Clipper 2002/2003 Race - A game of three halves
11:15, 15 July 2003
by Tim Hedges

After a mid race separation the fleet have really settled in to two groups. The front group we know all about. New York still leads with a 50 mile margin, with Bristol and Cape Town second and third. A further 50 miles or so back London are somewhat on their own, but it is another 100 miles to the east where the competition is really hotting up. Glasgow, Hong Kong, Liverpool and Jersey are almost parallel to each other on a north - south line and only 13 miles now separates them on distance to the finish. Not only that but the wind has been easing from the front so we may well see some further compression over the next day or so. Could it be that this race will end with a close finish after all?

In all likelihood we will see them finishing in three separate groups. Tellingly Glasgow's 24 hour run yesterday was exactly the same as their distance from New York, so in other words at that rate they would finish exactly a day later. Now, with speeds dropping, they will probably be more than 24 hours behind. If the wind dies off ahead, the leading boats could slow down, and those behind can catch up, but eventually they too will slow down. Short of the leaders hitting some very localised wind holes on the final approach to the finish, they now seem fairly safe. It is virtually impossible to overtake another boat directly ahead of you by following the same track, but this close to the finish there are few if any tactical alternatives.

So, we are left with our three groupings. There is a gentle breeze of around 11 knots true from the south east. The light weight spinnaker would be the sail of choice for those with an intact sail wardrobe, the rest will be flying what they can. But all will be glad of a bit of peace after the squalls of the last few days. Today's Bristol diary tells how they spent 26 hours fixing their medium weight, a good time for the amount of damage it had sustained, and I would definitely recommend reading Ian Cooke's London diary for a description of the catastrophic broach that was mentioned a few days ago.

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