Clipper 2002/2003 Race - The gap narrows
11:00, 21 August 2003
by Tim Hedges

Yesterday afternoon Glasgow reported that the wind had been up and down but that overall things had not been too bad, " making around 6-7kts towards finish most of the time. Wind has now veered westerly so are making around 345T or so, at around 6kts. Wind quite up & down, easing a bit now as it happens, around w4 at the moment. Some rain showers, but mostly sunny." Reasonable conditions and they sailed 80 miles in a 12 hour period, however at the front of the fleet things were very different. A message from Jersey Skipper Simon Rowell had as its subject heading "AAAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!" eloquently expressing the current sailing conditions.

A keen racing crew will take every opportunity to check the state of their vessel to ensure that she remains in top racing condition. The Jersey crew decided to take advantage of the calm to check the state of their prop. This is important as the feathering blades can jam and cause extra drag, but perhaps the fact that the entire crew swam down to inspect it, one after the other, says more about the complete lack of wind than their enthusiasm for bearings. This morning Simon described conditions as "Slip, Slap, Slop" so I guess things have not improved much.

This has meant another big gain, over 30 miles, for Hong Kong who are now only 79 miles behind. Although this would normally be considered a large margin, at current progress they could be real contenders and will certainly be a worry for Jersey. The problem though is that they will have to sail through Jersey to get to the finish, or risk going out on a limb to outflank them, and currently it does not look as if either side would do them any favours.

Annoyingly the nearer the finish the boats get, the more unsettled the wind is becoming, and it looks as if the brief spell of breeze will soon die out for the rest as well. Indeed for most it seems to have done so already. Bristol reports the wind to be patchy and several squalls are developing. They have even seen a couple of waterspouts. Spirits on board were briefly raised by a visiting school of dolphins, but as Richard Butler said, they would have looked great playing in the bow wave, if there had been a bow wave.

Liverpool and Glasgow have at least got the consolation of remaining close to each other, so helping focus on the race, but one has to feel sorry for Cape Town who now languish at the back of the fleet since New York and London retired. Not only have they been struggling to average much more than a couple of knots an hour, but they are miles away from the rest of the fleet. All messages of support will be gratefully received!

Meanwhile London and New York continue to make good progress towards Bermuda and are expecting to arrive at 0800 local time today, around lunchtime for those of us watching from the UK. The authorities in Bermuda have been most helpful and, together with Harbour Radio in St. Georges, are primed to ensure that the pit stop is as quick as possible, and we hope that they can be on their way again after a few hours. We will keep you posted.

Stop Press!

Welcome to the world Ellen Elizabeth May Landale. Born on the 20th August Ellen is a 'Clipper baby' with shared interests in the Clipper 2000 race, currently cheering for Jersey Clipper (although she may develop a tendency to support London too!). Congratulations James and Cath from all in the Clipper Race Team!

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