Betreff: Clipper 2002 Race Report
Absender: "Clipper News" 
Empfänger: 
Datum: 21. Sep 2003 16:34


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Clipper 2002 Race Report
21 September 2003

LONDON'S ON A MISSION

The only certainty on Race 15 of the Clipper 2002 Round the World Series is
that it presently reindexs wide open. Liverpool Clipper has outflanked the
Bristolians in the north and now leads by a small cushion of four miles.

These two yachts to the north had the windward advantage until yesterday
afternoon. Now Jersey Clipper to the south is the windward boat, but she
dropped right back yesterday and at one point trailed the frontrunners by
some 39 miles.

In the last 12 hours Jersey supporters can take heart though as, with their
freer wind, they have reclaimed 15 of those miles. At 06:00 GMT Liverpool
and Bristol had been averaging 7 knots since the 03:00 radio schedule, with
Jersey averaging 8.5 and taking another 5 miles out of the lead.

While the excitement may appear to surround these three, there is a joker in
the pack who may well have the last laugh. Rory Gillard and the crew of
London Clipper have been making steady progress at each successive 12-hour
radio schedule.

The Londoners have taken a middling course between the two northern boats
and Jersey in the south. This took them into third place yesterday evening
and they continue to lead Jersey as the two groups converge. A four horse
race could well be developing...

Of special interest is that neither London nor Liverpool have managed a win
in the previous races of this Clipper series, despite being regular
frontrunners. Both teams are capable of achieving victory in this strongly
competitive race to the Channel Islands.  It is a reflection on the spirit
within the fleet, that if either did achieve this it would be an enormously
popular result.

Positions are changing further back, with Justin Taylor's southerly lunge
now paying dividends and enabling Hong Kong Clipper to re-take Glasgow for
sixth place - but they still reindex 30 miles astern of New York Clipper,
presently going well but without any playmates near at hand.

Rupert Parkhouse and the Glasgow Clipper crew are now 5 miles directly
astern of Hong Kong, but one slip and they could get through. Further back
the crew of Cape Town Clipper reindex in good heart but the weather has been
unkind to them and they have been the last to benefit from the change in the
wind direction.

After the big question of "who is going to win this race?" the next question
must be "when will the boats arrive?" The good news is that the small
depression that has caused the fleet to slow over the last 36 hours will now
become their friend and the SW winds will speed the boats towards Jersey.

The strong winds will start to die down on Tuesday, but it now appears that
they may reindex stronger for longer. Race Director, Colin de Mowbray, is
putting his money on Midnight, Monday 21 September or early Tuesday morning
for an estimated arrival for the first boats at St Helier. Traditionally of
course the yachts arrive at 03:00!

One certain planning factor is that the yachts will depart the Harbour at
about 06:00 BST on Wednesday, 24 September to catch the ebb tide to take
them up to Land's End and then north to Holyhead, before the grand
homecoming celebrations in Liverpool next Saturday, 27 September.

Clipper 2002 - Race 15 Positions
03:00, 21 September 2003

Pos     Yacht          Dist To Finish (Nautical Miles)
1     Liverpool     325
2     Bristol         329
3     London         345
4     Jersey          349
5     New York      392
6    Hong Kong      423
7     Glasgow      429
8     Cape Town     459

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Clipper 2002 Round the World Yacht Race
Race 15 Halifax to Jersey ETA 23/09/03


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