to have made
a decent dent in the ever-present jobs lists on board, so that they have
more time to enjoy either the tranquillity of Batam Island or the city life
of Singapore.

This time at sea is providing the crews with the perfect opportunity to
catch up on all those little jobs that were forgotten in Hong Kong. Topsides
are being polished to within an inch of their lives and down below diarists
are busy typing, whilst the victuallers have a chance to rope in some
helping hands to make a full inventory of the stores on board. All this and
no distractions from cold drinks, hotels or swimming pools - a skipper's
heaven!

With less than 500 nautical miles left to go, it is expected that the
Clipper fleet will arrive in the early hours of Friday, 2nd May. Nongsa
Point Marina and Tuli Beach Resort are busily preparing for their surprise
guests and it is all shaping up to be another fabulous Clipper Stopover to
remember.

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