Thats more like it
09:45, 18 May 2003
by Tim Hedges

After a frustratingly light start the winds are now picking up as expected. With 25 knots plus, the boats are now all flying heavyweight spinnakers and having an exhilarating ocean blast. Positions remain close, though the "spread" is widening. After a couple of months in the challenging conditions of the South China Sea the fleet will no doubt be relishing the current conditions.

One bit of interest yesterday was a spares transfer between Cape Town and Liverpool. Cape Town had discovered that an important part of their generator, vital for charging batteries and running the watermaker, was about to wear out. Mindful of the distance still to cover, and knowing that the correct spare was on board Liverpool, a mere six miles away, skipper Roger Steven Jennings took the seamanlike decision to stop racing and head towards Liverpool's position. A tricky transfer was attempted with minimal disturbance to Liverpool who remained racing throughout. Eventually the required part was passed over with judicious use of a long line, a fender, and a strong plastic bag, not as easy as it might sound in an increasing wind and sea. On completion Cape Town returned to their original position relative to Liverpool where they recommenced racing and fitted the offending part. The race committee will be considering if there was any gain or loss, but it is unlikely to have more than a minimal effect to either vessel.

I mentioned earlier that all boats were now flying heavyweight kites. Unfortunately for Hong Kong this was not before they ripped the head out of their medium weight. This must have provided quite a sight for the Bristol crew who were close enough to watch the whole thing, happy in the knowledge that they had already changed down. Perhaps it is this forward thinking that is keeping them, at the front of the fleet.

I will leave you with New York skipper Ross Daniel's final description of their current progress, "going like a Boeing!". Given the present state of the airline industry I suspect that is an understatement.

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