Things are not looking good for the bunnies...
05:12, 20 April 2003
by Sarah Beaugeard

To continue with yesterdays theme, the first thing we must say from the Roaming Race office here in Hong Kong is a very HAPPY EASTER to all back home and those others dotted around the globe following in the race.

For us and the crew racing, this Easter is certainly going to be one we won’t forget easily. In Hong Kong this weekend it is a public holiday. As I write this report, all I can hear is the banging and crashing of drums and cymbals outside my window as a Chinese tour boat laden with holidaying locals is leaving the harbour for an Easter day out. Not a hot cross bun in sight!

Elsewhere in the city, a national ‘clean up’ has been ordered, so, interspersed with the usual egg eating and family ‘get togethers’ that Easter brings, a smell of disinfectant lingers as every retailer, resident and business attempts a mass clean up of the city to try and stamp out the SARS virus.

If the Easter bunny has managed to get to seaward of Hong Kong Island (which I think he may have judging from some of the packages and parcels that arrived during the last week of the stopover!) then I fear he will be struggling to keep his wears in one piece. It is hot out there, and it is only going to get hotter. Not only are crew now finding that they have to wear shoes on deck because it burns your feet to go without, but any Easter Eggs may be rather melted by now. Something tells me that the crew may just about cope with both situation.

Leg 4 of this Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is notorious for this kind of weather, as the fleet sail further away from the changeable, damp weather of Hong Kong Island; the winds are likely to get lighter and the sun to feel hotter. A total extreme from the feisty and cold weather that Leg 3 threw at the crew but equally as challenging.

These light wind conditions certainly shows crew a different side to sailing. Life down below no longer becomes an obstacle course of hand holds and damp clothes, instead a flat boat is easy to move around and shady, breezy bunks are sought after for precious off watch sleep. On deck crew will start to realise the truth in the saying “ Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” Armed with wide brimmed hats, plenty of sunscreen, water and those fantastic long sleeved t-shirts they were given from the Ko Olina Marina in Hawaii however, the crew are about as ready as they will ever be.

Back in the race the top spots in the race are ever changing. The fleet has just passed the first waypoint on the North East corner of the Macclesfield Bank and are now heading directly down the Palawan Passage that runs down the coast of Borneo. They are currently experiencing light airs, and every sail change and boost of breeze from a cloud is important. The latest positions have Bristol Clipper out in front. This is a nice hop up the leader board for the Bristolians. Reportedly they are ghosting along under white sails and can still see four other boats, always good to keep the crew on their toes however we can expect these positions to change time and time again.

Hong Kong Clipper (along with their customised ‘helming shade tent’) have made good gains on the fleet over the last 12hours and Glasgow are obviously enjoying their time at the top too. Neither of these crews will be planning to let the Bristol slip away too easily however, there is the danger that they will become locked in battle and give the chance for the Bristol boys to slip away unnoticed.

If this does happen, it will greatly please Adam and his Liverpool crew and the ‘beans’ onboard Jersey Clipper. These boats are hot on the heels of the three front runners and I doubt they will be stopping for Easter Eggs and Simnel Cake this afternoon!

Seven miles astern are Cape Town and New York. The stars and stripes crew will be frustrated at this change of position, as will their new Skipper Ross who is widely reported to ‘not too good at losing’…I am sure they will be scurrying around that boat tweaking every sail within an inch of its life to get the boat back up the leader board.

Finally we have Cockney Clipper now eleven miles shy of the top spot. Not much in a race that is over 1400 nautical miles, but enough to get them all worried, and reports have just come in that a couple of this determined crew have been swimming to double check that the boats propeller is feathering properly – every little bit of a knot of boat speed counts.

Happy Easter from the Race Office.

Source: Clipper 2002/2003 Round The World Race Official Site